Shoveling Manure
Aug. 17th, 2004 09:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrdreamjeansI'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:)
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:)
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