December this year

Poorly Drawn Lines for the win, as always

It feels like all of November and December have been cloudy and damp.  The only difference is the temperatures - we've gotten some warm and humid weather over the last week, a stark contrast from the freezing temps in November.  And since we can never win, the flies and mosquitoes are back.  I got eaten alive the other night when riding in the outdoor arena.

I'm sure y'all are all feeling it but we are firmly in the middle of Christmas season.  All of the Christmas decor and outdoor lights have gone up.  All of my gift shopping is done and all of my Christmas cards have gone out.  My company has already held both of its holiday parties, and there are already wrapped presents accumulating under our tree.

Speaking of which, how are y'all feeling about this time of year?  Do you still firmly believe in the magic of Christmas or are you more stressed about the holiday planning / gifting / cooking / guests / travel?  Surprise, surprise, yours truly has mixed emotions about it all.  I have an intense desire to get everything Just Right - perfect gifts, perfect decorations, perfect scents emanating from the kitchen.  At the same time, there's an underlying current of melancholy, partially because Bryan won't be home for Christmas this year.  It's the first time since we've been together that he's had to be away during the holidays and it does stink.  But there will be plenty of family in town for Christmas and we have a trip planned for the period between Christmas and New Year's.  Plus I'm taking some time off of work, so it's not all bad!

Over Thanksgiving, Bowie's daycare was hit with a really bad run of dog flu.  They closed down for a full week afterward to sanitize the entire place and so far, no sign of dog flu there anymore.  The whole experience had tinges of COVID - the staff asks if your dog has any symptoms before your dog can be dropped off, there are only a limited number of slots available, strongly urge the vaccine, etc etc.  I hope your furry friends are staying healthy and safe out there.

The horses have been doing brilliantly during November / December, particularly considering the weather changes and rain.  I'll attribute that to them constantly getting out and ridden, even when the paddocks are closed due to mud.  They're kept active and their brains are kept busy, which keeps them healthy and less bored.  I had a lesson on Dalton this past Friday and was told that he's growing, yet again.  My trainer has been focusing on his topline and hind end muscles, all of which has vanished over the last week as his frame continues to grow upward.  We'll have to officially measure him at some point.  My trainer also introduced me to draw reins, which is also when we found out that Dalton has already been trained in draw reins.  We'll use them sparingly (once a week) but when I rode him two days later, he remembered his draw rein lessons (good boy) and dropped down onto the bit quicker and more frequently.  I might also be swapping bits on him YET AGAIN so that we can use the draw reins in training. 

Let me know what y'all have been up to this December and how you feel about the holidays!