I love this, especially your last paragraph, I fully agree.

Ipsey I agree with your last few posts but especially this one. As a life long rancher/farmer sort I have seen same-sex behaviors in animals always. I personally sometimes think that if God has any opinion on homosexuality it's to be a test on His followers on how to treat others. And many would fail.

I've been crying off and on all morning as I listen to the news...

I was playing trumpet at the time my teeth were pulled and I maintained 1st chair throughout the entire ordeal. :D BUT I was half her age. I'd get a second opinion too.

I had four removed 30 years ago (holy cow, that seems like so long!) to get my braces and I still get compliments on my smile. No problems at all.

It's definitely something to listen for but it's not entirely conclusive. A gas colic is different from an impaction colic also, unless the gut is already twisted. We also didn't always use the walking method... or always withhold feed or give feed! lol It was a case by case though we always put them on fluids, gave banamine, and when they did eat it was a warm senior mash until systems were normal. Usually by the time they were at our place they were surgery-bound. I've rinsed MILES of equine gut! 100#! Holy cow! Did he get laminitis afterward?

I got a lot of cool ideas from Pioneer Woman's (Ree's) kitchen. Our place is rustic-we have wood floors, a built in hutch, an antique cookstove in the kitchen, some open shelving... bookshelves would be great. open beams. maybe a galvanized tub type sink in a bathroom. lantern style lights for accents...paned windows. Stone accents are nice.

IME they will move through a mild gas colic and it can be difficult to see unwillingness with an inexperienced eye. I worked at an equine surgical center and we walked and trotted colicky horses all the time and it can be hard to tell. Especially early stage or gas colics. I also can agree with the pollen problems, I think I had the same thing yesterday!

Has he been off your place in the last few weeks or had contact with other horses? There are some nasty viruses going around-they can even be spread by birds traveling from place to place. Is the nose clear runny or snotty runny? His behavior is a pain indicator so I would suspect a mild colic more than anything right now. He can make gut sounds even with a mild colic. Temp? Could he fuss with another horse in the pasture and get kicked? It's hard to track things down that he could have eaten in the pasture but it's always possible. Could he have choked on his grain? They just carry a choke, it's not up or down, you could maybe feel a lump in his throat that you could gently massage to break it up. Don't stick the hose in his mouth, just massage the lump.

Bull snakes compete with rattlesnakes-we always brought them close to the house and chicken coops/barns when we found them. They are a nice peaceful snake and keep away the rattlers. They can however learn to imitate the sound of a rattler so check for buttons before you whack a snake! Keep the bull snake. If you're going to live in the country you're going to have to deal with some things that are going to be challenging.

Ours have the heads chopped off.

:iagree:

Yum! My kids have always loved dissecting all the little bones and parts as they eat their sardines. :D

They're an old cowboy snack from way back. My FIL always has them in his saddlebags for an emergency meal. We like them with cream cheese on a cracker. Kudos to your son for being an adventurous little eater!

please take her to the pound/shelter so she can be adopted into an appropriate home. Chi's are NOT outside dogs.

Prison fashion statement, according to snopes. http://www.snopes.com/risque/homosex/sagging.asp ETA it was derived from rap artists glorifying the baggy prison uniforms.

So it's ok if a hawk kills and eats a chicken but not if a human does? A huge amount of chickens that are free ranging are picked off by predators. They can be cage free inside or outside and as long as they have enough space, the chickens don't care either way. A big huge secure pen keeps the chickens safe. I don't care for large commercial operations; I like to see the smaller farms that take the quality of life/health of their stock into account. But if the animals are well cared for in life and slaughtered efficiently/humanely I think it's ideal.

Meh-I don't mind punishing for it. Mine don't have a negative world view, they just get into little stints of complaining and with a rancher husband, complaining is a big no no around here. Mine are 11/14 so they are more than capable of minding what they're saying no matter what they're thinking. Sometimes they just have to do what they're told.

I punish for it-like was mentioned earlier, I add on more work. If it's just mindless complaining I'll warn them to change the tune and if they don't, I call them out on it.

Use apricot jam for the sauce then add on feta, spinach, bacon, tomatoes, olives... it's a play off of PW's fig pizza which was also very good: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/fig-prosciutto-pizza-with-arugula/

I got a White sewing machine at a garage sale for $5 and I love how easy it is.

I only can pickles and jams/jellies/syrups... everything else I freeze. it makes me nervous too!

I would add it as you go, the beans and corn will add a fresh aspect to the salsa instead of being mushy. Salsa can be dangerous to can and I think adding beans/corn will lower the acidity and increase the danger. Pressure cooking makes sure the entire product reaches the right temperature...

I don't grow them in our garden because we know many potato farmers locally and it's cheaper and easier for us to buy them from the farmer. That said, we're surrounded by potato farmers: 1) they irrigate them all summer long. I would definitely water them but temper it, if they grow too fast they will have hollow centers. 2) potatoes really deplete the soil; the farmers here don't usually do a cover crop but I think in a smaller plot I would. It will break up the ground to allow them to grow bigger and give back to the dirt if you choose the right plant.

LOL I tried this too-it didn't work! Had the same surgery 1.5 years ago. After surgery you'll be on pain meds and they will slow you down, in every sense. Your energy, metabolism and system. You will feel better all the time but for a while you'll feel like hammered dog mud-just let yourself. Eat as healthily as you can, go heavy on the water and fiber and maybe that alone will help you drop a few. It's a good time for a reset though, a time to focus on feeling better and wanting to feel better and move around so you'll want to take better care of yourself. And for me, not having the monthly ordeal kept me on an exercise program.