FireAntRanch

It's Official: CFA Region 3 HHP Results

2010-04-26T12:02:00.007-05:00

BOUDREAUX is Officially #2 HouseHold Pet in CFA Region 3. He came in behind another Texas cat, Sneaky Devil.

That's Bou below looking regal. There's a picture of him earlier in the blog in his Motorcycle Dude get up :).

OLIVE OYL is Officially #4 HouseHold Pet in CFA Region 3. She had been bouncing in and out of 3rd and ended up being defeated by a Colorado cat, Jasmine. BUT she held onto 4th over another Colorado cat, Tang, by a whisker: 0.6 pts! That's her up above, in one of her sweeter moments.

And the up and comer for next season will be GUMDROP - she's below in the post in the beribboned cage from the Houston show.

Whew! I'm rolling today

2010-04-08T18:42:00.001-05:00

I've got STUFF posted in my ETSY! Pop on over there and take a look:

Must be the influence of the asteroid inside of the orbit of the moon :):)

Okay, so it's been several months since I posted

2010-04-08T13:22:00.005-05:00

So sue me :):). I've been busy.

The kittens are mostly re-homed, as are a couple of others from the same neighbors that were left here when they moved out. Except for ONE now 8-month old kitten, the little tortie, Gumdrop. She stayed behind - the one we "got stuck with" :):)

GUMDROP went to her first cat show in January, the big Houston Charity Cat show.

She won BEST OVERALL HHP - yup. We have ARMLOADS of ribbons. She got a 7th one after we got home for being best overall.

Boudreaux and Olive did well there too, so there's a LOT of pink on our ribbon wall, to go along with all of Bou's and Olive's other ribbons for the season.

We also took 2nd best Decorated Cage at Houston (Bou's cage) - theme being show business and Bou was making a movie :). THAT ribbon was green. The picture's not great, but you can sort of see it here. We had the theater showing the movie on top and the actual movie making inside the cage.

These kittens are growing up soooo fast

2009-08-30T18:20:00.002-05:00

They're eating mushed up kitten chow now..................with relish. They've learned NOT to climb THE LEGS unnecessarily.............

And I've learned to tube feed an older sick cat. Yup, I am a feline nurse in my own house.........unfortunately, it probably isn't going to help Junior much. Will know for sure tomorrow.

BUT if your vet suggests tube feeding for your cat, it is not that hard to do - at all. I'd say go for it. WAY easier than trying to force feed them and it is a piece of cake to get meds down!

Long sleeves and tucked in pants legs - KITTENS!

2009-08-27T17:04:00.002-05:00

Okay, I've remembered to wear long pants and tuck them INTO my sock tops when feeding the kittens, I FORGOT to wear long sleeves.......................... :):). I look like a horde of angry mosquitoes have been after me - mosquitoes that skated across my arms.

Kitten claws are amazingly sharp! So are those little teeth.

That's one of the boys at my knee - still climbing, eventually making it to my shoulder. I was holding the camera in one hand and feeding one of his sisters in the other. MORNINGS have become interesting!

I am SUCH a sucker

2009-08-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

But a mad and happy one. There are these neighborhood Manx cats - and there's been one cutie that's been here since we moved. A young female. I THOUGHT she was spayed. Oh no......irresponsible neighbors let her have TWO litters this year alone and she's not more than TWO YEARS OLD HERSELF!

Well, she won't be having any more. When I walked out to the barn and the feed can mewed at me and I found FIVE little kittens........kittens in a carrier and a trap set for said Mama. We'd JUST managed not more than a month previously to capture and home a kitten from her OTHER litter!

Mama Cat is now spayed, has all her shots and is in a foster home awaiting adoption. I took her to my expensive vet for the best treatment. She's not happy without her kittens, but she is the FRIENDLIEST, CUDDLIEST cutie herself. And will have a much better life now........if you're reasonable local, contact me. She is up for adoption and deserves a great home.

AND I'm bottle feeding the FIVE kittens, several of them also Manx, as in NO tails. Two of them are equally adorable long-tails. They are ONLY 3 weeks old right now and I've got them hooked up on the bottle and got purrs out of two of them this morning. They will be up for adoption when they're 8 weeks old and the adopters MUST get them fixed, no ifs, ands or buts about it!

Stay tuned for updates and pictures!

This is What Happens When............

2009-08-13T17:25:00.005-05:00

I get talked into actually participating in a cat show. Yes, I entered one of my kitties, Boudreaux the Plain Brown Tabby into the Household Pet Category of the Greater Houston Charity Cat Show back in February. That's a big show.

We did it all the way - as in decorating the Cage (6th Best!) AND entering the Costume contest (4th Best) where I was, if I remember correctly, the ONLY adult entered. It's amazing what you'll do when you hit middle age!

Anyway, we did not get pictures at the show, but I convinced a friend to stage Bou in his Motorcycle Leathers and Dew Rag...............yes, real leather.

Eventually, the niece's christening will happen

2009-08-10T12:22:00.002-05:00

I just keep promising myself that. It was supposed to have been January, then late June when she was a YEAR OLD, and now it's mid-August and........................you guessed it, no christening yet. I doubt seriously if the christening gown I made for her will still fit it she's not christened before her 18th birthday which is the way it seems to be headed LOL LOL LOL!!!!!!

Yikes! It's worse than I thought

2009-08-07T19:45:00.002-05:00

Make that SIX saddle pads, and I'm afraid to count the pairs of breeches OR the ones on my watch list on eBay that I've NOT bought yet :). Or the coordinating tops I either have or am lusting after. Or the three helmets, not counting the one I left at somebody's barn. Or the brushes............hmmmm. This is ALMOST worse than the knitting needle collection.

At least I'm down to three bridles for the two horses. Plus a few spare parts :).

All this mostly for Miss Kaylee, the gray Shire who has turned 6 years old. I think she's six. She should be six IF she were a yearling when the Ritchies got her, but the early pictures I have of her with them are of a WEANLING. So either we're off a year and she's really 5 years old or I heard yearling when they said weanling. One way or the other she's a YOUNG Shire mare.............keeping company with a grouchy, out of shape 15/16 year old Mustang mare - who has probably forgotten everything she ever knew about dressage! She is definitely on my list for working this fall, no reason not to!

I'm Suzanne and I'm a Needleholic :)

2009-08-05T08:38:00.002-05:00

Okay y'all, this is just downright embarrassing. 28 Size 2, 2.5 and 3 knitting needles............I'm TOO embarrassed to count the rest.

At least I (currently) have only two saddles, three bridles, and 5 saddles pads (oh dear - 5)........

Intervention Needed: Too many Size 3 needles

2009-07-27T18:28:00.001-05:00

14 to be exact, ACTUALLY 18 if you count the 3mm ones - as most people do (who EVER heard of a SIZE 2-1/2!!!). And I did not count separate needles in a set of double points separately.

So that means 18 needles or SETS of needles. Stop me, PULEEZ stop me!

On the other hand, here's something I DID finish AND Take a Picture of

2009-07-27T18:23:00.004-05:00

Here's a little pinafore I came up with for a colleague gift for my husband. I like the way it turned out. If I were to change one thing, it would be to also leave one shoulder with a tie rather than solid. BUT it does fit over the head with room to spare

Christening Gown UPDATE 3

2009-07-27T18:21:00.000-05:00

It was presented in January, and no, the Christening has NOT happened yet. The niece is now 1+ years old - thank goodness I made it an 18 month size!

No picture yet as I gave it before taking one (my bad).

The CHRISTENING GOWN!!!!!!!

2008-12-17T12:05:00.000-06:00

IT’S FINISHED AND PRESENTED! The christening isn’t until January, so I still have time for the bonnet and booties.

NO, unfortunately NO PICTURES YET - My brother is supposed to take them for me because I forgot!

Okay, so I fibbed - I'm lazy

2008-10-26T11:36:00.004-05:00

And NOT posting as much as I promised. Neither am I getting ready easily for the Kid n' Ewe Fiber Festival coming up waaaaaay too soon (Nov. 7-9). I've got SOME absolutely glorious stuff dyed up but not yet packaged. You'll just all have to hope it's ready in time.

Nor have I finished the Christening Gown for my new niece. But then again, they've not scheduled the Christening yet either - the procrastination gene runs in the family.

Here are a few more Kaylee pictures, though. This is from her very first trail ride EVER. I took her to Hill Country State Natural Area, Bandera, TX, with several friends. She acted like an old hand at it, handling the rocky trails, the other horses, the accommodations with ease. What a gal.

Here she is rarin' to go, not knowing what to expect but ready for anything. That's my new-to-me trailer too. Yes, she fits just fine and we LOVE the tack room on it!

Here are are starting out along the EASY part - the road out from the lodge. She's easily the biggest horse there - especially when you put her next to the Icelandics. But there were a few "normal" sized horses too - couple of American Indian Horses, a FINE (Elite!!!!) Hannoverian mare, and a semi-retired eventing Thoroughbred. So she was in good company. She kept trying to "mother" the Icelandics, though, as she was convinced they were babies!And here she is at the end of one of the rides, in all her dirty glory, as I was trying to convince her that the rusty water really was okay to drink. Good think the trailer had a water tank in it!

Yeah, all this and dressage gaits and training to boot. I think she's a keeper!

Horsie Pictures (I hope)

2008-09-08T20:26:00.003-05:00

Some recent pictures of the horses..............Kaylee's the gray in the foreground in both pictures and Sierra is the liver chestnut in the background. Kaylee's a 5 year old Shire mare about 16hh and Sierra's a 15 year old 15hh Mustang mare. BOTH are dressage trained.

A mystery of life solved

2008-08-24T07:36:00.002-05:00

I now know how some of those very odd dings in people's vehicles happen. You know, those that cause you to wonder "how did they get a ding THERE?????"

I have one of my own now so I KNOW how it happened.........................................

Christening Gown UPDATE 2

2008-08-10T12:12:00.002-05:00

Emma's Christening Gown has the bodice finished now as well. It called for a plain stockinette stitch bodice, but I didn't like that, so I isolated a pattern unit and centered it on the front of the bodice - way cool. YES, I'll eventually post pictures :). NOW onto the sleeves!

Since Bro Eddie and Joanne have not yet set a christening date, I've still got a chance to get it finished in time.....................

And yes - so much for my promise to post more frequently :):).

Christening Gown Progress UPDATE

2008-07-25T10:09:00.002-05:00

The Christening Gown for Emma Madeline is AT THE BODICE! For Real. The skirt is 27" of lace and is finished. Now I'll at least have a chance at getting it to my brother and sis-in-law before the kid gets to elementary school

I think I've got a unique marketable skill

2008-07-16T17:17:00.004-05:00

Somebody needs to hire me to sniff out horse trailer scams on the internet. Really.

I'm still searching for a bigger trailer for my Shire mare, Kaylee - between knitting sessions on the Christening gown for the new niece (starting the BODICE NOW). I've gotten her into the old trailer, but she REALLY needs a bigger one. SO, I've been shopping around including on the internet.

It's pretty funny in a way. All the sites warn sellers to be wary of buyers running scams. I seem to be finding it more the other way around. There are the usual probably stolen trailers. There are the escrow scams. There are the bad divorce scams. And I seem to be finding ALL of them. I found one trailer listed on several sites that was in at least four different locations at the same time. And some of these are very cleverly worded. My theory is that at least one ad was or is valid and the others just copied the information from the real ad.

I'm sorry, as badly as I need a taller trailer, I'm not going to buy one from you if you won't take my cash or my cashier's check or my personal check OR YOU WON'T LET ME SEE THE TRAILER BEFORE I BUY IT.

Back to knitting......................

Christening Gown Progress

2008-07-14T07:58:00.002-05:00

22" of lacy skirt, and getting close to where I need to start the bodice. Which is REALLY good since I'm worried I may run out of yarn. Using a lovely cotton/rayon/silk blend: Svale by Dale. Lovely handle and a bit of sheen.

(Okay, I lied about being chatty - but I've been knitting!)

New Niece to Knit Christening Gown For

2008-07-01T10:07:00.002-05:00

Born 6/30/08 at 3:33pm CDT, Houston TX - Emma Madeline.

And ask me if I even STARTED the Gown yet................Ahhhh, NO! I just sent a text to texknitter to ask her to scout Bluebonnet Yarn for suitable yarn when she's over there today................Yeah, I waited too long.

I've been talking about knitting a Christening Shawl since, oh about nine months ago.

Did I mention my family is WELL-known for procrastination?????

Game Enabled Again - Finally!

2008-06-28T19:46:00.003-05:00

Okay, confession time. Suzanne is a video game nut. Have been since I got my first Atari 2600 - yes that far back. Used to go to lunch with the guys and eat pizza and play video games at Dave & Buster's back in her old "office job" days.

I've been without my PS2 since before we moved because Alfred hooks such things up in his own way & time and it's been a long withdrawal. I broke down and installed a couple of games (horsie kind) on the laptop, just to tide me over.

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY TIMES AGAIN! We are hooked up and ready to go. AND I can still use my Nintendo and my Dreamcast as well.

SEE? Told you I was an addict...........................

Ah yes, the fun of RSS feeds

2008-06-27T08:43:00.002-05:00

Ah yes. Yes, yes, yes. Fun and games getting my RSS feed to work for Ravelry

My first attempt at getting an RSS feed to work. We shall see, we shall see. It can't be that hard, right? I mean I managed to subscribe myself to my own RSS feed - TWICE now...................

On the hunt for a new horse trailer

2008-06-26T08:15:00.002-05:00

Suzanne's seriously on the hunt for a new horse trailer. To fit the new horse (Kaylee) - the Shire mare. She's convinced she does NOT fit in the current trailer, which she probably doesn't even though she's managed to turn around in it! (Don't ask.....) TWICE!

You WILL note that she's tall. By measurement, only 15.3hh, but there's that neck and head. And the body length. And the body width.

Oh, I can load her. The problem is that she thinks she's loaded in just fine - but the hind legs are still on the ground out back. We can't go down the road that way.

So I'm truly serious - LOOKING FOR A NEW HORSE TRAILER. Probably a slant load, maybe with a ramp, and tall enough for Kaylee (that means a 7-foot plus interior height). If anyone hears of one below $5k somewhere in the central Texas area, let me know...................

Suzanne's chatty again!

2008-06-24T14:23:00.004-05:00

Suzanne's coming up for air after the MOVE (last October - right before Taos), the new job as Workshop Czar for Estes Park Wool Market (yeah, glutton for punishment - but they were well-received and I think I've got the job FOREVER), the new horse (Kaylee, a dressage-trained Shire!).

I realized how much I've been missing not blogging like the rest of the world. And I do SO love to talk and journal.

So what's my excuse?????!!!!! Ummm, ahhhh, hmmmm - uhhhhh - if you can think of one, let me know.

I'll do better. I promise. REALLY I will.

To Recap: Moved from Elgin to Georgetown in October. Bigger House, Less land but still acreage (on top of a hill - bigger, fewer trees - real Hill Country). Put the Elgin place on the market in February and sold it within a week. No sheep at the new place (I'd been buying additional fiber for a loooooong time) - better with just the fiber work. Still have plenty of cats, several horses (one new one - Kaylee) and the DH (Alfred).