a bunch of b's. . .

And by B's I mean birds, bugs, bites, breaks, braids, boards, boats, bulls, barn animals, and best friends. 

Let's start with best friends. My husband's best friend is visiting from Tulsa and staying with us. Along with his dog. Maggie generally does not get along with other dogs, but she is doing really well with this dog. Lucy is a beagle mix and much smaller than both of my dogs. But she does not let them bother her. So for the next week, my house will be a mess of dogs and best friend belongings. My escape will be the barn.

While his best friend is in town, my husband decided to buy a boat! Exciting! We live right on the intersection of Lake Erie and the Detroit River so a boat is something my husband always wanted. I got a horse, he got his boat. 

Soon I will be sailing the open seas. . .think Shy can fit?

Looks like me and Shyloh will be spending a lot of time working on our line driving. Beth broke her foot when Bob stepped on it the other day. Ouch! But today, I took some much needed advice and did some fun things with Shy. I taught her a new trick! Of course, I forgot my video camera, but I will get it on tape.

When I took Shy down the aisle to show Kathy and Terry, I rubbed the top of Shy's mane as we were walking. I felt something hard. I picked it off and was like what the heck is this? Terry, science, animal, and horse person extraordinaire, took a closer look at Shy's mane. Then she pulled something else off it. . . it was a bug, specifically a tick! Ugh! Makes me shudder just to think about it again. 

Where the tick was. Yuck, yuck yuck!

How did I not see this before? I have been to the barn everyday this week and I groom Shy every time I go out. How long has it been there? Could this tick be the reason she has been very "eh" this week? Questions abound ran through my head. I shook them out and cleaned the area, then but some anti-bacterial stuff on it. Terry could not find a lighter to kill the tick, so she smashed it to pieces. She promised me it was NOT a deer tick. Even more scary is two of the horses at the barn have been tested for Lyme disease because they are having otherwise unexplained problems. Scary!

After the tick removal, I somehow managed to do a really good mane roll on Shy's hair! I am getting better. Then I put Shy in the arena to play around. As I was walking in, I saw a baby bird in the sand. Poor guy fell out of his nest and he was hungry. Robin had just rescued two other baby birds yesterday!

Hungry birdie

And yesterday. . .the bull that hates me broke out of the fence! I am so glad I was just left the barn when this happened or who know what that bull would have done! Attacked me for sure! Ha!

The bull in all his glory. See his ring and chain?

To end the day of all things B, Shy broke another 2x4 on her quest for grass. This horse will stop at nothing for a blade! What a day! Can't say going to the barn is ever boring!

Glad she didn't go through!

Barn cats, Barney and Bubba

Random smashed snake I found in a flake of hay!