blather

despite the generally depressing weather, i donned the new barn boots and tromped through the mud to ride the fat horses. i actually had accompaniment this time - in the form of one of our technicians. we spent a leisurely 3 hours at the barn grooming the horses, feeding the cows, feeding the cats, cleaning and bedding stalls, and the like. i purposely stomped around in mud and enjoyed the beauty of not having to wear tennis shoes! the clouds cleared up midway through the ride, and it turned out to be a lovely evening. i'm really enjoying the belgian that i've been riding. despite his massive size, he collects nicely under saddle and actually goes into a sort of frame. he's a nice mover for being so large and draft horsey.

my aunt and uncle (mom's brother) are staying near us in their shack in the woods. they are heavy duty outdoorsy people - my uncle and aunt like to cave and pit repel. they bought some land in northern georgia and installed what we like to teasingly refer to as the "unabomber shack" on the property. it's about 45 minutes away, so they came up here with the kids and took us to dinner - which was lovely.

i'm biting the bullet and taking my cat to work with me tomorrow for his surgery. his arthritis has caused severe muscle atrophy in the rear legs, and he is limping. despite daily oral gabapentin and occasional buprenorphine (an opioid like morphine), he is still noticeably uncomfortable. despite not wanting to put my 12 year old, best cat buddy under anesthesia, i'm going to do this. it will cure him, essentially. the surgeon is doing it for free (i'm not messing around with bone - no way, no how, especially on my own kitty). i'm trying not to think about it, otherwise i would be very nervous and worried. despite knowing how safe anesthesia is...and that my kitty is very healthy for 12 years, i am worried. he's going to have bilateral (both sides) femoral head osteotomies. we are cutting off the head and neck of his femur, abolishing the hip joint. believe it or not, cats don't need it- nor do dogs, really.

some new music, if anyone is interested: the pains of being pure at heart - a poppy, faintly grungy band that reminds me of the cure -with a bit of the ramones thrown in. also - the tallest man on earth. weird, finger-picking, and not immediately likeable. it grows on you, trust me.

i'm still reading brave new world - albeit slowly. it's only 100 pages, if that. i'm knocking out 5-10 pages/day at the moment. it's not riveting reading, i have to say. it's certainly not 1984 or this perfect day. still it's a worthwhile read. just not something i'm like so totally into man.

i have another job interview next monday in waynesville, NC. hopefully this one will go better than monday's debacle!

adieu friends.