Where does the time go?  Here it is, already Friday, and I'm behind on my blogging.  First off, Happy Halloween!

Tuesday I marched along the rail at J's.  One of her students was practicing, so I had an obstacle to ride around.  I had a very nice canter on Patch, even with the gooseneck spurs I had to borrow because I forgot to bring mine.  Patch doesn't go anywhere without a poke or two with the spurs, and I was working a lot harder than he was without them!  It was a fun lesson, and I was even able to order a flat draw rein from J's tack store.  I hope it comes in before next Tuesday, which is also my last lesson there.

Wednesday was a very small group lesson.  Just me, Sarah, and Zoe.  I rode Blondie, who didn't want to cooperate and made me chase her all around the pasture before grudgingly letting me catch her.  Chester and one of the other mares kept playing blocker for her, too.  It was so irritating - I will have to take peppermints next time I need to bring her in.  In revenge, she stepped on my toe when I was taking her out to the arena.  Of course she had to do it on the concrete instead of in her stall, and she stopped with her hoof on my foot.  I think she broke my big toe!  It is an angry shade of purple and rather painful.

I used a draw rein with Blondie, and I was able to get her head set for a change.  M commented that I ride better with the draw rein.  There was even some slack in the reins.  We worked on a cantering pattern that was so hard for both of us, but it is a very useful one for collection.  We cantered a cloverleaf pattern on both ends of the arena, on both leads.  I would like to try this on a horse that can do patterns, so I am better prepared to guide Blondie through it.  She tried very hard for me, but I kept running us into the wall because I wasn't asking her to turn early enough.

Last night, it was out to S's barn.  What a fantastic lesson.  I rode Lucky again in his show bridle, and I was more aware that I needed to use softer hands.  I was much better the first way, but I was getting tired and kept losing my balance the second way.  She had me do a lot of posting trots without stirrups, and halting on the rail.  S also told me to really work the weaker side when I'm riding.  She also mentioned during the lesson that she was trying to make Lucky cranky so it wasn't too easy for me.  His crankiness consisted of tossing his head angrily around.  I would think that will all of my popping him in the mouth that would make him angry enough...

Gio at Ludington

Monday night was a longe line lesson with Jimmy.  I was able to get him from the pasture before the rain started, and since M used him for the next lesson as well, I didn't have to take him back out in the rain.  Hooray!

It was a little chilly, and there's snow forecast for this week.  Yuck!  I am not ready for the cold weather yet.  I did manage to work up a sweat during the lesson.  I was so frustrated at the canter. I was instructed to get into the two point, and my inside leg would not keep still.  It kept swinging with Jimmy's stride, no matter how hard I tried to keep it from flopping around.  Otherwise, it was a good lesson.  I am relaxing a little more, except for at the canter.

Researched supplements for Nyk, too.  He was getting glucosamine at his old home, so I decided to give them to him, too.  I finally decided on V Flex Joint Care pellets from National Bridle Supply.  Does anybody use this product?  There are so many different varieties available, it was getting a little confusing.

Friday night I rode Nyk, and today I drove him.  Blondie was given the weekend off.  She seems to have settled in with her pasture buddies now, and she and Chester have been together the last few times I've been at the barn.  All of that kicking and screaming at each other must have been for show.  She did manage to rip some hair off of her legs, but nobody can figure out how she did it.  Didn't break the skin, just scraped her hair off.

Friday, we worked Nyk in draw reins, and worked on head set.  Then M hooked him up to a longe line and we worked on the canter.  It's going to take me some time to get used to his short, choppy stride.  Blondie may be a spaz, but at least she has a nice, smooth canter.  I am getting better with transitions with Nyk.  It helps that he is extremely willing to do anything you ask him to.

It was very chilly this morning, and it made me remember how much I hate cold weather.  My fingers got so cold when I was driving that I could barely grip the reins.  Nyk drives very well, though, like Blondie, he tries to jig at the walk.  We spent a lot of time walking and trying to keep him at a consistent flat walk.  I also let him trot too fast at the pleasure trot.  It's been a while since I've driven, so I was trying to get the hang of it again.  It's exciting to think about having two horses that drive - I think they look so elegant in harness.

After putting Nyk away, I watched Sarah and Zoe ride their ponies.  Sarah borrowed my western saddle - she wants to ride Wildchild western next summer.  I don't know if she meant for the Equestrian team or what.  The mare needs to canter a lot slower if she's going to go western!  Wildchild has the fastest canter on the whole farm, I think.  Her walk has gotten much slower, but that canter is something else.

D rode Cookie after that, and I stayed to watch.  It wasn't as exciting as when the horse ran into the gate, but it was still a good show.  Cookie is a beautiful horse, and it's fun to watch him rack.  Don't know if I want to ever try riding him again, as he is a little too strong for me. 

Yesterday, Dean and I headed over to the Melting Pot after our visit to the park.  I was super hungry after our stroll through the woods.  I noticed during the week that the Melting Pot in Novi is now open at noon on Saturday and Sunday, so I was determined to finally try making my own fondue concoctions. 

We arrived at the restaurant a little bit after 12.  I was a bit put off by the hostess, who seemed a little annoyed that we didn't have reservations.  Like we actually needed them in this economy!  We were seated in the first room off of the bar area.

We decided to get the Fondue Feast, Mojo style.

I loved the coffee service set! 

I didn't love how long it took to get refills. 

Raw ingredients, prepare to be skewered!

We opted for the Fiesta cheese for our appetizer, because it seemed like it could be a bit spicy.  It was a tad zippy, but that was all.  It also looked like a bowl of vomit, but we didn't let that stop us from eating it all.

Here is a plate of things to dip into the cheese.  Chips, bread, apples, veggies.  I liked the chips the best.  Go figure.

Here is the uninspiring salad.  It is the Southwestern Cobb, the featured salad for the Big Night Out Fondue Feast.  If I go again,  I will try the California Salad.  It's not like I am a big salad fan to begin with, but this was just too bland.

Ah! A plate of raw meat!  There's pork, shrimp, beef, salmon, and chicken.  And some cheese ravioli!  A meager three for each of us.  If you don't like to sit in front of a platter of raw food, you don't want to eat here.

Here are some of the dipping sauces supplied with the meal.  The only one that I tried of these three was the yellow, which was curry. The others were teriyaki and sweet and sour, both of which I don't care for.

Better make sure you bring something to keep time with! The meat has to cook from 2 to 2.5 minutes, and they don't supply stop watches!  I wish they supplied more than two skewers, because with two per person, it took over 2 and a half hours for us to eat lunch.

Dessert!  We ordered the Cherries Jubilee, which was a dark chocolate with cherries.  It's available for a limited time, so I thought it would be fun to try.  Here is a picture of the sweets you get to dip into the chocolate - banana slices, strawberries, marshmallows, sponge cake, and cheese cake.   Oh, and rice crispy treats, too!

Waiting on a convenient ledge for a table.

Over all, I thought that the Melting Pot was very overpriced for what you receive.  Sure, it was fun to stab our food and dip it into the boiling liquids, but not enough to justify the price.  It was a hundred bucks (with tip) for lunch!  No real lunch menu, either.  And make sure that you have a lot of time, because this is not something you can rush through.  I was getting a little antsy near the end, though I do have a shorter attention span than most, otherwise I wouldn't be compelled to photograph fashion dolls in public while waiting for my meals.  The service was good, but not stellar - it took forever to receive refills on my coffee.

We took Buu for a walk Saturday, traveling over to Kensington Metro Park to enjoy one of the last nice days before the horrid winter weather settles in.  Keep in mind that anything below 60 degrees is horrible winter weather to me.

Buu, enjoying a stroll through the leaves

He really is this dopey looking.  He also was compelled to pee on every tree we walked by. 

What a majestic pose!  Look at the slobber dripping off of his tongue!

Yeah!  I know there's food on that picnic table!

Squirrel!  Let me at 'em!

Nuts!

Chilling on a swing

There were so many geese!  They were very upset with us whenever they felt that we approached too closely.

Barbie-Q!

Swamp grasses make for a beautiful backdrop.

It was little chilly for shorts, but I braved the cold for the sake of fashion

I love to climb trees.  It was a little difficult with my sandals.  The heels kept getting in the way.

Lots of rocks that overlooked the water.  Kensington is a huge park, and we have only explored a little bit of it.  I noticed today that there is even a huge water slide and they have toboggan runs.   I wonder if they work as well with no snow? I hate the snow!

Here it is!  The post so many of you have been waiting for!  Well, ok, one of my four readers has been bugging me to put up this particular adventure, so, Mom, here it is!  Your granddaughter, live, in pictures, at the Zoo Boo!

Rich and I arrived at the zoo right around 7pm.  The weather was a tad nippy, but not terribly uncomfortable.  I still had some hand warmers from riding earlier in the day, and surprisingly, they were still warm.  Bundled up in thermals, sweatshirts, and a jacket, I was ready for my twilight stroll through the park.

We breezed through the Members Entrance, and met up with the rest of the family.  It was very busy at the zoo - I have never attended a Zoo Boo before, and I wasn't sure what to expect.  There were a gazillion kids running here and there and all points in between.  Zoo employees were giving out orange plastic Meijer bags, but I didn't think to grab one.  I didn't think that I would be trick or treating.  Stephen had thoughtfully grabbed an extra, and he presented it to me so I, too, could collect some candy.

Here is Elly.  She wanted to be a bat for Halloween.  I think she made a pretty darn good one.

The zoo was decorated with a variety of spooky decorations. Here is a scary scarecrow. Notice my fashionable witchy attire.

Displays of painted gourds were set up all around the fountain and walking path.

I liked this one, celebrating the Year of the Frog.

Guess you gotta keep the football fans happy.

Vultures! But one of their noses fell off.

Halloween wouldn't be complete without America's spookiest family.

Not quite sure what this igloo has to do with Halloween, other than the fact that living in an ice cube would be a nightmare.

Penguins are behind me. Wait! I thought that crows are supposed to be the scary ones...

There were candy stations set up around the zoo. There were about ten of them. Everyone handing out candy was in costume, and some of them were very well done.

There were even huge inflatable balloons anchored around the zoo.

And creepy spiders hanging from trees.

Spooky ghosts!

And even some non frightening displays for those faint of heart.

Uh-oh. Something must be up over here....

Argh!!!! They converted the reptile house into a haunted house! At first Elly didn't want to enter, but she worked up the courage and changed her mind.

Why do they gotta have scary stuff like this??? I hate this kind of thing!

Elly found some bats to hang with.

Can you see that enormous alligator behind me????  It's about 100 times bigger than me!!!

They just had to work a pirate theme in there somewhere. I fit right in with these guys!

Always a favorite place for photo ops, they had drained the fountain and placed a pirate ship and sea monsters in the empty space.

See how scary it looks with the monsters instead of the water??

Here's at ya, kid! Posing with the bat girl!

The dinosaur gourds were very popular.

A very exhausted jack o lantern.

The Zoo Boo was fun, but I think I enjoyed it so much because I was able to hang out with the family while we wandered along the carefully mapped out paths. None of the animals were on display, other than the reptiles. There were security guards stationed along the route, to make sure nobody tried to sneak off and enjoy a little mischief in other parts of the zoo. Some of the paths were not well lit, and presented tripping hazards with the uneven ground.

I was very tired by the time I returned home, and it was way after my bedtime.  Getting up at 4:30 sucks.  It was the start of a sleep deprived and very hectic week.  I showed my candy haul to Dean, and he promptly made fun of my efforts.  For 2 hours of trick or treating, I didn't have much booty to show for my time.  Oh, well, it's not like I'm going to eat it anyway.  What I don't save for the horses,  I'll end up taking to work and giving to a co-worker. 

Check out the rest of my pix from the Zoo Boo '08

Bentley

During the group lesson, I rode Blondie.  I went out to get her, and Chester the Chestnut tried to head us off, but we were too speedy for him.  It helped that he was on the other end of the 5 acres.  Then they screamed for each other all the way to the barn.  After only four days!  And they were the ones kicking the crap out of each other when she was first turned out in the pasture.

She was an utter turd the entire time I was getting her ready, and since she hadn't been ridden in a while, I decided to use the trusty western saddle.  M said that we were going to practice moving the horse with our legs, and it didn't matter which saddle I used.  I discovered that I ride too much off of my hands, and hardly off of my legs at all.  After trying some exercises, Blondie started moving away from my legs, and I didn't have to apply much pressure to the bit.  At this stage of the game, we need to do more stuff like this.  I can already ride around in circles - I need to learn how to fine tune everything now, and move my legs and hands independently.  It's tough.

Thursday night was the race out to the Other Barn #2.  I had penned myself in the schedule at 7 instead of 7:30, and I was a little worried about the traffic.  It takes about an hour to get there, but I made it with about 20 minutes to spare.  One of the mothers introduced herself while we were waiting, and it turned out that her daughter was going to be riding with me.  She's a teenager and a very good rider.  She rode one of the show horses, which was about 3 notches above Blondie.  I was a little jealous.

I rode trusty Lucky again, and since he broke his mule bit in the lesson prior, we used a show bridle.  I have to say that I didn't realize how extreme a show bridle is.  As I am becoming more aware of my riding position and my hands, I am starting to figure more things out.  I was having a tough time getting the correct contact with the bit, and poor Lucky was not happy with me at first.  As I concentrated more and more on not manhandling him, he relaxed, and so did I. S called a show bridle power steering to the extreme.  At first she wasn't going to have me use it, but she decided she wanted to see if I could figure it out.  It was a very useful lesson.

I raced off to Rich's on Sunday, so we could grab some dinner before meeting Stephen, Julia, and the baby for the Zoo Boo.  We went to Panera Bread, and I have to say that I was less than impressed.  Either my tastes have changed, or the quality of the food has gone down since the last time I ate there.

I ordered the You Pick Two, opting for the Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and the new Tomato & Mozzarella Panini.

Here is the soup.  It was pretty bland and tasteless.  At least it was warm, which was soothing on a rather chilly evening. I had to break out hand warmers for my riding lesson, and they were still warm in the evening.  Those and the soup warmed me right up.

Here is the sandwich.  It wasn't bad, but the fixings were a little on the light side.  I like it when the insides occasionally drip out onto the plate, making a satisfying, sloppy mess.  No chance of that happening here, as the fillings were paper thin.  Guess they had to make some cutbacks to afford that high Birmingham rent

Here is the best part of the meal - an apple, cream cheesy pastry thingy.   The apples tasted fresh, the cheese was smooth and sweet, and the dough was slightly crunchy, which a sugary glaze.  I just should have ordered a bunch of dessert for dinner.  It's not like my mom was there to stop me from eating pastries for dinner.

Quick update because I have been so busy!  Work is very hectic, and my riding schedule is jammed full of lessons - at least for the next three weeks.

I rode Harley during the Monday night lesson.  Most excitement - my stirrup hit the back gate as we were going by, and Kim's horse spooked at the clang.  Kim fell off.  Sorry!  I thought only my mare did silly things like that.  Hope you are ok!!  Sorry!!

This lesson we concentrated on headset and cantering.  I haven't ridden Harley in a long time - he is so stiff, the poor guy.  I think that I had his head set the best I ever have.  He cantered nicely for me.  He also worked very hard and got very sweaty.  Took a while to cool him off.

Tuesday, it was out to J's place.  I rode Patch, and we worked a lot on cantering.  Patch has a very choppy canter, which makes me bounce around and get all tense.  I tried to work on keeping my shoulders down and my wrists loose.  Oh, and my legs long and useful.   I think I am making a little bit of progress with all of this, but I don't understand why I still get stiff as a board at the canter.  Sigh

Nyk & his previous person, Nell

Today we rode Nyk with draw reins because he was pulling on the bridle during the group lesson.  This all goes back to me not having a secure seat.  He's not hard to ride, it just takes me a bit to get used to a new horse and to start feeling comfortable with it.  This third ride with Nyk was the best yet.

The draw reins allowed me to bring his head up.  We walked a lot, because he wanted to jig and not flat walk.  The canters were better - I am getting used to his choppier stride.  His legs are about half as long as Blondie's, and where she has very fluid canter, he does not.

The photographers came out again to take some practice shots, so we put a show bridle on Nyk and got some naked pony pix.  I hope they give me some of them.  Bernie did give me a disk of photos he took a couple of weeks back of Blondie.

Nyk got a little bored standing there, so we put him away and got Blondie out so D could pull her shoes.  She is going outside starting today.  She likes being on pasture board, where she can stroll about and nibble on grass all day long.  There were some pretty intense moments as the herd, led by Chester the pesky chestnut, were introduced.  Chester kept sniffing her rear end, at which Blondie took great offense.  She was bugling and kicking out at him with everything she had.  He got a couple of whacks in, too, but by the time I left, they had settled down and were eating grass.  Hope the pasture drama is over.