Friday, November 11, 2005
Owie, Owie, Awesome!
Had another awesome experience the other day... ok ... yesterday. (I get so confused as to what day it is anymore, since I work these 12 hour shifts on the weekends).
Have I mentioned that I volunteer at a "Therapeutic Riding Center", Reins From Above? I spent, I dunno, 3 or 4 hours there yesterday. The awesome experience was the second student that came in ... it was his first day. It was actually the whole family that made it incredible. The little boy just glowed the whole time he was up on the horse ... "Look at me! I look just like a cowboy! ", he kept exclaiming. I'm thinking he was about 8 years old. I dont remember the health disorder that he suffered from, except that it was caused by severe seizures ...
His mother had brought her two other children. A younger boy, and an older girl. The girl was 12, and wanted to start volunteering at the stable. The girl, very quiet and timid. It's actually she that I was awed by.
Her name was Vica. (Pronounced vee-ka.) She and her brother (the youngest boy) have only been in the country for 3 months, they have been adopted in to this family from Kazakhstan. Over there, Vica had raised the little boy (he was 4 or 5)... they had been beggars, and lived on the street.
She spoke very little english, but didnt stop smiling the whole time she was around the horses. I just HAD to take her under my wing. I dont think she walked on the ground the whole time they were there ... I think she was on some heavenly cloud, by the size of the smile on her face. When her brother was doing his therapy work on the horse, Bey (my favorite of the therapy horses), I showed her how to lead Bey around and how to help with the horse while the other volunteers helped with the student. She did everything I asked her to do. The only thing I had to be careful about was to discretely stay between her and Bey's mouth ... because he's a biter when he's tired of being led around. Grumpy ol' bastard. d;)
So she got to lead Bey around the ring a dozen or more times with pride, while her brother was on the horse's back (her REAL brother, the youngest, was over riding a swing attached to a tree)... not knowing that I was getting nipped at, tho I did let out one loud "OUCH" when Bey got me good on my left forearm, and caught me by surprise. (She had the lead line, but I also had a grip on it close to his head). Today, my arms are bruised up and down - I look like I've been beaten. It's really quite amusing ... they're the kind of bruises that I have to laugh at.
But working with her and the horse, we had our own sort of 'therapy' going... she wasnt shy and timid for long. She was trying to speak english, and trying to understand me ... I think she understood quite a bit. Even when I explained how horses "see" with their ears. *grin*
It was just a really cool experience. Worth all of Bey's biting ... tho I wanted to pop him so badly ... with a new, not-to-mention handicapped, rider on his back? Noway. *laugh*
Have I mentioned that I volunteer at a "Therapeutic Riding Center", Reins From Above? I spent, I dunno, 3 or 4 hours there yesterday. The awesome experience was the second student that came in ... it was his first day. It was actually the whole family that made it incredible. The little boy just glowed the whole time he was up on the horse ... "Look at me! I look just like a cowboy! ", he kept exclaiming. I'm thinking he was about 8 years old. I dont remember the health disorder that he suffered from, except that it was caused by severe seizures ...
His mother had brought her two other children. A younger boy, and an older girl. The girl was 12, and wanted to start volunteering at the stable. The girl, very quiet and timid. It's actually she that I was awed by.
Her name was Vica. (Pronounced vee-ka.) She and her brother (the youngest boy) have only been in the country for 3 months, they have been adopted in to this family from Kazakhstan. Over there, Vica had raised the little boy (he was 4 or 5)... they had been beggars, and lived on the street.
She spoke very little english, but didnt stop smiling the whole time she was around the horses. I just HAD to take her under my wing. I dont think she walked on the ground the whole time they were there ... I think she was on some heavenly cloud, by the size of the smile on her face. When her brother was doing his therapy work on the horse, Bey (my favorite of the therapy horses), I showed her how to lead Bey around and how to help with the horse while the other volunteers helped with the student. She did everything I asked her to do. The only thing I had to be careful about was to discretely stay between her and Bey's mouth ... because he's a biter when he's tired of being led around. Grumpy ol' bastard. d;)
So she got to lead Bey around the ring a dozen or more times with pride, while her brother was on the horse's back (her REAL brother, the youngest, was over riding a swing attached to a tree)... not knowing that I was getting nipped at, tho I did let out one loud "OUCH" when Bey got me good on my left forearm, and caught me by surprise. (She had the lead line, but I also had a grip on it close to his head). Today, my arms are bruised up and down - I look like I've been beaten. It's really quite amusing ... they're the kind of bruises that I have to laugh at.
But working with her and the horse, we had our own sort of 'therapy' going... she wasnt shy and timid for long. She was trying to speak english, and trying to understand me ... I think she understood quite a bit. Even when I explained how horses "see" with their ears. *grin*
It was just a really cool experience. Worth all of Bey's biting ... tho I wanted to pop him so badly ... with a new, not-to-mention handicapped, rider on his back? Noway. *laugh*
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Old Toys
Nervous energy? Play with your knockers!!
I'm sitting here killing time and waiting. I decided to see what was under the coffee table, and I found an old toy that I had back when I lived in Pennsylvania .. my knockers!! I'm sure it has a different name ... they're a fairly dangerous toy, so they're rarely sold in toy stores these days. They've reinvented them so they're not nearly as fun ...
Ok. These are two weighted pink balls, dangling from string, and a plastic bit that you hold in your hand. The object is to start knocking them together ... getting them to bounce off each other, until they knock in to each other at each 180 degree angle. It makes LOTS of noise, and is extremely painful when they slip and bounce off of your arm/hand/wrist instead. But it's grand fun. *grin*
I'm sitting here killing time and waiting. I decided to see what was under the coffee table, and I found an old toy that I had back when I lived in Pennsylvania .. my knockers!! I'm sure it has a different name ... they're a fairly dangerous toy, so they're rarely sold in toy stores these days. They've reinvented them so they're not nearly as fun ...
Ok. These are two weighted pink balls, dangling from string, and a plastic bit that you hold in your hand. The object is to start knocking them together ... getting them to bounce off each other, until they knock in to each other at each 180 degree angle. It makes LOTS of noise, and is extremely painful when they slip and bounce off of your arm/hand/wrist instead. But it's grand fun. *grin*
