Fun Projects Report

I haven't blogged in a good long time.  Every morning I wake up and read blog posts on Google Reader.  It's the new morning newspaper for me.  Lately, as I go through that ritual I lament that I haven't posted about "that fun thing" I did the other day or posted about how proud I am of my two boys, or how cool my day was, etc., etc.  Life is being very good to me.

My favorite blogger of late on my Google reader is Natalie Keller Reinert and her "Retired Racehorse" blog. She's a fantastic writer and she seems to hit the mark in her topics and stories with me. Check her out! There are many other great bloggers but something about Natalie's brilliance with the keypad just makes her stories pop for me.  She can write, I can take photos...  :)

Speaking of photos...

I've been having a good time with some special projects that have come up.  One that is near and dear to my heart is providing photos for a Public Service Announcement for the Lexington Humane Society.   My mission was to photograph two adopted dogs who will be highlighted in the PSA.  Each one has the improbable story of survival and landing in great places with wonderful homes.

One of them is Teddy - he's one little dog with a super big heart.  His horrific story is written in the description of this video :  Hello, my name is Teddy and I have had a rough couple of weeks.

A few weeks ago I was roaming the streets looking for something to eat and a warm place to rest. I was minding my own business when a rock struck my small body - then there was another rock, and another one. Suddenly I heard laughing and I saw that the large rocks were being thrown at me by a group of kids. I was hurt and scared and started to run for my life. My only escape was to try and cross the busy street. I was almost to safety when a car appeared and the next thing I knew, I had been struck.

The pain was horrible but a kind person who witnessed the scene of events took me to the Lexington Humane Society (LHS). I was placed in the LHS medical suite where they determined I had two broken back legs and a fractured pelvis. The veterinary team went to work doing all they could to help me. I thought I was feeling better, but then took a turn for the worse and developed pneumonia. This required a blood transfusion and constant medical attention and care. Although I am now doing much better, I still have a long road to recovery and am presently in a wonderful foster home.

At the moment I can get around on my two front legs (watch my video online!) but still require a lot of rest. Im hoping my pelvis heals so that I can one day walk on all four legs again.

That was two years ago.  Teddy has made a great recovery even after being put back together with titanium.  He's practically a bionic dog.  This is Teddy today in his permanent home:

He can run like the wind on all fours!  He truly is a miracle.

My other subject was Gordon.  He's a medium sized furball of activity.  He was a "Second Chance" dog at the Lexington Humane Society.  He needed the special medical care provided in their Second Chance program to recover from Parvo.  He has made an amazing recovery and has a happy home with two beagles who came from the LHS as well.  This is Gordon:

It's rewarding to see these dogs in loving homes. 


Another fun project was a quick visit to see 2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra.  I'm a HUGE fan of hers and I was thrilled when Stonestreet Farm contacted us about catching some fun photos of her for her fans.   Matt posted about it on our Capture The Light blog.  He caught a fantastic portrait shot using our flash and I got this head shot using our 50mm lens at aperture 1.6!  I love shallow apertures!

 

I also loved how she moved around the field with her big belly.  Her due date is around the 1st of February and she's huge.  

What also got me was seeing her move around the field like Ollie!  She was swinging her head from side to side being sassy.  Ollie does the same thing!  A small thrill for me that they shared a habit...  I'm pathetic, I know.

Speaking of Ollie...

He's doing great!  But we have taken about 20 steps backwards in training.  I got on him last week and he was anticipating and expecting back pain.  When he realized he didn't have any he moved forward around the arena but he only knew F.A.S.T.  No matter what gait it was.  I finally got him to settle down and realize that forward doesn't mean quick.  So we are back to working on basics with him.  It's just the way he is.  He'll never be that horse that can jump into the show ring with a short time of training and that's fine with me.  I'm still proud of him!

There were other fun things that I didn't blog about, like going to Adena Springs for their Open House and seeing my heart throb Einstein




He's so completely gorgeous...

We have more fun adventures coming up which I'll blog about.  Life is good!

Let's Make New Mistakes!

Not much has been going on for me with my horses.  I decided they needed a vacation from work and just be horses.  Ollie has taken full advantage of it by rolling in the mud just about every day.   Toby and Ollie had escaped one day while coming in for feeding.  They enjoyed being "free" in places where they are usually not "free."  They both flagged their tails and did a quick tour of the area around the barn looking proud and mighty.  Toby became hungry and walked himself in to his stall and Ollie followed him along.  No worries.  HOWEVER, a few days later, Toby is 3-legged lame...  He got the abscess he deserved for parading around on the gravel.   He was fine within a few days but it's no fun to watch him go through it. 

My plans are to start back up with Ollie and see how he's going.  There is a February show that I'd like to try if we're progressing well.  

So that's our short term plan...  In the meantime, I'm working my butt off with photography.  I have a fun project for the Lexington Humane Society which I'll post about on another day.  I really enjoy the people and animals at the Lexington Humane Society. 

Just the other night, we had a gorgeous sunset.  Matt and I went out to grab something while we could...

Here is Toby's impersonation of War Horse.  He has always been jealous of Jag and evidently he still is  ;)

Rufus the barn cat was a good subject for us too!

Matt was into his version of horse power

But for me, the best shot of all was Ollie and the colors the clouds became as the sun was setting.  I think it's so dramatic and our off camera flash popped Ollie just the right color and amount (we had a 1/2 cut warming gel on the flash). 

Finally, here is my New Year wish for all of you.  I have copied this from Neil Gaiman's blog which you should take the time to read the entire post.  It's fabulous!

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.