they grow up so fast

Hampton, the big gangly 2-year-old I got in July is about ready to be sat on. He has come a long way from an insecure fellow who could barely lead (mostly like a drunk sailor at that) to a quiet and sensible young horse. He lunges walk and trot with good brakes, long-lines in just a halter, wears a saddle with the girth "riding tight", picks up his feet, stands for grooming and fly spray, ties to the wall, stands quietly while I slap the stirrups around and jump all around him - even with a mounting block. He also is quiet when I lay over his back and will walk around with me there, too. Today, he learned how to pony off another horse (frankly, the old mare I was riding was more nervous than Hampton was) ... so seeing a human above him is no problem. All the foundation blocks are there. He just needs to wear a bridle. Which really should wait until he gets his teeth done. The most I will do this year is merely sit on him - MAYBE do small walking sessions. And that's it. Next year, he will begin lunging in side reins and than additional riding work. If everything goes as plan, I want to aim for the USEF 4-year-old young horse classes with him. But we'll see.

Today I also found an orange flag, a hula hoop and a foam "noodle" that I waved all around. He never blinked an eye.

(This photo is from about a month ago when he was wearing a saddle for the first time)

nevermind.

.... but probably not able to go now because of work.

(see below)

Dirty 30

SOMEBODY got Mike Gordon tickets for her birthday!!!!

Pointless Stats

Phish tour 2009:

Number of shows I attended: 9
Total songs played: 201
Average songs per show: 22.33

Total Times Played

Backwards Down The Number Line - 4 (44%)
Sample in a Jar - 4 (44%)
Also Sprach Zarathustra - 3 (33%)
Back on the Train - 3 (33%)
Chalk Dust Torture - 3 (33%)
Character Zero - 3 (33%)
Divided Sky - 3 (33%)
Fluffhead - 3 (33%)
Ghost - 3 (33%)
Grind - 3 (33%)
Kill Devil Falls - 3 (33%)
Lawn Boy - 3 (33%)
Limb By Limb - 3 (33%)
Loving Cup - 3 (33%)
NICU - 3 (33%)
Ocelot - 3 (33%)
Piper - 3 (33%)
Possum - 3 (33%)
Prince Caspian - 3 (33%)
Runaway Jim - 3 (33%)
Split Open and Melt - 3 (33%)
Stash - 3 (33%)
Suzy Greenberg - 3 (33%)
The Squirming Coil - 3 (33%)
Time Turns Elastic - 3 (33%)
Train Song - 3 (33%)
Tweezer - 3 (33%)
Waste - 3 (33%)
Water in the Sky - 3 (33%)
Wolfman's Brother - 3 (33%)
You Enjoy Myself - 3 (33%)
A Day in the Life - 2 (22%)
Bathtub Gin - 2 (22%)
Beauty of a Broken Heart - 2 (22%)
Boogie on Reggae Woman - 2 (22%)
Bouncing Around the Room - 2 (22%)
Crosseyed and Painless - 2 (22%)
David Bowie - 2 (22%)
Drowned - 2 (22%)
Farmhouse - 2 (22%)
Gumbo - 2 (22%)
Harry Hood - 2 (22%)
Heavy Things - 2 (22%)
Horn - 2 (22%)
I Am Hydrogen - 2 (22%)
Joy - 2 (22%)
Mike's Song - 2 (22%)
Poor Heart - 2 (22%)
Punch You In The Eye - 2 (22%)
Reba - 2 (22%)
Run Like an Antelope - 2 (22%)
Silent in the Morning - 2 (22%)
Slave to the Traffic Light - 2 (22%)
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan - 2 (22%)
Taste - 2 (22%)
The Horse - 2 (22%)
The Moma Dance - 2 (22%)
The Wedge - 2 (22%)
Theme From The Bottom - 2 (22%)
Tweezer Reprise - 2 (22%)
Waves - 2 (22%)
Weekapaug Groove - 2 (22%)
Wilson - 2 (22%)
A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing - 1 (11%)
AC/DC Bag - 1 (11%)
Avenu Malkenu - 1 (11%)
Billy Breathes - 1 (11%)
Birds of a Feather - 1 (11%)
Bittersweet Motel - 1 (11%)
Brian and Robert - 1 (11%)
Brother - 1 (11%)
Bug - 1 (11%)
Carini - 1 (11%)
Down With Disease - 1 (11%)
Drums Jam - 1 (11%)
Fire - 1 (11%)
First Tube - 1 (11%)
Frankenstein - 1 (11%)
Funky Bitch - 1 (11%)
Gotta Jibboo - 1 (11%)
Guelah Papyrus - 1 (11%)
Halley's Comet - 1 (11%)
I Didn't Know - 1 (11%)
It's Ice - 1 (11%)
Let Me Lie - 1 (11%)
Makisupa Policeman - 1 (11%)
Maze - 1 (11%)
Mexican Cousin - 1 (11%)
Paul and Silas - 1 (11%)
Rift - 1 (11%)
Rock and Roll - 1 (11%)
Roses Are Free - 1 (11%)
Seven Below - 1 (11%)
Sleeping Monkey - 1 (11%)
Sparkle - 1 (11%)
Sugar Shack - 1 (11%)
The Connection - 1 (11%)
The Curtain With - 1 (11%)
The Lizards - 1 (11%)
The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday - 1 (11%)
The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday Reprise - 1 (11%)
The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony - 1 (11%)
Twist - 1 (11%)
Undermind - 1 (11%)
Wading in the Velvet Sea - 1 (11%)
Windy City - 1 (11%)
Ya Mar - 1 (11%)

First Set Openers

Back on the Train - 1
Backwards Down The Number Line - 1
Brother - 1
Divided Sky - 1
Fluffhead - 1
Kill Devil Falls - 1
Punch You In The Eye - 1
Roses Are Free - 1
Runaway Jim - 1

Ooops almost forgot

By the way, I LOVE LOVE LOVED Colorado. It is an amazing state. And I was there to see an amazing band. Met amazing people. Makes Indiana look extra craptastic. I want to drag my horse there to live.

(At Red Rocks)



(Camping buddies)

RIP Doug

Doug Hunt, a reporter with whom I worked with for my 3+ years at the Journal Review in Crawfordsville, died at age 55. It's rare to meet someone who loved their job as much as Doug did. Not only did he write stories, but I lost count of many days in which as a designer I had no photos and he would go out and magically capture something for the next day's paper. He was friendly and approachable, and I remember that the 4-H people especially adored him.

(I stole this photo from John Flora)

What's this on my back?

Yup Hampton is wearing a saddle already. Yesterday was the first time I introduced it to him. He walked around with it like he has been doing so since birth. lol.



And how many 2-year-olds are calm enough to be handled by a really non-experienced horse person? Not many I would guess.



Walking over flowers? No problem.