Auggie and Friends

Auggie Gets an Ultrasound Fearing the worst, I opted for more tests. I started to worry that the change in Auggie's diet may have caused kidney or bladder stones.     Amy texted me around 9:30 that Wednesday morning to say that the vet would be at the farm in about half an hour to see Auggie. The rain was beginning to clear out slowly and the sun started to pierce through the cloud cover a little at a time. There was new vet at the practice, and Auggie would be her first on-call patient at the farm. I wasn't sure if I would get along with this new vet, but I knew Auggie couldn't wait for another day to be examined.      I left the jobsite where we had been installing Belgian blocks around the front entrance of a law office. It was the first day that week that we had been able to get anything done outside due to the monsoon that had taken over our region. As much as I hated to miss valuable time at work, I wasn't about to skip this doctor's visit for my horse. I stil

  The First Vet Emergency Auggie started acting strange and we panicked!     It continued to downpour that dreary afternoon as I brushed Auggie in his stall. The sound of the rain on the metal roof of the old barn drowned out the usual noises of the horses in their stalls and created a muffled ambience as light began to fade. It was now October and fall was well under way, with cooler temperatures and shorter days. The weather of the last few days seemed to reflect the mood that I was in over losing yet another one of my childhood friends.     I spent quite a bit of time grooming and toweling Auggie in the damp, heavy air of the old barn where he was housed. Water began to trickle down the center of the aisle from the back side of the building as Diane and Sharon rushed to each stall with hay for the evening. The horses always became agitated when dinner was being served and Auggie had picked up on this phenomenon in the weeks since he had been with us.     With his mane braided and hi

 When You Lose Your Friends "No one should take themselves so seriously (please stay with me) With many years ahead to fall in line (please stay with me) Why would you wish that on me? I never wanna act my age (please stay with me) What's my age again? What's my age again? What's my age again?" -Blink-182  Julie (left) with me after a horseshow-summer camp at 13 years old. I had two blue ribbons that day, and Julie always showed her support for me, even if she didn't win anything.      The weekend of the family reunion came and went with a lot less drama than I had expected. I avoided actually attending the reunion itself by busying myself with work and tending to Auggie, but I did talk to my aunt and uncle as they were staying at my parents' house for two nights. I wrestled with deciding what I should  do (morally speaking), versus what I wanted to do with my time. In the end, I simply avoided the forced gathering by quietly making myself unavailable. To

  Life Without Blinders The World is Full of Possibility!      Auggie begins to enjoy spending time together!       It was the last Friday in September when Auggie and I finally clicked. I can remember exactly the day because my aunt and uncle were due to arrive that night at my parent's house for a family reunion on the weekend. I had been dreading this "family reunion" since its inception in July, when my older cousin had implored me to attend the event at her house. As much as I appreciated being invited, I despised the forced "get togethers" with my mother's side of the  family. I had never enjoyed the gatherings as a kid and always ended up feeling bitter about it as a result. That weekend, Auggie was like a retreat for me when I needed it the most.     I made a point to decline the invitation from my cousin right away, as I wasn't interested in the whole family ganging up on me or making me feel like the odd one out. I did not want to answer questi