Small dog?

I have this tendency to have single hiccups. Just one. Several times a day at times, and other days I can go by without one at all. But I almost never get a case of the hiccups that goes on and on.

On Saturday, the MoS and I were driving around town when one of these little hiccups escaped. I had my mouth closed so it was just a little sound. He turned and looked at me and said, "What the hell was that!?!?"

"I just hiccuped," I said.

"It sounded like a small dog or something," he said, laughing.

"I ate a Chihuahua a little while ago," says me.

He looked at me sideways and said, "You know... A&W is just down the road. We could always stop there if you're hungry. You don't have to eat little dogs."

"I know, but they're nice and crunchy," I said, grinning a wicked grin at him.

He just howled!!!

Finished bike "tree"

I realized the other day that I never posted the final photos of my bike "tree". It took a while to find the right 'ground cover' for the bottom and when I finally did order it from the US, we had a mail strike up here in Canada so it took even longer to get here!

And then I had to hurry up and get it done before my shoulder surgery. I think I did it a couple of nights before. I know that was in July, but just today took some photos of it.

See if you can spot who's a ride in the first two photos!

My heart broke today...

... when I learned of the sudden and very public death of Hickstead, beloved and very talented stallion of Canada's Eric Lamaze. Yesterday in Verona, Italy, while at a world cup jumping event, Hickstead collapsed in the show ring shortly after having completed a jumping round.

Eric and Hickstead took the individual gold medal for jumping at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. They won many competitions worldwide during their time together. Hickstead and Eric had become very well known across the world.

There have been many messages of condolences all over the internet, but there have also been comments from people who think it is cruel and abusive to jump a horse. If anyone has spent time watching horses in a large field with fallen logs, they will see that some horses love to jump. Even foals will jump... often over their own dams lying on the ground napping!

Some horses, just like human athletes, have a natural talent and desire to jump. Hickstead was one of those horses. His collapse and death, apparently from a heart attack although this remains to be verified by autopsy, was an extremely rare event in the equestrian world. Horses do get injured, yes, but often it is a torn ligament or pulled muscle and occasionally a broken bone, sometimes career-ending but not usually fatal.

Hickstead was only 15 years old and in his prime. He was extremely well cared for, as all top level equine athletes are (or else they would never be able to compete at that level), and had topnotch medical and nutritional support. He and Eric had an excellent rapport and anyone who ever watched them together could see that. Hickstead was a one in a million and his passing is mourned by many around the world.

There is video footage of his collapse and death on youtube but I'll not post it here. Just type in Hickstead in youtube if you want to watch it. It is heartwrenching, to say the last. They were just walking around the jumps when the stallion stumbled and slowly fell onto his hip and then his side. Eric was not injured but I am sure his heart is broken and his mind numb at this point. Such a terrible loss.

Makes me wish I still had my horse, so I could go give him a long hug in sympathy for Hickstead and Eric Lamaze.

R.I.P. Hickstead

Week's End

It is Friday. The beginning of the weekend with the MoS. He's had a busy week at work, with lots of little things accomplished, and two days spent teaching a group of workers safety stuff. It will be time to kick back and relax tonight when he gets home and I get to his place. Yay!

I've made good progress in my physio this week. Things have been kicked up a notch or two and I am pushing for more range of motion in my shoulder and getting it. Weight has been added (all of two pounds, but you gotta start somewhere, right?) and some new exercises as well. I spent 7 minutes on the hand cycle this morning. It's exactly what you think it is... a tiny exercise bike on a table to exercise the arms instead of the legs. My entire arm was burning by the time the 7 minutes were up! I have NO muscle, let me tell you! That's what happens after 9½ months of not using those muscles much. *argh!* But my physiotherapist said I am graduating up the exercise scale, so that is a very good thing.

In honour of the weekend, and spending time with my man, I am in the process of making cranberry brownies. With a dusting of cocoa powder on top to cut the sweetness a bit, as he doesn't like really sweet things. I figure the tartness of the craisins and the bitter powder on top will balance it all out very nicely!

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend. What's happening in your corner of the universe? Whatever it is, I hope you have fun!!

In parting, a little photo of Pips and Lila napping on their cat tree the other day, looking particularly scruffy, as they'd been wrestling and it is now static electricity season here as the humidity drops for the winter. ;-)

(They'll be crazy when I get home on Monday but that's the norm now.)

This one's for Pearl...

She wanted to know what my scar looks like.

It's nothing much to look at. In fact, I have three on my shoulder but one was so small, it has all but disappeared. The other two are a bit more evident but the larger is barely a half inch in length. The other, even smaller. But here is a photo nonetheless.

The lower one is the one that gave me all the grief with rejecting the suture and getting all infected. Too bad I didn't think to take some photos of it wide open and draining pus! I could have grossed everyone out!! It's all healed up now, and isn't much to look at. It does feel a bit gnarly if you rub your finger on it, as there is some lumpy scar tissue under the skin.

On the other hand, I can now gross you out just a wee bit with my toe. It was crushed 20 years ago and I finally had to get the nail altered as one side was constantly causing me issues... it was ingrown. I never had an infection but it was always tender.

And if you think my toe looks swollen, that's just the way it is. It was literally crushed and had all the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) blown out, so circulation is an issue for me. In fact, when I first went to see the podiatrist, he used a temperature gun to check the temperature of my toe. It was 70F! Normal body temperature is 98F, however, digits are usually a bit cooler. But not that much! He then used a small handheld ultrasound machine to check my arterial pulses. All were normal (inside ankle just under the ankle bones, the top of the foot and the inside aspect of the base of the big toe) so blood flow is good.

He wouldn't allow me to take photos of the actual procedure (damn - the piece of toenail he cut out was a good 1/3 of an inch wide) and I had to keep the first big dressing (first photo) on for three days, so the last shot is four days after it was done. It actually doesn't hurt. What is a bit tender is the underside of my toe because he injected quite a volume of local anæsthetic and there is a bit of a bruise there. But it is only noticeable when I am going down stairs in my slippers (which I wore all weekend - that big dressing didn't allow me to wear a shoe). Today I will be trying to wear normal shoes (with lots of toe room).