Thanksgiving Secret

Posted on November 26, 2013November 26, 2013 by Dusty Roads

What would you say if I told you the first Thanksgiving wasn’t in Plymouth? I bet you’d ask me how many glasses of holiday wine I’d had! But I promise you, it’s true.

Long before the Pilgrims even set foot on Plymouth Rock the Spanish had settled parts of Florida. 55 years before the Mayflower the costal town of St. Augustine was established and the settlers came together to share a feast with the native Timucuans.

Now you may not want to let the children read the rest of this post. Because I’m going to tell you something else about Thanksgiving.

Back up north the Pilgrims were starving, that’s true, until they learned to cultivate the rocky soil and hunt the native game. Legend says that it was the Native Americans that helped them survive and that in gratitude the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag to celebrate the harvest.

Once again, not quite true. The Wampanoag were actually invited to that Thanksgiving feast for the purpose of negotiating a treaty that would secure the lands of the Plymouth Plantation for the Pilgrims. It should also be noted that the INDIANS, possibly out of a sense of charity toward their hosts, ended up bringing the majority of the food for the feast.

But even that story is disputed in some corners. Some say the Pilgrims weren’t expecting any Indians that day. If that’s true then the Wampanoag that came down the trail that morning were some of the first gate crashers!

The history of the White Puritan Settlers and the native tribes of America is complicated and punctuated with many wars and bloodshed. We were no kinder to the local population in the east than we were years later when we expanded to the West.

It’s a long, sad story but if you want to know about what really happened, here is a good resource for further reading. http://www.manataka.org/page269.html

Something to think about as Thanksgiving nears.

Mr. Crankypants

Posted on November 25, 2013November 25, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Have you ever seen a group of cats together? They roll around play fight, they butt heads to say hello and they groom each other. This behavior spreads the scent around and each cat then smells like the group. It gives them a sense of belonging.

When I brought the stray who became “Buddy” into my home there was the usual spitting and hissing but eventually Buddy worked his way into the group. He and Rocky roll around play fighting and race around the house .

They groom each other. Smokey will have no part of it and in the beginning I actually saw him acting like a prey animal, slinking away to hide under the couch. This made me very sad.

As time has gone on Smokey has gained more confidence around Buddy but he still won’t groom him or let himself be groomed. Rocky can groom both Smokey and Buddy and both will groom Rocky but Smokey gives Buddy a wide berth.

About a week ago things began to get interesting. Buddy came bouncing over to me meowing persistently. Now Rocky is the vocal cat, Buddy gives me little chirps and “merps” and Smokey just purrs so this was a little out of character. Clearly something had Buddy upset. At first I didn’t see anything to cause his distress but then my eyes went to the cat tree.

Rocky was stretched out under his heat lamp but Smokey was not on his usual perch. No Smokey was in the “Crow’s nest” at the very top. From the first day Buddy joined us this has been his place. And here was his sworn enemy sitting in his special place.

To make matters worse Smokey couldn’t get down. He start and his clawless paws would slip so he’d back off. I helped the miscreant down and Buddy climbed up and all was peaceful again.

A couple of days later I got a visit from a very agitated Rocky. In actions very reminiscent of Buddy, Rocky was meowing and pacing until I got up and followed him to…the cat tree. There, under his heat lamp was Smokey.

Rocky would stretch up and nose him and all Smokey would do is turn around and show him his butt. I had to laugh. As I stood there Rocky got up on the perch too and unceremoniously pushed Smokey off. I guess he just wanted “Back up”.

Poor Smokey. Buddy came over , ears up, whiskers forward, just being friendly and Smokey would have none of it. He flattened his ears and whacked Buddy’s nose with his clawless paws and stalked off. Ok Smokey. Clearly you have not learned to play well with others. I think we’ll just have to call you Mr. Crankypants from now on.

Are Horses Vicious?

Posted on November 24, 2013November 24, 2013 by Dusty Roads

While I was at the Equine Affaire I was surrounded by horse lovers and owners and I couldn’t help but hear the buzz about a case that is working it’s way through the courts in Connecticut.

Horses bite but they aren’t pit bulls or alligators. They aren’t wild animals but they aren’t really pets either. They are domesticated but in the wild they are prey animals. As prey animals they can be skittish and their only defense, if they can’t run, is to kick or bite.

Some horses are more prone to this behavior than others. Over the years I was exposed to some horses with nasty dispositions. My neighbor had a pony that was notorious for biting and wouldn’t hesitate to kick either. In college I rode a mare that would try to bite your feet by pulling her head around to get at the boot in the stirrup.

My own horses never showed any tendency to bite or kick but my paint quarter horse, Jack would not hesitate to buck if he wasn’t ridden regularly. He was just too full of energy. He also had a sense of humor. He loved to try to scrape me off with a low branch but then he’d come back, sniff me and laugh at me. I mean it. He’d look at me sitting on the ground and nicker, ears forward, clearly enjoying himself.

He wasn’t mean. But he was mischievous. You had to stay alert when riding him.

And I think that sums up my feelings about horses. They are large, they are prey animals, they can be skittish but if you are alert and use a tad of common sense you won’t get hurt. I could go on but lets take a look at the Connecticut Court Case.

2006: A toddler was bitten on the cheek by a horse at Glendale Farms, Milford, Conn., owned by Timothy Astriab. The little boy wasn’t provoking the horse — just trying to feed him. He was held up by one of his parents to feed the horse, despite the presence of “Do not feed; do not pet” signs. The horse, Scuppy, took a chunk of flesh out of the child’s face.

Ok so what’s wrong with this picture? I’m no lawyer but immediately I see that supposedly intelligent adults ignore the “Don’t Feed, Don’t Pet” signs. They even lifted the child up so he could reach the horse. We don’t know why the horse bit the child. He was trying to feed the horse. How old was the child? Was the child holding the carrot, sugar or whatever out or was the food close to his face because he had his arms around the parent? Was the child squirming or waving his hands about? None of that information is given.

Forward to 2012: The Glendale Farms incident works its way to an Appellate Court that ruled horses are “a species naturally inclined to do mischief or be vicious.”

According to the Connecticut Post: “Astriab won the initial case at a lower court in 2010, when a New Haven judge ruled the child’s father, Anthony Vendrella Sr., failed to prove the owner knew of previous incidents of aggression by any of the horses at the farm. The state Superior Court judge said Astriab testified that in 28 years, none of the horses at the farm bit or injured anyone.”

The case is now before the Connecticut Supreme Court. If the state Supreme Court maintains horses as “vicious,” insurance rates and the horse industry would be turned upside down in Connecticut.

My humble opinion? The parents were wrong to let the child feed the horse and to lift the child up to be closer. The parents are trying to avoid responsibility for their actions and place the blame on an animal. Who is more intelligent here? Humans or horses?

What do you think about this case?

Finale

Posted on November 23, 2013November 23, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Intermission at The Fantasia was a chance to rake the ring and set up for the rest of the show.

The first act after the Intermission was called Take You Higher. It was clear from the set up that it would involve jumping but I wasn’t expecting the show that we got.

Did you know that a miniature horse can jump just about as high as a full sized horse?

That’s what this little demonstration was all about. First the miniatures , then the full size. Then the bar was raised and around they went again.

As I recall the bar was raised 3 times before they started knock the top rail off.

The Friesian Spectacular was a real crowd pleaser. Clay Maier rode one horse while driving a 2nd.

It’s pretty amazing to see the coordination between the two horses and one rider

But just in case that wasn’t exciting enough for you, The Canadian Cowgirls were back.

Their show was exciting enough to be the finale.

You know, the last song or dance in a show that brings everyone to their feet?

But there was one last segment.

Look familiar?

And then it was time to fight the crowds and the cold and the traffic and head for home.

I apologize for the poor quality of some of the photos. I need much more expensive equipment to avoid so much noise in low light situations, but even with the shortcomings, I had to share.

50 Years Ago Today

Posted on November 22, 2013November 22, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. Words that are always associated with John F. Kennedy. Words that helped inspire us to walk on the moon. But words that today speak to the many sacrifices made by our loved ones in the armed forces.

Today our Nation is divided in more ways than ever. While loved ones fight on foreign soil, welfare, drugs and crime run rampant at home. Ban guns or protect our right to bear arms? Democrats and Republicans would bring the country to a standstill rather than work together.

50 years ago today John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. The controversy and conspiracy theories still abound. Single shooter, pawn of the evil empire? For some that question will never be answered.

But today, none of that matters.