July 31, 2011

Just A Quickie

Field work has kept me away from both horse and computer for the past week as we've been out snorkeling Carolina rivers, in our endless quest for freshwater mussel population data.

This morning, Solo and I did get to resume our interval training, looping in a stretchy trot around cut-over farm fields.  Not entirely fun as it clearly demonstrated how much fitness we've both lost.  But we bulled through three 15-minute trot sets and a sad, single 4-minute canter set.  Gotta start somewhere and 95% humidity never helps.

On the walk back to the farm though, I was reminded why Mr. Shiny exudes awesomeness:  deer bursting through the woods?  Transfer truck jake-braking around the turn as it passes us on the shoulder?  Turkey flying at our faces?  Empty bottles of Sprite and flattened Natty Light cans crunching underfoot?  Hay tarps whipping off a passing trailer?  None garner even the flick of an ear from my seasoned campaigner.  I smile when a passing car honks, trying to elicit a spook from my horse.  Not gonna work, suckers, he's busy looking at a tree.

Coming up, I'm trying a couple exciting products that may just make our lives better.  We also see Dr. Bob in about a week for a check on Solo's injury and his fall shots -- who knows what fascinating information he will impart this time!  I am hoping for good news, as Solo's butt is much less lumpy when I massage, which means I'm finding fewer knots and less pain.  Stay tuned!

7 comments:

  1. I laughed so hard at this :)

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  2. How fun, Solo gets to be a guinea pig! Keep on rubbin' that shiny butt. :-)

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  3. The Appendix QH I rode for 5 years was just like that. His only vice was white geese that could be a quarter mile off. He'd just stand stock still and not move!

    Hurrah for freshwater mussels. My field work in WV with FWS has involved them a lot lately. Trying to get DEP to regulate Marcellus projects and get the dumping of sediment to not happen in our mussel streams!!

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  4. Your job sounds like it is pretty cool. Glad to hear Solo seems to be getting better!

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  5. Dom -- then my mission is complete!

    Frizz, nothing like ending each day with a little ass rub.

    Liz, white things just seem to say, "I WILL EAT YOU SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY ONCE YOU ARE WITHIN RANGE!!" And so glad to hear I have a partner in the sediment war! lh gets tired of hearing me grind my teeth every time we cross a muddy stream...

    Thanks, Amanda! The job is sometimes cool, sometimes homocidal-rage-inducing, but it pays the mortgage and gets me outside in the water!

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  6. Oh, I did not know your were a science professional. Keep on, keeping on for those inverts!

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  7. Haha, Val, every species needs a champion!

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