30 Things Blog Hop

Since this is a new blog, it seems like a great time to do the 30 things about me blog hop! So...here's 30 things about me, whether you wanted to know them or not!

1. I don't like condiments. Not salad dressing, vinaigrette, mayo, mustard, ranch...nope. It's all super gross! BBQ sauce is ok, but not in excess or to dip things in.

2. I played World of Warcraft for like, 12 years, though I'm taking a break now. I started playing when husband and I were first dating, because it seemed like a thing we should do together, or we weren't going to be together long!

Pinanta and Pepe hanging out

3. I have misophonia and it totally sucks. Listening to other people chew (especially chips or carrots) makes me crazy. Repeated sniffles/throat clearing/weird breathing is also a problem. 

4. Once during a sedar, I opened the door for the prophet Elijah and my dog ran in. It was hilarious, mostly because we'd already had too much Manischewitz. No, I'm not religious, why do you ask?

5. I love rereading books I enjoy, especially series. I love finding how all the little bits fit together and all the tiny hints and clues. I also have a poor memory, so if I wait long enough, it's like reading it for the first time!

6. I absolutely adore my little dog, but I don't think I'll get another. Waaaay too much commitment! 

Haiku can live forever though

7. Yes, I'm a super hardcore cat person. Dogs bark, and drool, and smell weird, and constantly need attention of one kind or another. Cats purr, are super cute, and can enjoy your company without being all up in your shit. But will be super interactive if/when you want. 

8. I don't care that you dog people don't agree with me!

9. I used to be terrible in the kitchen, but in my 20s realized that was stupid. Now I enjoy cooking and am 9/10 good at basic, tasty fooding. 

10. As a young child, we were on vacation and I got super sunburned. Somehow this lead to me being treated at a docked Navy sub and we got a total behind the scenes tour. I vaguely remember touring the sub, but never knew why until a few years ago. 

11. I was extremely shy and socially awkward when I was younger. I taught myself to be more outgoing, especially in professional situations. Sometimes it's still hard. 

12. I'm a professional groomer, and specialize in grooming cats. Including creative grooming. When done correctly and thoughtfully, it's awesome, safe, and FUN for all involved. Even the cat.

Won First and People's Choice at my last show, 

a tiny event in SC with a borrowed cat, Zoey.

13. I need a lot of downtime. I cherish my time alone. Sometimes I even kick husband out of the house, because him in another room with the door closed isn't alone enough. 

14. I love futuristic dystopia fiction. I really DO NOT LIKE that it's becoming reality. I have to limit my reading/watching because it can trigger some nasty anxiety/depression. 

15. I grew up with My Little Pony, and now collect G1 mlps. I really like the new Friendship is Magic show, but the toys are pretty terrible. 

Wish I had all of my original collection!

16. I don't have any tattoos, but I have a folder of cat and horse tattoos I love. Just in case.

17. I tend to be really klutzy and uncoordinated. I once took a belly dancing class, and was super good at this one move...but only because it was basically the same thing I do when I lose my balance while switching weight from one foot to the other. 

18. The word 'moist' doesn't bother me. The context you use it in might gross me out, but not the word. 

19. I was obsessed with the show River Monsters. I absolutely love it. I love the respect and admiration Jeremy Wade has for the fish, the environment, and the local people he encounters. 

20. I very badly tore ligaments in my ankle getting OFF of Truby. It was 3 years ago, and I still have problems. I dismounted, and my foot just gave out under me. I sat in a heap under Truby for about 5 minutes. She was completely unconcerned and just waited for me to get up. 

21. I don't like to eat bacon. I want to! It smells great, it sounds great while it's cooking. But I just don't like it. Every few years I give it a try and nope, don't like bacon :( 

22. I've been playing Hearthstone the entire time I've been working on this list. 

23. In my younger years, I learned how to ride reining horses. It's been forever, but I'd love to get back into it. So much fun!

24. Those same years are when I first bought Truby as a weanling. She was supposed to be a 2 year project while I was in school, then I was gonna sell her. Yeah, she was too awesome to sell!

25. A friend asked me to be a model for the jewelry she makes. I don't like being photographed, or really like my appearance at all, but I willing agreed and it ended up being SO FUN. 10/10 will do again.

 cell phone pic 'at the shoot'

26. Most of my good friends live out of state. I guess I really like my space! I wish we could hang out in person far more frequently, but FaceBook and texting make the distance seem shorter.

27. I once wore a towel as a skirt and went to the movies with a group of friends. Nothing sexy happened. 

28. I really dislike people that complain about the weather. A joke or even a single "man it's balls out!" is fine, but people that complain seriously about the weather annoy me. I mean...it's the weather. Watcha gonna do? Enjoy it, or enjoy poking fun at it or GTFO. 

29. I <3 <3 <3 drinking vitamin D milk with Chinese food. Sometimes I'll decide not to get Chinese food if I don't have milk and don't want to buy some. I don't even know. I don't drink milk otherwise.

30. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has helped me immensely, and I use many of the things I learned every day. I also recommend it or at least specific exercises when people ask me for advice. If you've read this far, you probably already figured out that I've spend some time working with a therapist! 

One of my favorite pictures, with my favorite cat, doing one of my favorite things.

Hershey Groom Expo 2013

Desert Rain

In my last post, I told you about our dramatic pre-rainstorm walk into the desert. That fun evening was followed by several days of rain. Rain in the desert is a glorious event. It was chilly, and dark, and incredibly foggy much of the time.

There's supposed to be a whole mountain range behind those trees...

 A quick break in the rain

Dark for midday

And the rain returns...

It rained mostly during my "weekend", so I got to enjoy the rain. I slept in and listened to the rain fall outside my bedroom. I got to relax on the sofa, wrapped in a soft blanket and sipping hot cocoa, while the rain fell outside. It was lovely. 

Later, I went out to visit Truby. The rain had lightened to a light drizzle, so I took her out to play and roll. She *loved* it!

wheeee!!!!!

....I'll brush her later. Much later!

 It's nice having a stall with a run, but it's kind yuck.

At least it only rains like, 5 days a year.

As I left the rain returned and the mountains hid behind the clouds again

Tiny washout. I stopped to wonder if it was safe to drive through.

Then a schoolbus plowed through and I figured it was safe enough.

mini wash on the west side of the road

We have another weather event coming through tomorrow, so that should be fun. More rain, and mountain snow! Today however, it's warm and sunny. I'm going to see Truby, give her a good brush, and maybe go for a ride. We'll enjoy the sun today, and the rain tomorrow. 

*balance*

An Evening of Danger

The temperature had been dropping all day. A chill wind swept the dark clouds relentlessly across the valley. The sun began to sink behind the icy mountains. The threat of a storm crackled in the windblown clouds, in the rustle of the mesquite, anticipation in the quiver of tiny animals hoping to hide in the night. 

I picked up the lead rope of my favorite old mare, and we walked into the desert, together. 

"you're weird, cookie person"

So while that sounds like a ridiculously overwritten fantasy novel, or, at the very least, a chapter in my autobiography Dumb Things I've Done, it's basically what Truby and I did yesterday. We've had weather (!!!) which is rare and exciting. A few days of rain, then a day of sun. Then a cold front blew through, and it was super dramatic and exciting! The pictures I took don't really do it justice, but that's what you get for using an iphone instead of a real camera. 

Those clouds were much darker

Looking south

Again, clouds should be darker and more dramatic

North

Looking East, and heading back home

Interesting clouds over the edge of the Rincon Mountains

The same view today. The mountains got snow!

I was surprised and pleased at how well Truby handled our walk. It was crazy windy. It had gone from being warm (60s) during the day, to bottoming out in the lower 40s. There was that feeling of excitement and danger that comes along with the best storms. But Truby and I marched down the path and had a very nice walk together. No spooks, no dramas, no scary monsters lurking in the brush. What a brave pony! The little trail is only about .15 of a mile each way, so it's a quick walk, but very enjoyable, no matter the weather. And the company can't be beat! 

Later that night, the front finally passed. We had some fantastic wind gusts, short amounts of driving rain, and snow up in the mountains. Today is chilly (well, low 50s. Chilly for Tucson!) but calmer.

A happy Truby, all wrapped up and waiting for the storms.

Down the Sunlit Path

There is a gate at the back at one of the paddocks. Beyond it is the most perfect riding path. It's so inviting. Just wide enough, nice soft, sandy footing, and everything about it just begs you to take a stroll down the path and see where you can go. 

Where does it go?

I must know

What the Tucson desert looks like. 

Dramatic sky is unusually cloudy and dramatic.

 Truby was very relaxed until we got about here...

do you see what she sees?

 How about now? The handsome chestnut was excited to see us.

 There must be a roadrunner family that lives at the barn.

It is really hard to get Trubys AND wildlife to line up for a good pic.

That's a roadrunner. Promise.

Bonus Truby pic!

New Home!

The last few weeks have been exhausting! First it was the head cold that would. not. go. away. You know, the kind that kicks your ass and then keeps kicking, even after all the snot and coughing has passed? Immediately after that, I helped my friend finish prepping and packing for the Gem Show. Plus two days helping at the booth. A really cool experience, for sure, but a whole ton of work!

my friend's booth was at a bead show. there was A LOT of beads.

She had finished jewelry and it is stunning!

HoldFast Artworks, if you want to take a peek

In between helping at the booth, I moved Truby to her new home!

Loaded and ready

Checking out her stall's attached run.

New neighbor, Cowgirl.

The move went surprisingly smoothly. Truby settled down as soon as she was off the trailer, and was remarkably calm. Actually, she seemed sad. Like she was tired of changing homes, and she was super disappointed Cherry wasn't there. Luckily she perked up and now seems quite content in her new place.

New barn is a bit farther away, but it's only about 15 minutes away. It's a few miles outside the Tucson City Limits, and has a very 'desert' feel. Probably because it's IN the desert! It's in a very quiet equestrian neighborhood, and so far we love it.

Exploring the girl's turnout area

little wash that cuts along the back of the property

Carolina Wolf Spider

Spider with a Cowgirl for scale

Picturesque 

Front of the barn

Roadrunner! 

There's some patches of fine sand. Truby loves to roll there.

Saguaro cactus can be HUGE!

There's a very nice arena. We went for a little bareback stroll.
View of the Rincon Mountains and my favorite pair of ears.

I'm really happy with the new place. It's so quiet and peaceful. The barn staff is friendly. The barn is clean, neat, and easy to navigate. That may seem weird, but the last place everything was connected, so if I wanted to get to the tack room, I had to go into Truby's pen, then into another pen, then into the tack room. It was a pain. This set up is much nicer and easier to do stuff in general. I really like the barn owner and her sister. Hopefully we can do some trail riding together, because a community trail runs just behind the property! There's even a "large" pond we can ride to! Truby seems calmer here, so maybe an end to her 'off property' anxiety??? 

The other bonus is that Truby seems to be moving MUCH better here. Like, immediately, seemed to be limping less. We still need to get her arthritis under control, but she's moving much better. I even jumped on for a little ride and she felt pretty good! Here's hoping things keeping working out for us!