2007-05-23
Indy arrived on the 17th. He was here all of two hours when he decided to leave his stall over the stall chain. He got scraped up on the hind legs a bit but was OK. A more serious problem was he developed colic and needed the vet to tube him twice. The stress of the trip probably. It also appears he developed ulcers en route to California. He is being medicated three times a day for a month to cure the ulcers.
Bonnie is now at her new home in TX. She has settled in fine and is now at the breeders. Her new owner says Bonnie has every other horse on the place buffaloed except one. Hopefully, she will take her breeding quickly. I miss her but, I know this is best for her. I have not heard whether Sumo and her recognize each other.
Pali is doing fine. A little diarrhea once in a while but that is just old age. It just gives him a bit of a messy butt that needs cleaning once in a while.
Tanner is learning his lessons better. He is turning into one handsome fellow. All he needs now is work, work, work and a ton of exposure to a bunch of stimuli.
Jack (Dog) and Pablo (Conure) are doing fine. Dillon is going to class to help with his aggression to Jackie. Hope this works.
2007-04-20
Lisa sold Ellie Mae (horse) to Tracy. Lisa has put a deposit down on a new horse named Indy. He should be arriving in June. Bonnie (horse) should be going to her new home in Texas tomorrow. Vicki Morgan is taking her. She is the same person who took Sumo (dog). Bonnie is going to be a brood mare. I am completely torn up about this but it is the best for Bonnie. I can't take care of three horses myself and it is a severe financial strain. Tanner (horse), her brother, is a better horse for me in the long term. Bonnie is more of a performance horse and Tanner is more a pleasure horse. Tanner however, needs more respect and work ethic training. I know Bonnie will be a good mama and I'm going to miss my pet and buddy very very much.
Dillon (dog) continues to be a major problem. He is very dog aggressive to not only Jackie but other dogs as well. I have seen aggressive tendencies towards children as well which does not make me happy. In truth, I do not trust or like this dog. It's too bad because he can be very sweet and has a lot of potential. He needs a place he can run around and have a job. He is not a house dog and I'm afraid he is just going to get worse or maybe even hurt Jackie or a child.
All other animals are doing well.
Previously:
Parrot:
Pablo - Doing fine. Needs to get out of cage more. Loves to take a shower with me.
Dogs:
Jackie - Doing Fine. Needs shots - Rabies and license renewal.
Dillon - Doing Fine. Pain in the butt. Digging up Crepe Myrtle. Eats Jackie's poop. Need to get stuff to stop that. Needs a license. Had a problem Saturday night with two kids sleeping over. Was scared of them and barked at growled at them for first 15 minutes. Got over it. Need to work on training and other things.
Horses:
Getting Spring shots today plus teeth checked.
Paladin - Fine. Rode him on Saturday. Still real fuzzy. Lots of energy.
Bonnie - Doing fine. Scheduled to leave on April 16th. Will need Coggins Test.
Tanner - Doing Fine. Needs an attitude adjustment and work ethic built. Working in draw reins for a while. to build up topline and get head down. Switch to outside tie later this week.
Ellie Mae - Vet check today for sale. Crossing fingers.
TK - Flexion test today to see if OK to buy. Crossing fingers.
If all goes well, we will be down to 3 horses after April 16th. Paladin, Tanner and TK.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
What to do with $370 Million
The Megamillions jackpot is over $370 million dollars. What would you do with the estimated $185 million dollars after taxes?
I would:
QUIT MY JOB!!!!!! Then:
1) Disconnect the phone. Everyone in the world will be calling asking for money.
2) Hire off duty policeman to keep the crowds and reporters away from the house and move into a hotel suite for a month until things died down.
3) Pay off every debt I have.
4) Pay off my immediate outside families' credit card debt and set up college trust funds for every child. Anyone who asks for money gets zero. :)
5) Buy my sister a home and new car.
6) Make sure my mother's assisted care and grandmother's nursing home care were paid for.
7) Buy 50 acres and build a home and ranch facilities from scratch. Make sure there is room for huge BBQs and an indoor shooting range.
8) Hire tax and estate accountant and lawyer to set up trusts and wills for my family to minimize taxes and inheritances.
9) Get my daughter the best education I could.
10) Build investment portfolios to meet future financial needs.
11) Buy every vehicle on my dream list.
12) Start taking vacations.
13) Start having a huge BBQ, wine, beer, scotch and cigar tasting each month.
14) And last but not least. Spend 6 hours a day on the internet BUYING EVERY LAST ITEM ON MY AD LIST!!!!!!!!
I would:
QUIT MY JOB!!!!!! Then:
1) Disconnect the phone. Everyone in the world will be calling asking for money.
2) Hire off duty policeman to keep the crowds and reporters away from the house and move into a hotel suite for a month until things died down.
3) Pay off every debt I have.
4) Pay off my immediate outside families' credit card debt and set up college trust funds for every child. Anyone who asks for money gets zero. :)
5) Buy my sister a home and new car.
6) Make sure my mother's assisted care and grandmother's nursing home care were paid for.
7) Buy 50 acres and build a home and ranch facilities from scratch. Make sure there is room for huge BBQs and an indoor shooting range.
8) Hire tax and estate accountant and lawyer to set up trusts and wills for my family to minimize taxes and inheritances.
9) Get my daughter the best education I could.
10) Build investment portfolios to meet future financial needs.
11) Buy every vehicle on my dream list.
12) Start taking vacations.
13) Start having a huge BBQ, wine, beer, scotch and cigar tasting each month.
14) And last but not least. Spend 6 hours a day on the internet BUYING EVERY LAST ITEM ON MY AD LIST!!!!!!!!
Wet Shaving - What I learned so far.
It's been 8 months since I started my odyssey of wet shaving. It's safe to say I learned a lot and come a long way. It has been an eye opening experience for me for not only wet shaving but the whole grooming experience. Here are some of the methods, highlights and tips I have learned for my personal wet shaving experience.
The Shower:
Use a gentle shampoo. Shampoo twice if needed. Use a conditioner for dry hair conditions.
Use a facial scrub twice a week
Use a facial wash the rest of the time
Natural hand made soaps are best. Olive Oil, buttermilk and Shea Butter are good choices. Super fatted soaps are great for really dry skin.
Don't dry face with towel. The trick is to have a face as hydrated as possible with open pores just before shaving.
Pre-Shave:
Rinse face with hot water to keep hydrated. A couple of drops of oil or glycerin is OK.
Don't be in a hurry to make lather. I have found with both soaps and creams it does not pay to be stingy or too quick. There are different methods I use for creams versus soaps. I like a boar brush for soaps and a badger brush for creams. Check shave equipment. I use a DE blade no more than 3 times and then dispose of it safely.
Lather Making:
Like I said, it does not pay to be stingy. Creams and soaps are lathered in a shave bowl. For creams, I start off with a moist badger brush, swirling about a quarter size amount of cream in the bowl and adding hot water a couple of drops at a time to the mix until I get the lather I want. I might have the brush pre charged with a little shave soap if I am looking for a super lather. Once the lather is done, I make sure my face is rinsed with hot water one more time. For soaps, I put some hot water in the soap bowl for about a minute to soften it up. Then I dump about 2 tbsp of the soap water into a shave bowl and either reserve or dump the rest. Next, I will make some lather right in the soap bowl starting with a moist brush. I then create my final lather in the shave bowl adding water or reserved shave soap water as needed similar to a cream. If I want extra lather, I will gently squeeze the lather out of the brush and recharge the brush with soap. Since the lather has been curing and drying in the bowl, I will add a few drops of water to "freshen" it. Slow swirling and pumping the brush a little usually gets me the lather I want.
The Shave:
It doesn't matter what the equipment is. It's pretty much the same. Very light pressure, make sure of your angles and know the contours of your face and the direction(s) your beard grows. I use a 3 or 4 pass stubble reduction method. The first is with the grain (WTG), the second is across the grain (XTG) at a 45° angle, the third is across the grain the opposite direction (XTG) at a 45° angle and the fourth is against the grain (ATG). I may skip the ATG if my face is feeling a little abused. The final step is cleanup of stubble patches with some light quick blade buffing or J-hooking. I splash my face with hot water between passes and spread the leftover shave cream around before applying the new cream. I swirl the new lather on my face and then do a "painting" to cover the lather patches.
Post Shave:
For me with my very sensitive skin, this last step is very important. I rinse all the lather off my face thoroughly with warm water. I then do a quick rinse with cold water. I have not had to use a styptic pencil in a long time to stop any bleeding. I then run an alum block over my face to close the pores and cut back any irritation. I then rinse any alum residue off with cold water and apply some witch hazel toner. At this point my shave and face care are done. All that is left is waiting a little bit for the pores to finish closing and checking my face for any final irritation or dryness. I don't use colognes except for special occasions. I might use witch hazel aftershave instead of just a toner. If my face is dry or has further irritation, I will use an after shave balm with a little aloe vera and a couple of drops of oil mixed with water on my hands. A little goes a long way. The reason I talk about irritation so much is that I have very sensitive skin. Water will give me a rash. The shave brush bristles will give me rash and most certainly, passing a blade over my face will give me a rash if I'm not careful. The one place I will always have some irritation is the hollows of my neck just on either side of my esophagus. My most stubborn spots are just above these hollows and certain spots on my jawline especially the hollow just below my chin. My chin is not smooth and tends protect stubble in the little pocks.
Other care:
Due to the nature of my skin, I try not to put to much stuff on it. However, I do have some very dry patches on my shins and abdomen. I will use a moisturizer on those patches during the day. My face is usually OK for the rest of the day unless I have been out in the elements for a long time. A few drops of ASB (after shave balm) works well. My final step is to use a little ASB and aloe vera just before going to bed. It keeps my face hydrated overnight and helps with the shave the next day. If I happen to get an ingrown hair I use icthamol to help draw the hair out.
The Shower:
Use a gentle shampoo. Shampoo twice if needed. Use a conditioner for dry hair conditions.
Use a facial scrub twice a week
Use a facial wash the rest of the time
Natural hand made soaps are best. Olive Oil, buttermilk and Shea Butter are good choices. Super fatted soaps are great for really dry skin.
Don't dry face with towel. The trick is to have a face as hydrated as possible with open pores just before shaving.
Pre-Shave:
Rinse face with hot water to keep hydrated. A couple of drops of oil or glycerin is OK.
Don't be in a hurry to make lather. I have found with both soaps and creams it does not pay to be stingy or too quick. There are different methods I use for creams versus soaps. I like a boar brush for soaps and a badger brush for creams. Check shave equipment. I use a DE blade no more than 3 times and then dispose of it safely.
Lather Making:
Like I said, it does not pay to be stingy. Creams and soaps are lathered in a shave bowl. For creams, I start off with a moist badger brush, swirling about a quarter size amount of cream in the bowl and adding hot water a couple of drops at a time to the mix until I get the lather I want. I might have the brush pre charged with a little shave soap if I am looking for a super lather. Once the lather is done, I make sure my face is rinsed with hot water one more time. For soaps, I put some hot water in the soap bowl for about a minute to soften it up. Then I dump about 2 tbsp of the soap water into a shave bowl and either reserve or dump the rest. Next, I will make some lather right in the soap bowl starting with a moist brush. I then create my final lather in the shave bowl adding water or reserved shave soap water as needed similar to a cream. If I want extra lather, I will gently squeeze the lather out of the brush and recharge the brush with soap. Since the lather has been curing and drying in the bowl, I will add a few drops of water to "freshen" it. Slow swirling and pumping the brush a little usually gets me the lather I want.
The Shave:
It doesn't matter what the equipment is. It's pretty much the same. Very light pressure, make sure of your angles and know the contours of your face and the direction(s) your beard grows. I use a 3 or 4 pass stubble reduction method. The first is with the grain (WTG), the second is across the grain (XTG) at a 45° angle, the third is across the grain the opposite direction (XTG) at a 45° angle and the fourth is against the grain (ATG). I may skip the ATG if my face is feeling a little abused. The final step is cleanup of stubble patches with some light quick blade buffing or J-hooking. I splash my face with hot water between passes and spread the leftover shave cream around before applying the new cream. I swirl the new lather on my face and then do a "painting" to cover the lather patches.
Post Shave:
For me with my very sensitive skin, this last step is very important. I rinse all the lather off my face thoroughly with warm water. I then do a quick rinse with cold water. I have not had to use a styptic pencil in a long time to stop any bleeding. I then run an alum block over my face to close the pores and cut back any irritation. I then rinse any alum residue off with cold water and apply some witch hazel toner. At this point my shave and face care are done. All that is left is waiting a little bit for the pores to finish closing and checking my face for any final irritation or dryness. I don't use colognes except for special occasions. I might use witch hazel aftershave instead of just a toner. If my face is dry or has further irritation, I will use an after shave balm with a little aloe vera and a couple of drops of oil mixed with water on my hands. A little goes a long way. The reason I talk about irritation so much is that I have very sensitive skin. Water will give me a rash. The shave brush bristles will give me rash and most certainly, passing a blade over my face will give me a rash if I'm not careful. The one place I will always have some irritation is the hollows of my neck just on either side of my esophagus. My most stubborn spots are just above these hollows and certain spots on my jawline especially the hollow just below my chin. My chin is not smooth and tends protect stubble in the little pocks.
Other care:
Due to the nature of my skin, I try not to put to much stuff on it. However, I do have some very dry patches on my shins and abdomen. I will use a moisturizer on those patches during the day. My face is usually OK for the rest of the day unless I have been out in the elements for a long time. A few drops of ASB (after shave balm) works well. My final step is to use a little ASB and aloe vera just before going to bed. It keeps my face hydrated overnight and helps with the shave the next day. If I happen to get an ingrown hair I use icthamol to help draw the hair out.
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