Thursday, August 28, 2014

Change

     It's been and up and down week so far.  The sinus infection I've been fighting with has been kicking my butt as of lately.  I'm going to keep at a few more things and hopefully I can get this infection back under control.  It's been the cause of most of my up and down sleep nights.  On top of my foot starting to bother me even more than it was before. I know it's mostly from the severe bending I've been doing on it.  Walking and working Blake, a TON of bending at work.   But good thing is my kittens all go in for spay/neuter next week so as long as they're fixed I'm happy.  No more kittens for me after this.  I don't know yet what I'm going to do with the three cats, they don't even have names yet.  I'm going to start making my budget and see what I can afford and start that disaster rolling.  I may have to drop down to an efficiency that's super cheap and kinda dumpy but whatever to start with to cut the gas costs down.  
     I know in my budget- there's a few things that I have to take into consideration, things I know I have and things I have to eliminate from it.  I know a lot is going to depend on the cost of everything.  There's so much to consider, and so little time.  My own dog is out for now.  I can look, dream and desire one but it has to wait.  My pay is so low, I need to move up as soon as I can.  First I have to do something about gas mileage. Must save up for a car.  It's hard to save up when you don't have much money to work with.  
     Well The rabbits have hit another slam spot and I have to see where else I can cut them back.  I would love to keep Iria's daughter but only if Penelope was coming back down.  I know right now for Chin's I'm only going to keep Fiona's son.  If Penelope was coming back down, I'd keep Iria's daughter and move Iria on, this way I could cross Iria's daughter back to Fiona's son and get Chin babies if I chose to breed again.  
     Work, well I should have been expecting that to happen.  I bust my ass at work every day.  The only day that I can relax is the day that I don't work with Shelby.  And Kari told me today that she's not surprised that Shelby got her job as she's related to Patrick.  Well to me that still shouldn't matter.  She's not doing the job that she's supposed to be.  I'm almost sure I'd be fired if I tried to be as lazy and attached to my phone like she does.  She left a cat today- with a broken pelvis no less- that she moved cages to clean it, she gave it food and it was 3 hours before I noticed today that it didn't have water.  I had been busy keeping up with everything else and I pointed it out to Diane.  I mean I can't keep up with everything she does I feel stupid not being able to trust her to do her job and pull her own weight.  The cats all hate her, she yanks their tails.  Yeah I'm not big on cats but I know not to yank their damn tails.  And she wonders why even Mickie kitty has bitten her, Clark has and at first I thought Jingles was just being himself and biting people but it's not, she yanks his damn tail too.  I watched her do it to a clients cat.  I just want to grab her hair and yank her around and see how she likes it.  She does it tomorrow I WILL yell at her.  Jingles is jealous and is lovable just don't be mean to him.  
     Anyway, I need to go to sleep, get some kind of a decent night's sleep before the last full day of the week.  Then I have to start work on my budget.  

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Journey

     I haven't had a good relaxed day like this in a seriously long time.  This weekend has been awesome.  Saturday I stopped up at Tamarack on my way home, to visit with Sandy.  I got to see the Arena completed and it looks fantastic!   I'm hoping to find a studio apartment and be able to get into that and get Heidi back to Tamarack for the winter.  It will mean asking Lisa to put the last remaining rabbits at her place and I'll be out to check them at least every other night.  I only plan to keep about 8 or 9 rabbits.  
     Sunday wasn't bad today either.  I had an hour at the clinic taking care of the cats that were there, a grand total of 7, did a little bit of laundry and cleaned up the floor in the hallway as there was dog hair everywhere.  Rex's truck was still there as well, I think he had a late night call last night.  Either way I was quiet, got my stuff done and got out of there.  I brought Grandma back home with me.   Then I got up on Heidi after breakfast.  It was a really nice ride the yard was still super squishy.  I had sweat rolling down my forehead and the huge horse flies were trying to bit the crap out of Heidi so I got down and let her loose again.  Hopefully the weather will break again.
     I have one full day of work tomorrow then another day off.  I'm going to try to get out every night to bike ride.  Even if it's just a mile or so up the road so long as it's not raining.  The more I do it the farther I can push it.  

Friday, August 22, 2014

Smile and Carry on!


     Today was probably the best day I've ever had at Boonesboro.  I most certainly got a good upper body work out today.  I was the only Kennel person so going and getting the spay and neuters was interesting.  Usually Shelby and I team up and use the stretcher to carry them.  But no Shelby this weekend.  So we had two Golden Retrievers coming in for Neuters, 60 & 62 pound brothers.  I ended up carrying them back to their kennel to wake up.  One at a time. They get a little bit heavy like that.  Good thing I could do it, there wasn't anyone available to help, too many walk in's and Kari can't lift something that heavy.  So I just did it.  I really enjoyed, it kept me moving a LOT today.  Keeping up with the Kennel, keeping up with moving the surgery dogs and keeping up the laundry as well.  Thankfully several boarded cats went home today, and one board dog goes home tomorrow morning.  That makes Sunday easy for me.  
     Hopefully Sunday afternoon will be decent enough to get on Heidi for a ride.  I brought her home almost a month ago and I've yet to do anything with her.  I finally got her girth the other day and I tried it on.  Fits nicely, I can't wait to get in the saddle now!  
     Well tomorrow is a half day, the kennel part should run smooth as silk now.  With so few, and there shouldn't be any surgeries coming in.  Be a good chance to get out into the rooms and learn.    

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Decisions to be made

     Well I got 'Hazed' today by Patrick none the less.  Jeff, Diane and Rex all had a great time laughing at me.  Patrick asked me to hold the little mutt pups for tails and declaws (okay Schnauzer Poodle cross- Scnoodles I guess.) and no one mentioned to wear gloves, I figured I'd just hold them like Patrick told me to.  So we get done with the 4 puppies and Patrick just casually says ' by the way, that stuff is Silver Nitrate and it'll leave brown marks on your skin.'  So I went to the sink and attempted to scrub my hands, then he comes over and retorts, 'and the water speeds up the browning process'.  Diane and Jeff looked at each other, then me and Diane says, "you were hazed'.  I keep picking at the brown spots hoping they'll come off.  It was a humorous day.  Later Rex had me and Shelby helping him catch some feral cats out of their crates to be euthanized and I got the Siamese and as I got the net over the cat(who was hissing, growling and would lunge at us if it hadn't been netted) and Shelby squeaked.  We called her squeaky the rest of the day.  
     The only thing that's hurting me right now is the lower pay.  It's not sitting to where I can get an apartment.  I'm going to, once I get Microsoft office back, set up my budget and see what I got going where.  Then I'll see what's left over after that. and I'll start planning it.  I have to figure out a way to get a small apartment or even a studio, and get Heidi moved that direction.  If I made enough, Brent Francis' place would be ideal, then having to get Heidi someplace after that.  Dad had mentioned maybe talking to Aunt Lisa about using a bottom pasture for Heidi and putting her there, but I don't want to do that to Lisa.  I know how much she liked Heidi- maybe not so much since Heidi broke her.  I have to call my 401k and my Pension companies.  Get the 401k rolled over into an IRA and I'm going to cash out the Pension gives me a few thousand to work with to clear my credit card and to buy a small car to run to and from work.  The trucks 16.5 mpg is hurting on a roughly 70 mile round trip to work.  
     Looks like, at this moment in time, that I'll be keeping Heidi at home for the winter.  It means buying hay and bringing that in, getting a new water tank heater and a cord as well since mine is fried.  I hope soon I'll make enough money again to move Heidi back to a boarding barn, but Shelby and I both had the same idea, we both want to go back to school and get our Vet Tech's.  Hopefully make more money again.  I mentioned it to Rex when the two of us were waiting on the cats to go to sleep.  It's hard for me to cut my pay almost in half when I actually put thought into it. 
     I'm also going to go ahead and stop at the Mt Sterling vet office.  I found a message on the machine from them that no one had told me about and if they'll pay equal or more than Boonesboro I may move over to there.  I LOVE Boonesboro but it's just too far.  Shelby's half the distance that I am but for her Boonesboro is still closer.  It'll be better come winter for driving.  Plus I won't have to get up anywhere near as early as I do now. Of coarse the long drive right now makes it easy to be able to eat something before I get to work.  Take my pill by 5:40 and I'm usually getting off the interstate around 6:40 and eat my breakfast going up Bypass.  Well it's sleep time.  I haven't slept too good the last few nights.  Part of it's a sinus infection brewing.  I'm still working on draining out my sinus' from the years of working at Nestle.  

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Rainy Day focus

     Well a rained out Sunday gave me a LOT of time to think about things.  Boonesboro Animal Clinic is a step towards where I want to go but I still would rather get into Large animal, more importantly back into Equine.  I'm going to hold out and stay at Boonesboro until I can at least train my way up enough and I'll pick at Rex, Jeff and Patrick's brains on Horses.  I started to pick at Jeff's on Saturday since Heidi's still itchy, no where near as bad as before. I think she needs to go up to 2 oz's a day instead of the 1 oz she's on.  If I can get Patrick, or Jeff to agree maybe I can buy a container of the Tri-Hist from them.  I know it's all at cost, which I can tolerate.  If it'll stop her itching that's all I care.  She's my everything.  She just let me snuggle her several times today and that's what I want.  For my world I have several rabbits that I've chosen to keep and they're all my snugglers.  I might move them on later on, but as of right now I can't do that.  I still have to push and get rid of quite a few more rabbits.  
     I thought a lot more and heavier on moving into an apartment or studio.  I have to find one that's inexpensive enough to afford, and yet close enough to be able to get out to Heidi and my rabbits every night so I can take care of them.  
     I kept dreaming today and thinking a lot on if I ever won the lotto, what would I do?  Well for one I'd get my truck fixed up properly; pay off my student loans, pay off Allens for him and pay off Jess' for dad.  Then I get my own little place to keep Heidi at, just 5 or so acres and I'd get her a companion.  I would also go back to school, I'd keep my job at Boonesboro until I got the further education.  Part of me wants to go back now and go back for Equine Nutrition and Vet tech.  
     I've not gotten much weight off, so much for a 30 x 30.  30 pounds off by 30 years old, I do have it going in the correct direction now, but there's no way to get 30 pounds off.  Right now I've gone from upper 270's to the lower 270's.  So going the right direction and it's great.  I'll keep going the way I'm going and I'll get there eventually.  
     There's something about my bedroom that is driving my sinus' crazy.  So after work tomorrow and my day off Tuesday I'm going to try moving my bed and cleaning the wall behind it.  I'll do whatever I can to get my Sinus'.  While they got a refill of my thyroid medication I won't push for the blood pressure refill.  Mom said she has extra of hers which I'll have to cut in half as her's is twice as strong as mine, and I have extra of my own.  Well Bed time I have a bad feeling Jess will wake me up in the morning.  She's finally starting work again after being off for 3 weeks(I think).  

Friday, August 15, 2014

Continue

     Everything so far has been going as planned.  Got my first paycheck and Yes, I did take a pay cut.  The pay cut was worth it though.  Every little bit of it. I have more time with Heidi and I have more time to keep going over mental things.  I'm pushing to keep fewer rabbits.  10 or less INCLUDING Speedle now.  Marcie still is on the cut list.  I'm keeping Connie, Marcie, Iria, Fiona's son, Zachary, Tobias, Hermione, and Raven for Dutch.  Speedle makes number 9.  Leaves me open to a future baby if I happen to find one. Archie made the cut this time only due to fur type.  He has very cottony fur not nice slick dutch fur.  
     I was talking to Aunt Lisa and she mentioned being able to possibly keep them there.  I've still yet to find a studio apartment.  It'll probably mean leaving the dog off for several more years and settling Heidi back in at Tamarack on pasture board.  I have still yet to talk to Perry about moving the rabbits there too.  I'm going to go through all my rabbit stuff this Sunday or maybe tomorrow afternoon so I can start getting that stuff listed for sale.  I'm going to move everyone to 32 oz water bottles and self feeders.
    That'll keep everything I need local to Winchester.  I seriously need to buy a small car to keep running back and forth.  It's getting to me on the gas to keep going back and forth.  Once I cut some of the other random expenses out then I'll be safer, especially if I can train and move up.  Only thing that will potentially mess up is my Doctors.  I don't think St Claire's goes that far west, not much past Owingsville.
    Well I did upgrade to my smart phone, now to fully drop mom and dad's phone's off my plan and get mine to a straight $60 a month.  For a smart phone that isn't bad.  I don't use it heavily as a smart phone just yet anyway.  
     Time for some sleep.  Half day at work tomorrow.  Get to say goodbye to Mikey since he's going back to school after tomorrow.  It'll be okay.  I'll miss him.  

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Reflections

     I have found my starts to be awesome now.  I'm very happy where I have finally ended up.  It's been a long, rough road.  This year has been full of it's ups and downs, many face plants into that road but I finally have gotten to the better part of the road and while it's still rough I know everything will smooth out as I go along.  Just keep marching and it'll get better.  
     I finally got back in contact with Marie. It's been a while but it's so relaxing being able to talk to her again.  She was someone local that we connected over rabbits and we fell apart for a while because of the little youth boy in Lexington.  We've just now, almost a year later, actually started talking again.  It's been kind of interesting and I started to follow her husband's ministry page.  I did a lot more especially after Stanley's heart attack and everything else. And while I re-kindled that friendship, I seemed to have lost the one I had with Rachel.  She's always with her boyfriend, we barely talk to each other anymore.  Kylie and I have more or less reconnected, and she's even thought about moving down here, do like I did, and do a restart and refresh.  It would be really nice change of pace for her.  I think she'd do well doing that. 
     I've turned to a more spiritual manner now, and I know Grandma misses Church on Sundays so I'm actually thinking about going with her.  It's not something I've ever done and not something I know a lot about but it would be something for her to enjoy and more for me to learn.  Marie said she's got some extra bibles and would send me one so I could start to learn more.  It's something Grandma and I can share and I think she would really enjoy going again and having company.  
     I even got a call from Sandy and we talked for almost an hour.  I kind of can't wait to be able to move Heidi again but if I move her I have to move the rabbits either near her or with her at Tamarack, mostly so I don't spend my whole evening at the barn and forget to get home to take care of the rabbits.  If I move her back before winter, I have to move the rabbits and get my own apartment all in the same time slot.  It's all still in the planning stage.  
     I was talking to dad earlier and I had mentioned getting an apartment in Winchester and then having to find a place to keep the rabbits over there and he was like just get the little car and stay here.  I continued by telling him I wanted a place I could get a dog again and he started to argue and I pointed out that it could come to work with me everyday and I had vaccines and it's spay already covered in my benefits at work plus I DEF would wait until Ayden was gone.  He didn't argue, he knew I had a plan.  Then I could hopefully work my schedule around so that I could get training classes and even show a few times.  Minimally she would have her CGC on her when I got done.  Well it's off to bed, I'll be minorly short on sleep going into work tomorrow but Monday's are usually a bit lighter and easier to handle than the rest of the week.   

Friday, August 8, 2014

First week Wonders

     First week has gone by in a whirl wind.  I've learned quite a bit, I've stayed calm, quiet and relaxed.  I've only gotten irritated a few times at some people not over anything in particular.  Just many differences in opinions on how things need to be done.  But I'm still working hard and still doing what I can to learn.  Work fast and hard and earn the time to venture into the back parts of the clinic and help clean rooms, and learn what I can from the vets as they work.
     I've got my first week real dutch sale that I'm scared about.  It doesn't feel right.  If I could actually feel comfortable doing something with these rabbits then I would just keep them, but I need to sell them and cut down the stock.  Well it's bed time before the last half day of work.  After work I'll stop by someplace and grab some pizza or something for Grandma and me and I'll go by her place for some lunch.  I'm sure it'll make her terribly happy.  

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Living

     Wow what a realization that I made today while I was working around the barn.  I pulled a few more rabbits down, posed then, then felt them all over to make sure they weren't going to be good enough to make another round of cuts.  This time Hermione, Emily and Marcie got the cut.  Marcie is to a pet home, Emily and Hermione to brood homes.  I got them listed on my webpage already.  Got that finished up tonight.  
     I did finally find the pre-paid cell phone for mom.  $40 later she has her phone ready for prepaid, dad's will switch on it's own so that leaves mine and I might keep my contract and upgrade to a smart phone finally.  Not completely sure yet if I want to upgrade.  I'll keep it in mind.  
     I'm really loving my job right now it's been really good and a good learning experience for me.  I love having my evenings to work with Heidi and work on the bunnies, plus relax and watch TV too.  I'm tired. and I've got one and a half days left to work this week.  Doesn't feel like a week has gone by yet.  

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Hobbies

     Why must all my hobbies be so hard to keep up with?  I thought about it today, and I do love my rabbits.  I keep thinking about them though and I REALLY need to get rid of them so I can continue to focus on Heidi and getting my puppy.  The rabbits are a real hindrance to being able to do things.  Heidi can be moved back to a boarding barn, puppy can come to my apartment with me, but the rabbits- not so much.  What on earth do I do with them?  I know there's a few that I don't want to get rid of- ie Natalie, Connie, Raven and Iria.  I just got the two new bucks and I already have Archie.  Archie's just such a nice buck I don't want to get rid of him.  The two new boys are also very nice boys too.  I knew I should have only gotten one of those boys.  Now to think of a couple new names for these boys.  The gray buck I had intended to call Zachary, but now the steel buck needs a name.  I've also got one of Iria's I fully intend to keep and possibly one of Fiona's if it comes out nicer than it's momma.  I think Hermione's going to end up going to a pet home.  She's way off in type.  Well technically so isn't her mother.  I shouldn't have ever bred her mother being so long and low in body.  But that's what I had.  I should have done a few Chin carrier litters first.  
     Well my new saddle came in today.  Two days earlier than expected.  Now I have to order a girth for it.  *shakes head* oh well, it feels a bit too wide for her back but I know the flocking will mold more to her as it's broke in.  Hate to think too wide, she's really super wide on her own!  Why oh why can't something fit like it's supposed to from the start?  I think I can take the western stirrups off and put the english ones on it, which will work better for me in the long run.  
     Anyway, I know it's barely 11:30 but I'm exhausted.  With too much to think on.  Plus a cash under the table job for me to do Monday- Friday, walking and working with a dalmatian puppy in Winchester.  Not a bad thing really.  Sleep time for me.  

Monday, August 4, 2014

Onwards and Upwards

     The new job was seriously not a step back, it's been a blessing.  The last three days of Nestle weren't bad at all though.  If only Nestle hadn't gotten bad, I could have stayed but I am seriously thankful to have moved on like I have.  While I'm dealing with all small animal in there, it's really not too bad. I can learn plenty of new things and continue to move up.  I hope it continues to stay as informative as it has been.  
     I've gone and done a bunny swap.  I know Eliot was one I had never intended to EVER sell, but I swapped him for a nice gray jr buck.  Now to think of names for these two guys.  I got him and a steel jr buck- who is also phenomenal.  That does put me a touch over what I wanted to have.  Of coarse keeping Marcie also puts me high on the number.  So maybe keep the three bucks.  Archie, Zachary the Gray and Steel boy.  
     It's been wonderful being this relaxed.  I've been able to spend time with Heidi, spend some time with my bunnies it's been completely thrilling for me.  It's been so relaxing.  I have time to do so much outside of work it's crazy.  Sunday I finally went into a shoe store and bought an actual real good pair of sneakers for work- all my steel toes are now gone.  My feet and legs are actually feeling pretty good after being on them today.  
     I've got my eyes out for my puppy now.  Time to get that ball rolling.  Heidi, my puppy and a small herd of Dutch rabbits.