Shoveling Manure

[mrdreamjeans]

I'm in the Austin area for 12 days, house and horse-sitting for my sister while my niece and she vacation in England and Scotland. My brother-in-law is working on contract in Boston and isn't around, so I volunteered.

We have an old horse home here. Pace, our Arabian Gelding is 31 years old, a skinny old senior; Callie, is 26 and Sandar is 20 and has inherited this strange thyroid disease from his mother, my mare Kabaret, who had to be put down years ago.

All three old friends have special dietary requirements and taking care of them is labor-intensive, but we've had Pace since he was two and the other two were foals born on our property. So the "end" result is that for a couple of weeks, I'll be a nurse to three old horses and shoveling manure:) And... I gladly do it....

My oldest nephew is autistic and mentally retarded. He has been in a group home since the age of ten; he does not speak and is designated as a Level 9 in the State of Texas. Level 9 means he requires one on one, 24-hour care.

My sister is a fierce advocate for his special needs. She constantly has to battle with the agencies that have to answer to the overwhelmingly Republican and unbelievably incompetent Texas Legislature and governor; for example, their lack of focus on federal funding deadlines during the redistricting brouhaha last Spring led to the loss of over $250 million in funding for special needs children and young adults this year alone.

This is a long-winded way of saying that I am close by in case my nephew's caretakers have some sort of crisis which requires immediate action by a family member. Since my nephew can only communicate his needs through acting out and/or self-abuse, it is important that we be able to respond effectively and appropriately.

On a lighter note, I hope to get out and go two-stepping while I'm in Austin and to take in the LBJ and the new Bob Bullock Texas Museums while visiting. It is also kind of fun to be in town with all of the college students returning. So much hope and energy! I may be watching the Olympics right now, but I can feel the scent of College football in the air:)

So - college students, two-stepping and the Olympics - Yes! No State Government in session - Yes! It means, for now, the shit to shovel is in the barn out back:)

Comments

Re: if someone wanted to catch a Boise State game this year...

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Damn, too bad Boise State doesn't seem to be playing the Huskies, I'd rather watch that than the Cougs anyday. :-)

But I might entertain watching Boise beat the Cougs though. LOL.

No, I never went to either, but being from WESTERN Washington, I'm a Dawg fan by osmosis.

Re: if someone wanted to catch a Boise State game this year...

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

That explains it. :-)

Anyhoo, seeing the cougs get spanked no matter what is the best I can hope for. :-)

Mind you, I'm not a sports fan, but...

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

HS and college football and basketball are fun to watch at times however. But that's the extent of my sports interest, more or less. :-)

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

That's way cool Neil.

Not having to worry about any shit, other than the horse manure out back is a good thing. :-)

I bet those college students will pique your interests to some degree ;-) Even if just for nostalgic times. I love fall, the returning to college/school and seeing your classmates, the ultimate change color of the leaves, the crispening of the air, and around here, the Puyallup Fair comes in September. I have not been in years, and hope to make it there this year.

This reminds me, I love fall. Although I'm a 4 seasons kinda guy. :-)

Enjoy your stay in Austin.

[excessor.livejournal.com]

All that testosterone wafting about the college town. Ah, that takes me back. Gay bars in Austin are a hoot and I'll bet two-stepping there is a lot of fun. You can also always go to the Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels (my home town) for a rip-roaring good time.

"...college students returning..."

[bearchitect.livejournal.com]

it wasn't the main reason why I moved here, as a matter of fact, I didn't even think of it when I bought this place, but this will be the third year I get to experience the "Capistrano" effect first-hand.

My condo is a block away from the campus of a major university here in Charm City, and one of the dorms/Inns sits across the alley from my kitchen window, talk about 'location, location, location'.

So, there I was, the day the realtor showed me the place, thinking about the building's good bones, it's Beaux-Arts pedigree and the impecable hardwood floors, little did I know the fringe benefits would come in the shape of tall, languid, butt-crack exposing, flip-flop-wearing, latest-fashion-enslaved twenty-somn' dudes!!!

This weekend parents are starting to descend on the neighborhood checking out the area little "precious" is going to inhabit for the next year or so. Upscale residential area to the north, check; "village" style commercial area to the south, check; large, green, urban sprawling campus to the west, check; open-air farmer's market on the weekends and open-air drug market on weeknights a few blocks to the east, oops!

Oh, well, three out of four ain't bad. As "lowfatmuffin" said, I do get a warm tingly sensation this time of year...

[abearius.livejournal.com]

I like your style. I shoveled shit was a groom at the racetrack near my home town for a week to replace someone on vacation. That and my grandfathere's cow barn taught me that shit is for shoveling. . .. and I'll say no more.

Good luck to your sister and her efforts with your nephew. It's a tough row to hoe, but she is definitely doing the right thing.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks Jeff! Colleen was an award-winning teacher and I think she's a world-class mother, sister and daughter. I don't know how she's managed the hand she's been dealt with such grace, intelligence, kindness and humor; I can only aspire.

She's a hero to me, in the purest sense of that word. But then, I have much admiration for teachers. My job is to entertain and provide a respite from routine for others; teachers can really make a difference.