No More Paint!

Okay. As much as I hate to say it, my husband is a genius. He went to an auto store and brought back the product that he was telling me about the night we spent hours trying to get the paint off Tango and....IT WORKED!!!! In addition, it left my hands softer than soft! YIPPEE!!!!

Here's Tango standing next to the black fence where we assume he got into trouble and his white is whiter than snow. WHEW! Now we can get back to the task of getting ready for our show.

I do have to thank all of you who left comments. They were helpful in more ways than one. Janet and Paula, I had never heard of the Mr. Clean Miracle Sponge, but thanks to you, I now have one and it's terrific!

Carolyn, you were absolutely right...there was a glint in Tango's eye...the little rascal! Parsley, I think the glint was there because he thought he was a "true paint horse."

Riley and Star, I did give the vinegar a try, but it works better on windows. It was a great idea nonetheless!

Lily, you were right. Oil takes out oil. I got it started with the Vasoline and the lanolin in the Gojo finished the job. Anne, Tango keeps looking at me and waiting for the rest of his massages! Which brings me to what Tweedles said, "I think he did it on purpose!" I agree Tweedles. He was a naughty boy!

Debbie, I do believe you're right, Tango was having a great fun pretending he was a zebra!

Ocmist, I use Tea Tree Oil as a cure all for everything...I should have thought of that first! I'll remember it next time...if there is a next time and I pray there's not!

Anne, Sailor, Jib, and Zoe...trust me, white chalk is my friend. I use it at almost every show. Thank you for reminding me because I'm all out!

Ryan, although I liked your idea of painting Tango all black, I was afraid his saddle and bridle would not show up so well in the show arena. Maybe you could help me give it a try this winter so we could see how the boy looks with his spots gone...are you game?

Sharon, I've been lurking around the barn just to make sure there's no possibility of sabotage. You just never know what happens in the heat of an upcoming competition!

TC, I never thought of Dawn, but you're right, they use it to get oil off baby seals and birds. That probably should have been my first choice! I bought some just to keep it at the barn.

And Serendipity, the olive oil is a terrific idea too. Sandy, I thought about finger nail polish remover and paint remover too but I was afraid they'd be toxic. If all else failed, I would have resorted to that.
Bumpkin Bears, I love the idea of peanut butter. I wish I would have tried that just to see if it worked. What a great idea! Tango would have loved that one for sure!

Anyway, thank you all for all your great ideas. If I've accidentally left out any of your names and suggestions, I apologize. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who cared and the time you took to try to help me.

This blog is more than fun, it's a place to share information and ideas. Every time I read another comment it was like getting a hug. Thank you for letting me cry on your shoulder and helping me fix more things than just Tango! I'll never have a paint stain (or any other kind of stain) anywhere again!

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Why, Tango, Why?

See Tango? Doesn't he look handsome and clean? This is what Tango should look like two weeks before our final show of the season. It's been relatively dry. There's no reason for Tango to be muddy. Even if Tango rolls, he should be rolling in the the plain old dirt or grass. But no.

I guess I'm expecting too much for my boy. CLEAN is not a word that Tango remembers. In fact, Tango doesn't even aspire to be clean. I know that but wouldn't you think he could have at least....

STAYED OUT OF BLACK PAINT!!!!!

In case your wondering, this is Tango's butt. The only good thing about Tango's butt right now is that it's bigger than mine. I'll give Tango that...it's his only redeeming quality.

No one seems to know exactly how to get the paint off Tango. They just look at him and gasp. I'm sure they're secretly glad that it's Tango (and not their horse) that is covered in black tar! I've tried to get the paint off with baby oil and Skin-So-Soft The paint doesn't budge. Last night I tried good old Vaseline. I managed to smear the paint around.

While other women my age are home watching TV or enjoying a nice glass of wine, I'm vaselining my horse! Is there something wrong with this picture? I even had to get my husband involved. I thought he might need to hold Tango while I scrubbed away.

But he didn't. Tango seemed to be enjoying a relaxing evening. I actually think my boy thought he was getting a much deserved massage.My husband sighed and took pictures while tossing out other suggestions. "How about that hand soap that gets grease off?" he asked.

"Do you want to go get some?" I responded.

"Your horse is falling asleep," Chuck said. "I'm ready to call it a night."

After about two hours, I'd had enough too. Tango was the only one who seemed contented with the whole paint issue. I think he would have stood there all night long and let me scrub away.

Like I said, we're about two weeks out from our final show. The boy is still covered in paint.

My wrists are sore. My arms ache. No one seems to know why Tango is the only horse on the farm that managed to get black paint all over himself.

Any suggestions for fast effective paint removal would be greatly appreciated (non-toxic preferred)!

Tango's enjoying this way too much!

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Spectacular Weekend for the Girls and Me

The last weekend of summer was spectacular for me. We went to Lake Erie (where we've had a boat for years). The entire family managed to get together for this trip. Our daughter-in-law, Heather, has a family cottage at the lake so that's where we stayed.
Of course Maddie and Annabelle were with us. The girls were wound up tight. They were more excited than kids on Christmas morning.

In case your wondering why I'm holding Maddie in this picture, wonder no more. My obsessive compulsive King Charles Spaniel would not quit eating seaweed on the beach. After I downloaded this photo I took a closer look and realized I LOOK LIKE MADDIE. I'm going to have to give this one some thought!

Here we are on the Lake Erie beach. Annabelle is gazing intellectually towards the water and Maddie is blurred because she's flitting off to GET MORE SEAWEED!

The girls had a busy weekend. Alexa and Christian ( our grandchildren) took Maddie and Annabelle on walks and golf cart rides. In this photo they are waiting for my husband and son to take them for another cruise.

Annabelle is looking at the camera because I called her name. Maddie is looking backwards because she smelled hamburgers cooking on the neighbors grill.

The girls couldn't get enough of the fresh lake air. After walking and playing all day, Maddie finally sat down on the dock to take a breather. Either that or she was scoping out more seaweed or the scent of recently caught fish...who knows!

Even the thought of food couldn't move Maddie at the end of the day. The girl was plumb tuckered out. Annabelle was a willing pillow (probably just so she wouldn't have to watch Maddie flit around anymore).

By 10:15 on our last night, it was all over. The girls were down for the count. So was I! I can't think of a better way to spend the last weekend of summer than with all of our kids, our grandchildren, and the girls. The only thing missing was Tango. I'll have to figure out a way to get him to the lake with us next year. Any ideas?

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Show Me a Man Who Doesn't Like a Dog....

If you read my last post then you know that I remembered something my dad said when I was just a kid..."Show me a man who doesn't like a dog and I'll show you a man who is no good."

I thought about it a lot. My dad was very wise.

I guess because I'm a writer, that inspired me to look for more quotes about animals. Needless to say, I spent more than a few hours immersed in rich delightful quotations.

This one spoke to me:

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~ Roger Caras

I guess I might even change it to: "Animals are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."

Do you have any quotes that speak to you about animals? Please share!

Also, my sister-in-law has a cute post on her blog and some wonderful photos of a cat fully engrossed in what it's doing. Hop over and take a look!

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I Remember......

I had pictures of Annabelle to post tonight. I had pictures of the coyote basking in the sun in the field behind my house. I had pictures of three deer grazing in the same field. Had them is the operative word here. I LOST THEM ALL! I don't know if it's me or the camera.

Anyway, after I realized the pictures were gone I decided to visit blogs instead of getting frustrated. I had just gotten started when I landed on DJan's blog. Somehow, the topic of fathers came up and I began to read the comments that were left at her blog. The comments brought back a flood of childhood memories that I had forgotten.

My dad died when I was nine. My mother was very sick too. Because it was such a painful time for me, I have unintentionally blocked out a lot of those memories. Tonight, when thinking about my dad, I suddenly recalled his great love for animals.

Tears came to my eyes and I could almost hear my dad saying, "Show me a man who doesn't like a dog and I'll show you a man who's no good!"

Wow. Thinking about people I have encountered during my life makes me honestly believe that my dad was mostly right. People who love dogs are almost always compassionate caring people.

My dad didn't just like dogs though. As I thought about my father, I remembered more and more. There was the time that we were driving down the road and he spotted a dead raccoon. Nearby was one live baby.

Dad brought our car to an abrupt halt. He was a tall masculine man - 6'4". I remember thinking how gentle he looked as he picked up the baby raccoon and put it in the back of our Ford station wagon. How could I have forgotten about this until now?

My dad didn't stop with just picking up the baby raccoon. He went home and built a cage for it and scheduled an appointment at the vet.

I remember going with my dad and watching as the vet pulled tick after tick out of the poor baby's ears. I remember watching the vet draw blood and give inoculations. It never dawned on me until tonight that most fathers probably wouldn't have gone to all this effort but mine did.

And I remember the November day my dad died. He was 39-years-old. Much too young to die but back then Hodgkin's disease had no cure. As always, we had a dog. She was a wonderful loyal boxer. Tawny never left my dad's bedside. He would reach down and stroke her head as she waited with him. Tawny was there as my dad took his last breath.

Is it any wonder I love animals so much? And isn't it amazing that a blog brought back all these wonderful memories for me? I'm still crying but not because of the loss of my parents at a young age. I'm crying because of the wonderful memories that are coming back to me that I had all but forgotten. They are a part of who and why I am.

I'm so thankful that I lost the pictures on my camera tonight. I found something so much more special....I found a part of me.

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OH PLEASE!

So they think I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree. They call me a ditz. Well, guess who gets a boatload of attention without having to do stupid tricks or even behave very well? WINK WINK! You guessed it....ME!

Kelly was smart. I'll give him that. He had a much bigger vocabulary than I do. And Annabelle aims to please. She does whatever Mom says. She's even got Dad jumping though hoops. I say, "Go for it Annabelle...you go girl!" When Dad gets on the floor to play with Annabelle, I go right over and lick the salt from his potato chips right off his hands. Annabelle makes it easier for me to reach him. Who's a ditz?

Then there's Tango. He does tricks to get treats. He bows. He kisses. He pushes balls and pulls ropes. He takes Mom on long rides. Then he gets all gussied up and wins ribbons at horse shows just to make Mom happy.

I don't have to do a darn thing but look cute and snuggle WHEN I'M COLD.

Who's not the brightest bulb on the tree?

YOU TELL ME!

Love from the true genius,
Maddie

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Seriously Tango!

I had to have a heart to heart with Tango yesterday. I've told you before, Tango thinks he's a dog. Really. Tango's as sweet as they come but because of his size...actually the size of his massive head...he can get downright pushy.

And because I got Tango when he was a baby he knows all the tricks of the trade. I can't help myself. I always have treats in my pocket and Tango knows it! I love to give him a peppermint after a good hard ride. I love to give him a sugar cube when he runs to me when I call him from the field. Who wouldn't want to reward a boy that's so obedient?

Well, my husband for one! I'm not too great with the camera yet, but as you can see, Tango has his head twisted around Chuck's body trying to get into his pocket. Chuck likes Tango well enough, but he's a little intimidated by his size. Who wouldn't be if they're not a horse person?

I decided go have another talk with Tango. Spider thought he join us for the conversation. He's much older and wiser than Tango. Since this picture was taken from a distance (Chuck was as far away as he could get) it's hard to see, but the reason my black vest is at an angle is because Tango pushed it up to get into my pocket again. That boy! Maybe Spider will try to talk some sense into Tango when I'm gone.

Maybe not.

MY BOY LOVES TO EAT!

I still think grass is a vegetable, but that's another subject!

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We Want to See You!

Way down at the bottom of this page I added a guest book. I got the idea from Riley and Star's place and loved it! The reason I added it to my blog is so that we could see all of your animals' cute faces and get to know you better. If you have time, please scroll way down and take a peek!
Meanwhile, I want to let you know how much fun I'm having talking to or about your animals...and mine. I guess when you write about what you love, you're bound to find people who share your passion. You are all awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your stories with me.

Jan

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With Love from Annabelle and Maddie

This is our cousin Jake. Mom babysits for him whenever our Aunt Dee and Uncle Mike go away. During football season, she goes over to play with him almost every Saturday. The good thing is, that whenever our mom and dad go away, Aunt Dee comes over and takes care of us!

The first thing Jake always does when Mom gets to his house is sit up so she can hold his paw. Jake loves to have his paw held. He sits up pretty darn good for a big guy, doesn't he? Jake sits like this for as long as my mom will hold his paw. He's a strong boy! Mom says he has a great back. Guess that's cause her back hurts all the time!

Click on this picture to get a good look at Maddie's face. I'm going to save it and use it for blackmail the next time I can think of a good reason! Maddie hadn't seen cousin Jake for awhile and you can tell by the look on her face that she's not as calm as me. I had to remind Maddie to use her manners. Good grief!

"The first thing you do when you visit your cousin," I told Maddie, "Is to give him a kiss on the cheek...that's what families do. Then stop with the terrified look...it makes you look like your eyes are going to pop out. You don't want to scare cousin Jake do you?"

"The next thing to do," I told my sister, "Is to turn your face just slightly so that Jake can lick your ear. That's what families do too! It's called AFFECTION," I told Maddie. "Then if you're lucky, Jake will let you go with him to his big backyard. You're going to want to do that," I told her.

Maddie went and sat by the fireplace for awhile and thought about what I said...she's like that. Jake waited patiently for her to get herself together. Finally she did.

Then we all went outside for a nice long walk around the woods. Mom left the camera in the house or we'd have pictures of that too.

In case your wondering why we're talking today instead of our mom, it's because we convinced her it was our turn. I told Maddie I'd talk this time. Maybe by next time, Maddie will be brave enough to do the talking. She's a little ditzy, but she's quite creative. In fact, she's a little like our mom, but don't tell her I said that!

You'll hear much more from us later. We're gonna give Mom the old boot from time to time.

Oh! Wait a minute. One more thing. Maddie said I am suppose to tell you to scroll down to the very bottom of this page. Mom added a guest book so we can see who you are. Maddie needs to put a face with a name. Go figure!

Love,

Annabelle and Maddie

P.S How'd I do?

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Creating Memories

The photo makes Tango and me look small...I LOVE IT! What I loved even more was spending the day riding with my granddaughter, Alexa. She's getting to be such a good little rider. I keep thinking I'll quit competing when she starts...maybe!

Alexa is riding Tantra. She's a pretty little quarter horse.

This photo was taken last week. Alexa was getting ready to start back to school and we figured we needed one more ride before the normal school time routine began. We had a wonderful ride even though it was hot and muggy. There's something about combining passions that create unforgettable moments. I think Alexa feels the same way. It goes way beyond grandmother and granddaughter. I just can't explain it. I'm at a loss for words and that's unusual for me.

All I know for sure is that I don't need a photo to remember the times I spend riding with Alexa. We're creating beautiful scrapbooks of memories in our minds and in our hearts.

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