Busy Busy

Even though I'm on vacation, life has accelerated for me as my campaign for Town Council kicks into high gear. Last night I had to forgo my riding lesson to attend an interview with the local Labor Council. It was a grueling interview in front of about 8 union presidents. I thought I was going to a social "meet and greet" so was unprepared for this. The other candidates ahead of me made formal presentations, and I was totally unprepared. What a nightmare. I was grilled about my beliefs about unions and organizing. When it was over, I thought I would never get endorsed. But I got called by the Council president today, who said I was unanimously endorsed. So I must have done something right.

Tomorrow I go door to door on my street to say hi and let the neighbors know I'm running. I wave to my horses in my travels, and hope to ride again soon.

Two healthy cats at once

After a week of giving Freya (the cat) two different medications (a feat I somehow accomplished) she recovered from her illness. She did have a "set back" day in the middle of the med course, but regrouped and ended up recovering nicely. So for a change, I have two healthy cats at once. Let's hope it lasts.

The horses are doing well. Tomorrow night my instructor is coming, and we may saddle Sailor to see what she thinks of riding after being off for a year. Her groundwork manners are much improved, so maybe it will translate to being better behaved with a rider in the saddle.

My campaign for Town Council is moving into high gear. I have my brochure, and signs are ordered. This weekend we should start going door to door, the key to getting elected. I'll be working with our town supervisor, who won 2 years ago just by getting out and meeting people. I'm going to be very busy, but somehow I'll get through, as always. Here's the link to my campaign blog.

The summer of sick cats

It seems we can't have both of our cats heathly at the same time. Now it's Freya's turn to be sick. She's been out of sorts for about a week, and vomited a couple days ago. Then she perked up, so I thought she had just eaten something outside that needed to come out. Then she started with this congested cough, and yesterday morning instead of eating or asking to go out she just laid there. So it was back to the vet's (I must keep them in business). She had a fever about 103, and her throat was filled with congestion. She kept making these exaggerated swallowing motions, and would sometimes cough. The vet said they have seen many cats come in with the same symptoms, and they don't know if it's a virus or something outside the cats are eating (all the cats that have come in are outdoor cats). With the insane amount of rain we've gotten this year, some new kind of plant might be around. It takes almost 2 weeks for the cats to get better, she said. Freya got 2 shots (antibiotic and something to relieve the congestion) and we have to give her prednisone and a fiber capsule to clean out her system. That is loads of fun! Today she is coughing periodically, but is much more active and is eating. So it's good to see her doing better. Meanwhile, Lacey is out running the fields or whatever she does out there. Good thing I have a job to pay my vet bills.

What a turkey!

We have a large flock of turkeys living in the woods behind my house. There are 3 adult females and 15 babies. They have been hanging around the horse paddocks (they eat manure, I'm told), but the other day, one brave female came up right behind the house. I looked out the window and first saw my cat Lacey, laying down very flat in the grass. I couldn't imagine what she was doing, and then I saw the turkey walking by, doing her turkey walk very slowly. The tip of Lacey's tale was twitching, and I yelled through the window to try and get her attention, so she wouldn't attack the bird. Then the turkey walked under the fence and down into the paddock. Talk about a strange encounter!

Nice day!

After yesterday's torrential rains, it's so nice to have a sunny and clear day. It's official - our area got so much rain in July, it set a record. In the 183 years of weather record-keeping, July 2009 is the rainiest. What is going on? I guess that's what global warming means for the northeast - getting drowned out.

This afternoon JD and I went across the border to a little town in Vermont, where a fundraiser was being held for a soon to open hospice house in my town. They had a great crowd. It was classic Americana: the grounds of this organization (Woodmen of something or other)has a cute bandstand, and there was a choral group singing songs like Amazing Grace. A local community band (which was very good) followed. We had a barbecue chicken dinner prepared by the local Fish & Game Club. There were little kids playing in the grass, and it was just lovely. I felt like I had stepped back in time 100 years. And all for a very good cause. The hospice house will open in September, and I'm planning to buy something for it. They're registered at Target! So it's easy to see what is needed, and there are items in every price range.

Tomorrow I'm going with my new riding instructor to look at a horse that I looked at last year. It's a long trip - almost 2 hours - for us to drive to the Chatham, NY area. But this horse, a nice 6 year old reg. QH gelding, is now free to a good home. He's a little big for me, and a little too energetic, but he's very willing and I think would be a good lesson horse for my instructor to have at her facility. And he would get a good home. It looks like we'll be driving in the rain - once again - but we'll survive. The area we're going to had catastrophic flooding the other day, after it got 5" of rain. It will be interesting to see the conditions there. I'll get to see my friend Cheryl, who I have not seen in months. So I'm looking forward to a good trip.

It's always something

So we just get our hay put up, and I'm feeling pretty smug about things. I'm planning our next home improvement (front porch) and what to our wondering eyes does appear but nasty fluid bubbling up from the ground in one of the paddocks. Yup, that's where the leach field is. So we have a pretty serious septic system problem. Yesterday JD dug a hole behind the house, and pretty quickly found the septic tank cover. Now he just has to call to get someone to come and pump it out. He spoke to a friend that's a civil engineer, who thinks that the break the leach field will get when the tank is empty might help rectify things. Let's hope. We would have to take down horse fence to install a whole new leach field, and it would be very expensive. Ugh. I'm just trying to be optimistic, and not paranoid every time I flush the toilet. Country life!

Gorgeous view

Here is the view from Phil Hodge's place in Hartford, NY, where we get our hay. It is beautiful countryside.