Chaos Ranch
Well-Known Member
Well, we managed to get all of our things moved over to our new place. Built my dog pens... they're 16'x32' pens... fat lotta good it did me cause every one of my daschunds got out by digging. lol... Since I was having so many troubles with escaping dogs, and moving woes I gathered up the remaining 5 Aussie puppies I had, and 3 Daschunds and all of their registry papers and took them over to a lady's house and gave them all to her. I still have my big Aussie, Shaker, and one pup that I had raised when we lost Katie and had to bottle feed the pups from a week old. His name is Stetson. I also still have 4 female Daschunds and one male left. One female has a 3 week old litter of 5 (4 girls 1 boy) and one female has a litter of 5 just born today (4 boys and 1 girl).
As far as the horses that remain ...there are 3 mares and 2 stallions. I have a really nice home picked out for my Cross Country colt... a young 15 year old girl is madly in love with him and they have been keeping him at their place for the past 3 weeks. I will most likely give him to her.
I have not decided on what to do with my other 4 horses. In a very serious way I really hate to see it all end... I will miss my miniature horses something awful... but we have only 1 acre of ground and SO many other obligations that require our time and finances that it's best for everyone including the horses if we go ahead and place them somewhere as well. It's a hard decision... one that I keep putting off, but ultimately I am sure I will sell them all for one low price just to get them into a good home and close that chapter of my life. Hopefully someday we can rebuild a small herd later in life once the kids are grown up a bit more and those surpise expneses don't seem to occur as often.
Speaking of surprise expenses... ya'll that know me, or read many of my posts are familiar with my oldest son, Dakota (Kody). He's had troubles at school, troubles with his biological father, troubles with tons of things....well... he was climbing a tree out back a week ago and he fell out into the creek below it onto his shoulder. I could tell instantly that it was broken in two. My friend ran us up to the local hospital and they did tons of x-rays and gave him some pain meds. That poor little 86 lb. 15 year old boy broke his arm all right, broke the bone clean off the ball that goes into the shoulder and it was moved over 2" or more from the bone it was supposed to be attatched to. What did my wonderful hospital do? Gave him another pain med shot, stuck him in a sling, and made an appointment with an orthapedic surgeon for a WEEK LATER to see what we should do. They wanted to let the bones naturally find their way back to one another and regrow bone around the break.
My poor boy was miserable. We brought him home and the next day my husband called and he insisted that we call our family doc and get Kody in to see him for a second opinion. We did .. as soon as they took the x rays he said this boy needs immediate surgery...called a med school buddy of his in the next town over who happens to be an orthapedic surgeon and the next afternoon he was in surgery getting a steel rod drilled into his bones to re-align them. The surgery went great, they got a 90% re-alignment... he's in almost NO pain at all, and was able to return to school the following monday. He goes back tomorrow for another x-ray to check progress and may get the rod out in 3 weeks.
The other kids are all doing great. They are loving our new place with barely any mosquitoes, lots of fun trees, a creek, a play house, a shorter ride on the bus, and much more time to play outside.
My husband Donnie went in to the local college and was approved for 100% state funding to return to school and further his education in any field he chooses. They'll even pay for his gas back and forth to the school. That's going to be great. After 16 years in the factory, he's ready to step out and begin doing a speciality job that he can actually enjoy and benefit his family with.
Our new place is really working out well for us. I miss my horses, I miss them something fierce... but I find comfort in knowing they are in great homes... and knowing that I did the right thing by placing them in new homes where they could get the care they really deserved while we got back on our feet financially and though I loved them greatly... it was a love that told me that it was time to get them into homes with less mosquitoes, and more pasture.
Raising a family with 5 children is a huge financial undertaking... much greater than I thought it was. We don't try to keep up with the name brands, the newest game systems, and bedrooms full of cd's and computer games... there's no point in all of that... I've always thought it robs a child of personal discovery and causes a real lack of imagination and robs us of family bonding... but one thing I'm determined to do this year is buy Christmas gifts for my kids... haven't been able to do that in 8 years and this year... and many years after is going to be dedicated to my kids, my family... this past year and a half... since witnessing Marty and her family go through the loss of Michael and reading so many of the things she has written has given me a whole new image in my heart and in my eyes when I look at my children... I will eternally carry a soft spot engraved in my heart for Marty and her family... and I hope to pass on the appreciation of family to my kids... my grandkids... and hopefully my friends and family.
I know this seems like a very personal post. Even probably a little boring... or pointless to those of you who do not know me well.. or the issues I have shared with this forum over the past few years. I just wanted to update those of you that I have come to carry close to my heart... and to let you know that I will still be stopping in to read the forums and occasionally post. I just had to do what was best for my little horses and sadly the best home for them was no longer with me. I had to love them enough to admit that and take steps to make it better for them.
Marty... to you especially I want to say that I have never in my life encountered anyone like you. You have forever impacted my life... your compassion and understanding far surpasses anyone I have ever known. The advice you have given me has been my strength to do what's right and guide me when I don't know which way to turn. You're beautiful son Michael is an inspiration to my kids.. and to me.. and encouragement and strength for my kids to speak up against drinking and driving to anyone that will listen to them no matter what any of the other kids say. We will carry him, and you and your family in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
Anyways... that's about all for Chaos Ranch... I suppose it has come to an end now and I'm just Kim C. again.
As far as the horses that remain ...there are 3 mares and 2 stallions. I have a really nice home picked out for my Cross Country colt... a young 15 year old girl is madly in love with him and they have been keeping him at their place for the past 3 weeks. I will most likely give him to her.
I have not decided on what to do with my other 4 horses. In a very serious way I really hate to see it all end... I will miss my miniature horses something awful... but we have only 1 acre of ground and SO many other obligations that require our time and finances that it's best for everyone including the horses if we go ahead and place them somewhere as well. It's a hard decision... one that I keep putting off, but ultimately I am sure I will sell them all for one low price just to get them into a good home and close that chapter of my life. Hopefully someday we can rebuild a small herd later in life once the kids are grown up a bit more and those surpise expneses don't seem to occur as often.
Speaking of surprise expenses... ya'll that know me, or read many of my posts are familiar with my oldest son, Dakota (Kody). He's had troubles at school, troubles with his biological father, troubles with tons of things....well... he was climbing a tree out back a week ago and he fell out into the creek below it onto his shoulder. I could tell instantly that it was broken in two. My friend ran us up to the local hospital and they did tons of x-rays and gave him some pain meds. That poor little 86 lb. 15 year old boy broke his arm all right, broke the bone clean off the ball that goes into the shoulder and it was moved over 2" or more from the bone it was supposed to be attatched to. What did my wonderful hospital do? Gave him another pain med shot, stuck him in a sling, and made an appointment with an orthapedic surgeon for a WEEK LATER to see what we should do. They wanted to let the bones naturally find their way back to one another and regrow bone around the break.
My poor boy was miserable. We brought him home and the next day my husband called and he insisted that we call our family doc and get Kody in to see him for a second opinion. We did .. as soon as they took the x rays he said this boy needs immediate surgery...called a med school buddy of his in the next town over who happens to be an orthapedic surgeon and the next afternoon he was in surgery getting a steel rod drilled into his bones to re-align them. The surgery went great, they got a 90% re-alignment... he's in almost NO pain at all, and was able to return to school the following monday. He goes back tomorrow for another x-ray to check progress and may get the rod out in 3 weeks.
The other kids are all doing great. They are loving our new place with barely any mosquitoes, lots of fun trees, a creek, a play house, a shorter ride on the bus, and much more time to play outside.
My husband Donnie went in to the local college and was approved for 100% state funding to return to school and further his education in any field he chooses. They'll even pay for his gas back and forth to the school. That's going to be great. After 16 years in the factory, he's ready to step out and begin doing a speciality job that he can actually enjoy and benefit his family with.
Our new place is really working out well for us. I miss my horses, I miss them something fierce... but I find comfort in knowing they are in great homes... and knowing that I did the right thing by placing them in new homes where they could get the care they really deserved while we got back on our feet financially and though I loved them greatly... it was a love that told me that it was time to get them into homes with less mosquitoes, and more pasture.
Raising a family with 5 children is a huge financial undertaking... much greater than I thought it was. We don't try to keep up with the name brands, the newest game systems, and bedrooms full of cd's and computer games... there's no point in all of that... I've always thought it robs a child of personal discovery and causes a real lack of imagination and robs us of family bonding... but one thing I'm determined to do this year is buy Christmas gifts for my kids... haven't been able to do that in 8 years and this year... and many years after is going to be dedicated to my kids, my family... this past year and a half... since witnessing Marty and her family go through the loss of Michael and reading so many of the things she has written has given me a whole new image in my heart and in my eyes when I look at my children... I will eternally carry a soft spot engraved in my heart for Marty and her family... and I hope to pass on the appreciation of family to my kids... my grandkids... and hopefully my friends and family.
I know this seems like a very personal post. Even probably a little boring... or pointless to those of you who do not know me well.. or the issues I have shared with this forum over the past few years. I just wanted to update those of you that I have come to carry close to my heart... and to let you know that I will still be stopping in to read the forums and occasionally post. I just had to do what was best for my little horses and sadly the best home for them was no longer with me. I had to love them enough to admit that and take steps to make it better for them.
Marty... to you especially I want to say that I have never in my life encountered anyone like you. You have forever impacted my life... your compassion and understanding far surpasses anyone I have ever known. The advice you have given me has been my strength to do what's right and guide me when I don't know which way to turn. You're beautiful son Michael is an inspiration to my kids.. and to me.. and encouragement and strength for my kids to speak up against drinking and driving to anyone that will listen to them no matter what any of the other kids say. We will carry him, and you and your family in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
Anyways... that's about all for Chaos Ranch... I suppose it has come to an end now and I'm just Kim C. again.
