Fall 2024

You guys, September was a blur.  Work was incredibly busy, Bryan spent most of the month out of town, and we capped it all off with a trip to Hawaii with Bryan’s parents.

What can I say about Hawaii that hasn’t been said before?  It was gorgeous - the landscape, the people, the weather.  We greeted every sunrise over the water and I still can’t get over how many wild chickens were roaming the island.  I ate as much spam musubi as was physically possible.  It was a bucket list trip for both Bryan and his mom and we even played 9 holes of golf at a fantastic public course.  I think his family now wants to go back and explore other islands in the chain.

On the more exciting (read sarcastically) side, Dalton had a severe case of scratches on his back right foot for most of September.  For the first week, trainer and I treated it with Fungasol shampoo, Equiderma skin lotion, and EquiShield CK HC salve.  Just when we thought all the scabs were gone, overnight they came back with a fury and worse than before.  We had the vet come check it out and he said it likely started as fungal and turned bacterial.  He started Dalton on a course of antibiotics and silver salve.  We washed his foot, applied salve, and wrapped every single day.  Two weeks later, the scabs were finally gone and he could finally go back out into turnout with an unwrapped, unmedicated foot.  Dalton was a really good egg during the entire process.  Standing still for any period of time is a challenge for him but he tried his best.  He was also kept in his stall the entire time, to keep him from the dust and dirt of the turnout, and surprisingly we didn’t have any blow ups during training rides.  His feet are back to normal now and I'll be happy if I never have to see another roll of vet wrap ever again.

And now that we’re halfway through October and officially into fall, it’s hot coffee mornings and cold coffee afternoons.  Halloween decorations abound in our neighborhood and I’ve already loaded up our candy bowl and put on the glow in the dark nail polish.  I have finally reached that stage of adulthood where if I eat any piece of candy, I can feel the gritty sugar residue on my teeth for hours afterwards.  Is this what being an adult is?  Waking up with a sore back and feeling sugar on one’s teeth???  I’d like a refund if so.

While Florida and the East Coast have been getting lashed by rain from the hurricanes, we’re in a dust bowl here in Texas - I don't recall the last time it actually rained.  Out at the country club, acorns and leaves are already starting to drop.  Because of the mature red oak trees around the house (and the house’s metal roof), every acorn falling sounds like a shot.  Luckily, the buckeye tree on the property isn’t by the house or else we’d have to cut that thing down.  The buckeyes are massive and I can’t imagine what that would sound like falling on a metal roof, like the house is falling to pieces?

The size of this buckeye!

In August, Bryan and I had mowed walking trails around the front and back of the property so we’re able to tramp around the entire place with Bowie.  I can't tell you how much I’m looking forward to fall walks around the place without sweating and hearing the leaves crunch underfoot.  We've spied on the animals that live around the place with trail cams and can't wait to see them more active before it really starts to get cold here.

I hope you all are well - drop me a line and let me know what you've been up to!