Cairo Love

Now I know this is usually a blog about ponies, and I am sure everyone knows how much of a 'horse-person' I am, but I am also a cat-person and a dog-person too! I am probably more particular about other dogs, than my own, because I really only tend to gravitate towards well behaved dogs.... there is nothing more frustrating than a disobedient dog... on the other hand, a visit from a well behave puppy-ami, is just lovely! Jax, of course, tops my favorite doggy list :)

Kitties are mostly all great, unless they swat/hiss/bite. Thankfully, most kitties tend to try and befriend me, rather than behead me. Joy. This is a story of my own kitty, and his wonderfulness. Sorry. He is not a pony today. Its -30. The ponies are getting waved at from the house, and fed hastily. They are floofy, fat, and happy. I am warm, possibly a little winter-poofy myself, and happy.

Back to kitties. We have two. Cairo and Dozer. Cairo is my rescue from 2009, and Dozer is our new addition a little over a year ago when he was a tiny tiny unwanted barn kitten. Dozer has been snuggled and loved since day one, and as such, he loves snuggles and love very much. Cairo was two when I got him, and I have no idea what his history is before July 2009.

Hi is not normally snuggly, more the type to sit on the arm of the chair next to you. When he DOES sit on your lap [and he just recently went through a phase of this for about a month] its really weird, and I try not to breathe or have to pee. Because it just feels like this wonderful gift. Since I got him, Cairo has been my friend, my buddy, and my companion. He learned his name quickly, and comes when he is called - from a long history of having to go to bed in my room with me before I moved out. He does tricks for treats, he loves to chase string, and he gets really high on catnip and its really funny. Also, you can have a whole conversation with him... that goes two ways. And Im not kidding. Jax too. My sister might call me a horse whisperer, but my dog and cat just flat out talk to me.

Mostly, he is a super cat, and I love him very much. Its an everyday kind of love, one that doesnt usually evoke a whole blog post about him, because ... well... he is a kitty? He doesnt do much more than sleep, eat and snuggle. The exciting life of a house cat. Sign me up in my next life, ok?

Today is a different day though. We have been having some CRAZY weather patterns here lately. One of them being insanley high winds, to the tone of waking me up in the middle of the night twice last week. The second night, I woke up really groggy and dissoriented, and like a five year old, got scared. D wouldnt wake up, or did and rolled over or something... but I was still generally unhappy and unconfident with the banging around the house that I really couldnt blame on Dozer. Thats a side perk of house cats - bumps in the night can be blamed away on them!

So there I am, half asleep and scared, when this little weight lands on the blanket next to me. Cairo is nick-named Tiny Cat for a reason. He is pretty small, and I like him that way! With a little *puuurrr* noise, he jumps up, comes up beside my pillow, snuggles up with me, and purrs himself, and then me, to sleep. How great is that? I love my kitty.

Animals are so smart. How many times have I been sad/mellow/down and an animal has come to comfort me? Be it Jax, Mo, Cairo, or any of the other animals that have passed through my life.... they are all so sensitive and perceptive to our moods, it never ceases to amaze me how much they care and try and make it better. 

I was scared, and really for no reason other than being half asleep, but Cairo still came to check on me and made me feel better. I dont know how some people can live without animals, or say they are dumb. They prove over and over how clever they are and how much they care about us, as much as we do about them!


:)
S

Super Mo Saves the Day

Lately there has been snow. A lot of snow. It seems that for every one sunny day, we get three snowy ones. The snow is up well over the horses knees in most places.

We have a wood stove in our house, which means we need wood to run it! D was going out into the bush to cut some wood to burn while we wait for the delivery of new stuff. He snowshoed up, grabbed the sled and traipsed off to cut some trees for the stove.

Apparently, the load was a little much, and trying to get back through the deep snow with the heavyily loaded sled just wasnt going to happen by hand.

Enter Super Mo!

In the past, we have dragged little things, like cones, or buckets. This weekend, our foundation was put to the test!

I saddled Mo in our western saddle... which is not my friend at all. Its an old reining saddle my dad gave me when he got a new one. Its stiff, its old, the latigos are hard and it weighs a TON! Oh, and the stirrups barely go short enough for me, and when they get slightly close, I can still hardly get my feet into them because the leather is so stiff, it refuses to turn. Still, I am grateful to have it for those rare times I need a saddle with a horn.

We walked out of the barn, used the four wheeler for a mounting block on the way, and off we went, slowly slowly trudging through the deep snow, squinting to see through the currently falling snow. Across the hayfields we went, out to the trail where D left the sleigh. Mo was a little looky at the weird thing sitting in the snow, but went over and touched it really quickly. After that she had no problem.

I dismounted, grabbed the tow rope and somehow managed to scramble through the snow back onto my waiting pony. I tried to get it started by pulling by hand, but the snow was so deep, I couldnt get it anywhere, so, time to test the foundation I have spent so much time putting on my Mo..... I dallied up the rope around the horn, turned and off we went! Mo kind of went 'huh?' for two steps, blew out a whole bunch, and just put head down and started tromping home!

It was a pretty far trip in the snow.... or it felt like it anyways, with the snow coming down, and going slowly through the deep stuff already on the ground. Mo just rocked it. Up passed the barn and over to the house by the wood pile, we dragged the heavy sled, just like she did it every day.

I have known Mo for almost ten years now, and she still has the ability to blow me away :D

I love my Mo!

:)
S