Crossing Bridges

     Heidi and I have been making strides forward.  I gave her some time off after getting her butt kicked with cantering and jumping.  Today I had been intending to just take it easy but Shana helped me see a few things and taught me a few more things to help improve Heidi and maybe it will help me improve as well. We have a ways to go.  It's really actually quite impressive watching Heidi work from the ground.  I know fully watching Shana on Heidi is a lot better than me on Heidi but we're both greenies.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to ride more often with Shana and we'll get Heidi pushed more forward that maybe by late spring next year we could enter a schooling show.  I don't think I will bother trying to get her to jump for a little while, just get the solid walk, trot, and canter under her and keep her working efficiently.  Then work on me as well.  Maybe afterward I will consider trying to teach her to jump.  I may not bother either.  While I remember quite enjoying jumping Phoenix back in college- the last jump experience I had was not a pleasant one.  Guess hitting the sand was not a good thing for my confidence when it comes to jumping.
     I am still dreading my vacation trip back to NY for Rachel's wedding.  A long train ride and some long nights are coming up and I just dread leaving Willow.  Not for the sake of her well being, I know she's good and safe with Lisa.  It's I hate being away from her.  I've gotten so accustomed to having her right there with me constantly that it will be very strange to not have her there with me.  In a way I wish I had brought her along with me but maybe being away from her will make the trip home a lot easier to take, knowing I'll be coming back as soon as possible.
     Waffles is doing okay.  I want to try and get some water removed from his tank and then get some fresh water in tonight.  I haven't had another bubble nest since the first one he made me.  I looked for a new tank heater this morning while I was out at Wal-Mart but no joy.  Did find some freeze dried bloodworms for food, but I have plenty of food for him right now.  I give him a few of the pellets that Kylie gave me to feed him and some of the mixed food that I have as well.  He's still as bright and vivid as he has been from the get go.  He really is such a pretty fish.   I never realized exactly how pretty these fish really were.  Hopefully I can do him justice since it's been FOREVER since I've been around fish.  I hope he's alright while I am gone.  I am sure Kylie will take care of him and the bunnies while I am gone.  Thinking of Bunnies . . .  The bunnies are doing okay.  I hope to have a couple of them ready for the show the Saturday after I get back.  I may not have anything really ready to show except a few chin's and *maybe* a steel.  Either way I should be alright showing.  It's more for Kylie to see how her Mini Lops do than anything to me.

Me

      I have had a whirl wind two weeks so far  at Kylie's.  Willow still has her spats with the dogs.  The only one she hasn't really bothered with is Eli.  I know it's only been two weeks but I need to get this figured out.  Something will have to give.  I need to do a little study and research of dog behavior.  Most of the time so long as I am watching I don't worry too much about letting her play.  I can yell at her and pull her up on the couch next to me for some time out.  I hope that either I can figure something out or I will have to make a Plan B.
     I have made some huge strides with Heidi this past week.  I made the mistake of saying Heidi's never cantered under saddle  so Megan played musical ponies with me and she got Heidi to canter under saddle.  Then afterwards we went for a mini trail ride down to the creek and back, this time Heidi cantered up the hill behind Amber(Kylie) and Rayna(Megan).  It was one of the most exhilarating things I have done in the 4 years I've had Heidi.  I couldn't wait to canter her under saddle.  I knew once I was riding more and around people I was comfortable with I would be fine.   First Canter on Heidi 9/3/15- then on the 4th I attempted to get her to jump a little cross rail- Well she's not a jumping pony.  First fall off Heidi too.  Hopefully my last one but I'm just not ready nor fit enough to jump yet.  Today I cantered her in the outdoor arena.  Took a little bit but I've got some work still to do on myself as well as balancing Heidi.  We did better in one direction with picking up the correct lead opposite direction we counter cantered.   Shana and Megan both told me it was harder for Heidi to pick up the wrong lead but she was doing it for me.  Still need work, apparently that was what I was telling her to do.  I have been ecstatic with our progress.
     Willow was okay at her show on August 30th.  First time out in Beginner Novice Obedience and all off a sudden that day her sit for exam was GREAT, her automatic sit upon stopping- well lets just say I think she forgot how to sit.   Otherwise we did really good.  Class originally was supposed to be 6 people.  3 showed up, including us.  The Min Pin NQ'd and the blue heeler was first place with a 195, we got second with a 185.5  We were marked down on tight leash(partly me partly she was lagging) and no sits.  So I've let her have this down time to try and settle in a little more at Kylie's and once I get back from New York I will get back to the grind of training with Lisa again.  I will get her going good enough I do want to get a first place at some point.  That's more of me than anything else.  I just have this drive to get a first place.  We've got a couple seconds and a third but I want a blue ribbon.  
     Also bunnies have been good.  This prolonged heat and drought is taking it's toll on them.  I lost one to heat but hopefully the last ones can make it these next 3 or 4 days until it finally cools down again.   Once it cools down I'll try to get Juliet re-bred and from there I either need to make or buy more cages or I have to get rid of a couple and then I can go from there.  Part of me wants to continue the Chins only and move the others all on, but I have Connie, Natalie, Raven and Willie still left.  Willie I am sure I can probably sell on, possibly Raven as well.  Natalie and Connie are both too old to sell on. 
     I have been job scouting a lot lately and I've put in for this photography job.  I worked hard pulling 56 photos and had Allen critique them and we got it down to 42 images in my online portfolio.  Now hopefully it will yield a job out of it.  The pay isn't bad, $135 a day plus my travel expenses which is more than I am making now, and it'll mean every weekend off- so I can continue showing rabbits and Willow as often as I want.  Right now I have it at Boonesboro my set day off is Saturday's if this last photography job gig doesn't lead to a new job then I will be picking up a second job so I can afford Heidi's board.  I've already talked to Sandy and told her ahead of time that I will pay what I can as I can until I get the second job up and running and paying.  Also with the spats y dog has caused on a few occasions I have also looked into income based apartments.  There are several in Winchester that I am going to get after and see if I can qualify for them. I just don't want Willow to create a disaster for someone else.  I can leave her crated while I am at my second job on the weekends.  She still does bark at Doug but she let him pet her today so it's a step in the right direction.