I am in awe of the recent blog posts from the other writers. Lengthy, interesting, and thought-provoking. My brain seems too fragmented to write on one topic. I blame it on my fragmented life, but other writers also wear many hats, yet they have no problem with a lengthy narrative. Whatever the reason, lately it seems that musings on a variety of topics seem to occupy my thoughts and seem to be what I enjoy pulling together for my own entries.
First thought: winter must be coming to an end despite the recent snow. I bought a "Small Gardens" magazine and drooled over the flowers. Every year I garden, and every year I triumph--and fail. This season I am already dreading the stink bug. A recent article in the newspaper said it will be an awful season for the destructive insects, which arrived from China in the late 90s and have spread wildly (Thanks, China.) Last week, a warm day brought them crawling from the crevices of the house where they wintered over. My crazed, murderous side (the one that loves to read violent crime novels) took over and I annihilated them all. According to the paper, though, the stink bug lays 30 to 100 eggs, which will soon be hatching. ARGH. It will be a bloody spring.
Second thought: Thursday's headlines "Rabies-infected horse spurs warning." A vet euthanized a local horse that had 'dumb' rabies, different from violent rabies. The owners had to go through the series of shots. I've been regularly getting my horses vaccinated, but a case this early is worrisome. Ticks are just around the corner as well. Last year, my old Lab got Lyme disease despite tick treatments and collars. He had to be treated twice with antibiotics. With a mild winter, ticks are going to be on my radar--along with stink bugs and rabies. I must remain vigilant!
Third musing: Ad in the Classifieds(I've got to stop reading the paper) "Wanted to Buy: Unwanted horses and ponies & used livestock trailers." This needs no explanation. My latest mystery Whirlwind is set on a rescue farm (as is the prequel Shadow Horse.) I often get email from young readers and horse lovers. The last girl told me two sad stories. One was about her favorite lesson horse she named "Oliver Pony Twist" who no one else liked. She rode him for a year and like so many young riders, loved him dearly. One day she came to the barn and found him gone. The trainer told her that he'd been sold at an auction "probably ending up on someone's dinner plate." You can imagine how this twelve-year old felt. Now she's riding an ex-racehorse named Blaze who can't whinny because "they cut his windpipe open so the air would circulate faster so he could run longer and faster." He contiually colics, she wrote, and has almost died several times. Both these stories touched my heart--even though I knew neither horse.
Okay, so it's tough to comment on random musings, although in retrospect, these do have one thing in common: stink bugs, ticks, gardens, rabies and horse abuse all get stuck in my brain and don't let go. What are the thoughts and worries that ramble through your mind as winter begins to turn to spring?
9 comments:
I know what you mean, Alison, I do a lot of random musing, too. Lately its over whether I can handle taking a rescue puppy who needs a home. Its a long story, but, yes, I keep pondering the various problems involved, and wondering what's best to do--so I hear you. Good luck with your various plagues and I hope you have a great garden year. I love my garden, too. Can't wait for spring.
What are stink bugs? Are they those horrible giant pseudo-lady bird type things that spend all their time fornicating?! Seriously, if they are, I get loads of them in my garden in summer, they are so yucky.
I'm also with you on the randomness! My brain tends to be so random it's ridiculous! At least you were able to harness some random thoughts into interesting reading material!
What's traipsing through my head? I am so anxious for spring and for planting and gardening. But, at the moment I have two houses. It's all I can do to take care of one. Which will it be? One that I want to show well for a possible sale, or one that is in dire need of TLC, where I will eventually live. I wish days were longer and that I had more stamina!
Sometimes random musings are a good thing. As far as I'm concerned it shows dimension in your life and as far as I can tell dimension is much better than boring any day.
Laura--oh, I hope you can find a good home for the rescue puppy--yours or someone else's. The problem with rescue animals is there are TOO MANY. If we took them all, we'd be hoarders. :) So you are wise to weight the options.
Francesca--Stinkbugs are brown and ugly and you can't squish them because of a pungent odor. There are two types but the ones recently 'imported' from China have no natural enemies (except me) and yes, must fornicate wildly since they are now everywhere and very destructive to vegetables.
Dreaming--ARGH! What a huge decision! Much huger than stinkbugs. (Is there such a word as huger?) Good luck with your decision!
Thanks Rising Rainbow, I like randomness being equated with depth, except, sigh, my musings don't seem very exceptional!
Love random musings...I actually do my best while cleaning stalls. Though of writing a book and calling it just that...Random Musings While Stall Cleaning (or something like that).
Todays thoughts pertained to: Asparagus, Strawberries, Saddles, Riding, Hay, Grandson, Daughter, Son, Husband, Dog, Cats, and of course, Spring. All in one hour!
And one I have every time I post on a blog...where do those word verifcations come from? Dartions is the one for this reply....
Jackie
Jackie, we obviously have the same fragmented brains, and I am glad to see that in your mind asparagus fits right in there with husband!
"horrible giant pseudo-lady bird type things that spend all their time fornicating"
I don't think that I have ever heard dragon flies described exactly that way but I knew exactly what you meant!
I find it absolutely disturbing that a trainer would tell a preteen girl so attached to this pony that he's probably gone down the slaughter pipeline. If it had been my daughter, I'd have yanked her from that lesson program so fast, the breeze would have pushed the halters off the wall. Such disregard for life and these kids' feelings. A terrible lesson to teach youngsters.... It's just wonderful how little we care about the wellbeing of the horses who have served us faithfully. *sigh* The best thing to have done would have been to try to find him a nice retiree home either with one of the young students or somewhere in the area and if not perhaps putting him down would have been the kindest thing. Sorry for the off topic but it really bites me what kids are subjected to.
PS: I loved Shadow Horse and am waiting to catch a copy of Whirlwind. Hoping for a happy ending for one preteen girl and her beloved horse. :)
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