Callie - is my roommate. Likes to hang out and we give each other attention, but also does her own thing - has her own schedule and activities that don't involve me. Makes vocal demands if I don't hold up my end of the deal - like filling her food bowl every night regardless of how much food is left in it....
Maya - is like a child. Makes almost constant demands for attention and affection. Gets into trouble if she feels neglected. Usually obeys quite well but sometimes gets too excited and overstimulated to obey... I love her to bits but she can still make me frustrated quite easily. She also has these beautiful, bright eyes that get her out of almost any trouble she finds herself in!
Destinee - is my best friend. She shows her displeasure at my lack of visits when things are busy but forgives and moves on quickly. Enjoys learning new things with me, but prefers munching hay while I have coffee/tea and just chill. One of my favorite places to think or just 'be' is sitting on one of the tires in the paddock with my head on her forehead. I see God's provision and love each time I think about how she came to be mine and I overflow with awe and thanksgiving.
Wintery days make me excited for the day that Des can be in our backyard and we can hang out without trying to get the Civic down unplowed roads... And Maya and Des can become trail buddies. Until then I'll remain eager for late spring when things are dry(ish) and warm(ish)!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The return of 'normal'
There's no doubt Callie had a great time at Grandma's - napping/snuggling with Grandpa and Caleb, hunting poor Sydney bird (seriously that bird is 19! 19!! I'm glad she didn't give that cockatiel a heart attack!!) Grandpa even said that he and Maddie might suffer Callie withdrawal. So sweet. Regardless, she was thrilled to be home! Ran upstairs and sat at 'her' doors meowing and waiting for me to open them so she could make sure nothing was ruined in her absence (because seriously - that's the best part of being a cat, getting to ruin stuff!). Finally satisfied that the upstairs was acceptable, she came down to snuggle, purr and play with Maya. And boy, did Maya love that!
They've also returned to their general self-policing strategies. Maya goes near a Callie only room (i.e. bathroom) and Callie puts Maya in her place, though Maya rarely attempts to enter these areas. Callie goes in a Maya only area (i.e. basement) and ooh boy does Maya chase her out quick! This happens quite frequently! Makes things easier for us that way, now when we see Callie at the basement stairs Dave just says 'Caaaalllie!' in an annoyed tone and Maya goes still, notes Callie's location, gives her a second to retreat and then releases into a dead run. Once Callie's cleared the kitchen, Maya comes back down and lays down on her futon or the carpet, but continues to watch the stairs... Gone are the days we had to track Callie down, coax her to us with treats, take her upstairs and try to keep the door shut. Ahh, so great.
Destinee is gorgeous and perfect as ever! 101 days until she turns 3! (Not that I'm counting...) She's apparently become the herd boss again, not great but things are going better this time than the last time she was 'boss'. So perhaps the temporary return of Dream and Rosie did help Destinee figure out a little better leadership.... And I'm sure Mecina keeping tabs on Destinee is helping as well!
They've also returned to their general self-policing strategies. Maya goes near a Callie only room (i.e. bathroom) and Callie puts Maya in her place, though Maya rarely attempts to enter these areas. Callie goes in a Maya only area (i.e. basement) and ooh boy does Maya chase her out quick! This happens quite frequently! Makes things easier for us that way, now when we see Callie at the basement stairs Dave just says 'Caaaalllie!' in an annoyed tone and Maya goes still, notes Callie's location, gives her a second to retreat and then releases into a dead run. Once Callie's cleared the kitchen, Maya comes back down and lays down on her futon or the carpet, but continues to watch the stairs... Gone are the days we had to track Callie down, coax her to us with treats, take her upstairs and try to keep the door shut. Ahh, so great.
 |
| Maya practicing her Callie 'intimidation' old time gangster style (stick = gun). 'Myeah, I've got this stick, see? Don't make me use it, see?' |
Destinee is gorgeous and perfect as ever! 101 days until she turns 3! (Not that I'm counting...) She's apparently become the herd boss again, not great but things are going better this time than the last time she was 'boss'. So perhaps the temporary return of Dream and Rosie did help Destinee figure out a little better leadership.... And I'm sure Mecina keeping tabs on Destinee is helping as well!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Maya's Cross-Country Christmas, Callie's Gig at Grandma's and Destinee's Vacation...
Man has Destinee had an easy life since the beginning of December! Finals kicked in and Christmas took us away from home so I think she was only 'worked' a couple times all month! (there were more visits with treats though!) She'll go back to working semi-hard once we return home. And - Dave continued to spoil us by getting me new stirrups and stirrup leathers for Christmas! I'm itching to try them out, just as I'm sure she's itching to move on to learning new things! Repetition gets boring fast!
Grandma offered to watch Callie while we're gone, so I'm sure she's enjoying the basement apartment that she gets there as long as she helps Grandpa keep the shelves dusted. =)
Maya has had the most eventful month (comparatively!). Her stocking was full of amazing toys - including a kong ball that we filled with peanut butter (entertainment for a looong time). The best reaction by far though was to her new bone. Since we don't let Maya outside with bones she resorted to hiding her bone under the tree! She pranced around the house and then casually went to the window behind the tree, looked out, stretched behind some presents and miraculously appeared without a bone! Later there was another ssstttrrreeech behind the tree and voila! The bone appeared in her mouth! She had us tricked for sure! *wink*
We drove up to Wensleydale Farms for Christmas which meant over a day of being able to rough house with the boys and run like crazy before the extended family came up. Then, there was all the kids to follow and lick! Daniel began the day begging to have Maya removed from the house, but by lunch he was chasing her around trying to 'fight' her. The two girls followed Seamus singing a theme song they created just for him - I'm not sure but I think he looked more 'super' than ever before. By the end of the day the kids were exhausted, Seamus was burrowing his head behind my mom looking for a place to hide and Maya was crashing quickly. All evidence of a great day at the farm!
The next day brought a 12 hour car ride out to Pennsylvania to visit the Heaths. Maya started the ride in her spot behind the passenger seat but once semi's started to appear, she quickly became distraught. A little before Chicago, we moved her to the area by my feet where she sought comfort and love while battling the drooling and shaking that accompanied the presence of semi-trucks.
A more pathetic creature it would be hard to find! Thankfully, Chicago came to an end and with it came the low traffic and almost non-existence of semis. Maya curled up at Dave's feet while I drove and she slept Indiana and then most of Ohio away. Towards the end of the trip, Maya discovered another monster of the road - rumble strips! They appeared before an exit toll to tell drivers to slow down and again on a curvy road. Those sent her flying into my lap and attempting to crush me with her frantic movements. Thankfully, Dave bested the monsters and we made it safely to his parent's.
Mom let us borrow the pop up kennel for our time in PA, which is great! It's a little less inescapable though.... Maya discovered how to get out of it sometime last night and Dave woke up to a puppy nudging at his legs. I knew there was a reason we switched sides of the bed last night! =) Today the boys played football while Maya ran in circles trying to wear herself out. This face explains all her pent up energy!
Then Maya became all time defense in the football game and even though sometimes she'd join the offense's huddles, she never told the defense what play was about to occur.
I'm sure you agree, her defensive prowess is what prevented this catch.
Overall, she's having a great time and is resting up for the next round of football!
Grandma offered to watch Callie while we're gone, so I'm sure she's enjoying the basement apartment that she gets there as long as she helps Grandpa keep the shelves dusted. =)
Maya has had the most eventful month (comparatively!). Her stocking was full of amazing toys - including a kong ball that we filled with peanut butter (entertainment for a looong time). The best reaction by far though was to her new bone. Since we don't let Maya outside with bones she resorted to hiding her bone under the tree! She pranced around the house and then casually went to the window behind the tree, looked out, stretched behind some presents and miraculously appeared without a bone! Later there was another ssstttrrreeech behind the tree and voila! The bone appeared in her mouth! She had us tricked for sure! *wink*
We drove up to Wensleydale Farms for Christmas which meant over a day of being able to rough house with the boys and run like crazy before the extended family came up. Then, there was all the kids to follow and lick! Daniel began the day begging to have Maya removed from the house, but by lunch he was chasing her around trying to 'fight' her. The two girls followed Seamus singing a theme song they created just for him - I'm not sure but I think he looked more 'super' than ever before. By the end of the day the kids were exhausted, Seamus was burrowing his head behind my mom looking for a place to hide and Maya was crashing quickly. All evidence of a great day at the farm!
The next day brought a 12 hour car ride out to Pennsylvania to visit the Heaths. Maya started the ride in her spot behind the passenger seat but once semi's started to appear, she quickly became distraught. A little before Chicago, we moved her to the area by my feet where she sought comfort and love while battling the drooling and shaking that accompanied the presence of semi-trucks.
Mom let us borrow the pop up kennel for our time in PA, which is great! It's a little less inescapable though.... Maya discovered how to get out of it sometime last night and Dave woke up to a puppy nudging at his legs. I knew there was a reason we switched sides of the bed last night! =) Today the boys played football while Maya ran in circles trying to wear herself out. This face explains all her pent up energy!
I'm sure you agree, her defensive prowess is what prevented this catch.
Overall, she's having a great time and is resting up for the next round of football!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Halloween - a dog's dream and a filly's nightmare.
Maya loved Halloween - so many kids and they actually came to her door!!
Destinee - not so much. She was a good sport though and definitely proved herself as an amazing girl. I led Divya around (who ended up being skittish in a couple places) and let Dave take Destinee. She was so chill! No scary ghosts, fog machines or big pumpkins got to her! His biggest problem was trying to keep her from eating hay that was on the ground.... She just keeps reinforcing her wonderfulness and that she'll be the 'go to girl' for kids and novices once she's fully trained.
Divya also rocked at the obstacle course and was spectacular. Her "spooks" weren't nearly the size of some! And no worries - they both got lots of apples and carrots for their trouble. =)
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