The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

A Chunky Friday Night Conversation

3K views 44 replies 17 participants last post by  RegalCharm 
#1 ·
Leading into Fat Tuesday. Anyone going to a parade?

How are things where you are? The rain has stopped today. Hope everyone is safe from the flooding that is going on a lot down here. Where I am not flooded but it has rained all week. Remington hasn't gotten to play as much. Not that I don't stand out there in it some. Yesterday was bad. He was not happy, told me last night he was giving me a 1 star rating and bad review.

Plans for tonight/ weekend? Gonna be cold here. No idea on supper. I do have a frozen lasagna if nothing else. Not going anywhere Friday is a big day for me.


Still seeing and hearing bluebirds around, but so far no takers in my box.

As always any and all things welcome. These have picked up steam this year and that's very cool. Thanks for playing along, let's keep it going.
 
#2 ·
Warming trend here in NW Il. Supposed to be near 50 this weekend. I haven't seen any Starlings yet and they are usually my first indicator that Spring is really around the corner. Still getting my usual birds at the feeders - woodpeckers, chickadees, cardinals, blue jays and sparrows. And the best fed squirrels in my little village!

Less than 2 weeks away from a new right hip. The nerves are starting and I find myself snacking when I should not be. Looking forward to a pain free (at least right side) summer but maybe not the recovery process.

Daughter coming home from school this weekend and looking forward to seeing her. Been a few weeks since she went back to school and I always miss her.
 
#3 ·
It's been a wet and windy week but when the sun comes out it does feel like Spring. Most of the birds at my feed table are Blue/Great/Coal-Tits, Chaffinches, Bullfinches, Blackbirds, and Sparrows. My garden's resident Robin singing in the mornings, is the herald of Spring for me and he's been singing his heart out at dawn for weeks.

I'm on my second week with a fever/flu like illness. My Doctor told me to take this week off, to stay inside, do little as possible and gave me so many tablets that I rattle LOL. It's been a very long week and I'm exhausted so I've no plans for the weekend.
 
#5 ·
@aubie, what is fat Tuesday?
@Caledonian that sucks that you just can't kick this flu. Super frustrating when they linger like that. Hopefully you start to feel better soon!

The weather here is actually pretty mild. We still have quite a bit of snow, but it was +5 (celsius) yesterday and I think it is supposed to be the same today. The warm weather is nice, but I would honestly rather it hover closer to zero as it sucks when things start to melt and then freeze. We are still guaranteed some snow, so winter is not over yet. March can be a bit temperamental around here and I don't normally feel like spring is here until April. But then again, we can still get good amounts of snow even in May.

I have no idea what supper will be tonight. I bought b/f some chicken parmesan things from Costco so might cook him up one of those for his dinner. For me...I don't know. I may make a little Naan bread flatbread or something. Whatever it is will be easy as I need to clean up my saddles tonight. I'm hoping to drop off one (maybe two) to put on consignment tomorrow morning.

I do have plans this weekend - tomorrow I will be driving down to Calgary to visit some tack stores (hopefully not do too much shopping!). I have riding lesson on Sunday and may also go to my parents to do the 'dry run' of my income taxes to see how badly the government will gouge me this year. Income tax season always stresses me out.
 
#6 ·
Spring is certainly springing down south!

Despite the wind and rain birds are starting to pair up, haven't seen and nests being built yet. Daffodils are well out as are primroses. I have even seen a blackberry briar with flowers on it, no leaves but flowers!

Still wet and windy, gets monotonous but we have had it easy to up north where there is severe flooding.

 
#8 ·
1. No Fat Tuesday parades but I may try to hunt downs King cake at the Publix bakery:smile:

2. We had rain-then-snow on Thursday. The horses hardly came out of the barn but these chubby Cardinals didn’t have any issues eating in the snowy rain, lollol. They look like they could explode, they’re so fat, lollol. The female Red Headed Woodpecker was also at the feeder but she is pretty skittish and flew before I could get her picture.
Fence Atmospheric phenomenon Guard rail Tree Land lot


2.1 No Bluebirds here, just yet; still too early in my neck of the woods:)

3. Full sunshine today but we won’t see the 40’s until Around 2:00 PM, with any luck. It’s 10:30 AM and we still below freezing:frown_color:

4. The Weatherbeeta lined, waterproof, hunter orange DOG coat for my Catahoula/Pit Bull (with really short hair) arrived Wednesday and he got to wear it to check fences yesterday, lollol. He was insulted but he finished his run with warm ears, lol

I have a coat for the Rottweiler but she is double coated and thrives in this cold weather. I put her reflective safety vest on just to keep the cold air off her back and make myself feel better, lollol

You’re all lucky there’s no pictures of them —- my hands were too cold, lollol

5. Supper - no idea, but it will be whatever DH brings home when he gets off work, lol

6. I have plenty of hay until first cut but DH has finally started to appreciate clean fluffy hay vs any old steamy astuff and the importance of not running out before first cut.

He actually tapped on a man’s truck window at TSC to ask where he got his load of hay and what was he feeding it to:shock::shock:

Saturday is supposed to be another day of full sun, so it seems we will be taking the dually and visiting the feed store where this hay came from. I don’t need the hay but if it’s that good, I will take it anyway:cool::cool:

@carshon, I sure hope your hip surgery goes well. Do everything you’re supposed to do, post surgery, including whatever home therapy your doctors and PT’s want you to do.

DH did everything to the letter when he had his shoulder surgery some years back; that shoulder is still going strong.

My BFF up north didn’t listen when she had her knee surgery. She ended up selling her horse and contends that her knee still isn’t right and never will be.

@Caledonian, well wishes for a speedy recovery. Two weeks is more than long enough for the flu to be hanging around.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Happy Friday all!!! Woot woot... even though it was a short week I'm pretty tired. I did recover from the time difference/jet lag early this week.

@carshon - Sending good vibes your way! I hope the surgery goes smoothly and recovery even better! I agree with @walkinthewalk on the PT and following it. It does make a difference.

@Caledonian - I hope you feel better soon, no fun being sick that long.

It snowed yesterday and last night!! Only about 2 inches but for here that's a lot... still snow on the trees and ground but it's going to warm up and that will disappear. Supposed to be warmer this weekend. Tonight probably not doing much, tomorrow clean and cooking as I'm having some friends over for dinner tomorrow night to catch up as it's been a while.

I HOPE to ride but I don't know.... with this snow it's going to be sloppy... Have a great weekend all!

Add: No parade or anything for Fat Tuesday... need to think what I want to do for Lent... or not do that is. King's cake sounds good. We had gotten one at the office a few years ago and the person that got the baby had no clue....
 
#11 ·
Aww, darn! The rain is annoying. Up until this week it rained for 2 weeks straight. It's just starting to dry up now. I hope Remington gets some playtime soon!
@carshon that'll be a fun weekend, enjoy! :D
@Caledonian you need to get better ASAP! :sad: So sorry you are going through all that. I hate when sickness lingers. It literally feels like forever. :(
@cbar chicken parm sounds amazing. I hope you have a good lesson this weekend & enjoy shopping!
@lb27312 hopefully you get to ride this weekend, but I know when the snow melts it gets yucky!
@walkinthewalk cardinals are so cute!

Happy Friday! :D I love short work-weeks. Being off on Monday made this week fly by. It's supposed to be beautiful this weekend (in the 50's!) & sunny. I have a lesson on Sunday finally too!

We had like 3 King Cakes delivered to the firm this week from some clients. They are ok, too sugary for me though. I never knew what they were either! :lol:

Not sure about dinner tonight actually, I probably should think about it LOL.
 
#12 ·
@lb27312- I work virtually, and my organization's home office is in Chapel Hill, so I had to laugh at all of the "out of office because of snow day" auto-reply messages I got this morning. It was really cute how excited all my colleagues there were!

Meanwhile, in Vermont (she's ~15 hands tall):


I am very happy to have no plans at all this weekend. I have been sick all week, finally feeling a little better but still just wiped out. Have to go to Florida for a conference next week and not looking forward to the travel, so I will enjoy being close to home for a few more days. Dinner tonight is probably "breakfast for dinner"- we brought a delicious loaf of challah from King Arthur Flour earlier in the week and it's ready to become french toast.

I used to live in Baton Rouge and Mardi Gras time always makes me a little "homesick" for all my old friends there. We are planning on baking a king cake this weekend to celebrate up here in the frozen tundra.One of the best kept Mardi Gras secrets in all of Louisiana is Baton Rouge's Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade...warning, known for being a bit politically...irreverent...
 
#17 ·
What is King Cake? Seems very popular!
@cbar, in Louisiana King Cake is the dessert of choice throughout Mardi Gras season (maybe @Acadianartist can comment on whether it's common across all of Acadiana...). I'm not Catholic, but the story of king cake is tied to the celebrations between Twelfth Night and Lent.

https://www.epicurious.com/archive/holidays/mardigras/kingcake
lol @egrogan - I know it's crazy here.... my main office is in upstate NY I would go up there and a blizzard would occur and you still have to go into the office, here if they THINK it's going to snow all kinds of things shut down and they put a brine on the roads. Sometimes nothing happens, sometimes it does. And you have a King Arthur bakery there?? Oh man I'm jealous!! I use their baking products a lot.
Yep, I went to grad school at UNC-Chapel Hill and we had a few days where class was cancelled because of "flurries" and the ensuing terror on the roads. In fairness, the ice there is nothing to mess with. But yes, I'm from upstate NY originally and have lived in New England for years, you just put studded tires on your car and go on about your business all winter.


King Arthur is based here in Vermont, not too far from us. Their headquarters space is really beautiful, not to mention delicious. It's great that their products are becoming so widely available though, I love what they do.
 
#14 ·
lol @egrogan - I know it's crazy here.... my main office is in upstate NY I would go up there and a blizzard would occur and you still have to go into the office, here if they THINK it's going to snow all kinds of things shut down and they put a brine on the roads. Sometimes nothing happens, sometimes it does. And you have a King Arthur bakery there?? Oh man I'm jealous!! I use their baking products a lot.
@aubie - I meant to say earlier poor Remington! Funny on the review, my dog can't go out and play like normally it's too slick.
 
#16 ·
I was the title and thought, "Oh we're talking about fat ponies" LOL.

I am surprised how many people don't know about all the Mardi Gras traditions. I lived in New Orleans for a year, but even before that I was familiar with it.

We've got lessons scheduled both days this weekend. My daughter's show is next weekend so she wants to get in some extra practice. It was cold and rainy the last few days, but the sun is coming out and it should be really nice the next few days. Yay!

I didn't watch the video @Foxhunter posted, but just the picture was really amazing.

@Caledonian I hope you get better soon.
@cbar King's cake is a special cake they make around this time. Just a plain vanilla cake, although a lot of times you will see colored icing on it. Something is baked inside, like a plastic baby. The cake is shared. Whoever gets the plastic baby piece has to buy the cake next year. Now that I think about it, the plastic baby is kind of creepy.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Different parts of the world celebrate in different ways and christuians have for thousands of years. Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras... The Carnival celebrations are much like Mardi Gras. Or more Mardi Gras is a Carnival celebration. Feasting before deprivation. St. Louis has a French settlement that has a parade as big as any in New Orleans. Quebec celebrates. Many in my family have traveled up there in the past. But the Acadians are a part of Quebec. The Acadians in south Louisiana celebrate Courir de Mardis Gras. A very different type of celebration.

There are several types of king cakes and if you know what you like in a pastry/dessert you can find one to suit. Not all are sugary sweet and loaded with colored sugars and frostings.
 
#21 ·
It's 'Pancake Day' here or 'Shrove Tuesday'. I don't follow the tradition so never really thought about the history behind the names, I just saw it as a reason to make lots and lots of pancakes LOL
 
#22 · (Edited)
Hoping to see the Clydesdales tonight. If all the kids leave by 5.30 I can make it just barely to the parade they are in tonight and snag a spot where they pass twice. If I am lucky I'll also be able to park near where they hitch.

We do pancakes too! If we are all together we each make our favorites. I usually do corn and also will do buckwheat. One SIL does ham. Another potatoe. One of the brothers does sweet potatoe and my dad does Belgian waffles and crepes. If I have any blueberries and pecans left I'll give them to another brother to go with buttermilk pancakes. Yum. Then it will be Friday fish frys and shrimp poboys until lent is over.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Chantilly cakes are real popular for Mardi Gras too. I've never seen just a plain vanilla cake with colored icing. They are not a cake dough more a sweetened bread dough baked in a circular ring. Think large, oval donut shape. The trend here is to stuff them and for me that can be too much.

I love using challah for French toast. We usually go with a good brioche. I've experimented making an apple cinnamon brioche and that makes excellent French toast.

Our Cosmic Cowboys are much the same with their brand of political incorrectness.

Show prep this 4 day weekend as our show is next weekend. Kids will be riding and adults painting.
 
#24 ·
Happy Friday!

The flooding is crazy. I feel bad for those who get flooded out. It is not like snow where you can just dig out. Yikes.

My week started out with hauling Stilts to my vet on Monday. Diagnosed with Uveitis, hopefully not reoccurring as this was the first time. Steroid ointment in the eye and Banamine along with sporting an UV blocking mask I had bought for Hooey when I was dealing with his eye issues. He is doing great, we are thinking he must of hit is big 'ol eyeball on something.
I am just thankful my vet is close by and is awesome.
Funny side story, he and his sister are the same age as my brother and I and grew up together. His parents were teachers in our school. I hadn't seen any of them for years and wander into a vet office a state or two away from where we grew up by recommendation from a friend and here is the vet, a kid I grew up with..lol

Not much going on this weekend hopefully husband makes it home for a day or two!

Kinda working on a deal for a new horse..eek!
Friend is trying to get me back into barrel racing and found a mare who had been started as a youngster then turned out for a year. (Not started on the pattern )Price is right for the bloodlines. We shall see...

Weather has been great although it turned off cold and windy the last couple of days. I'm not complaining!

Hope everyone has great weekend!
 
#25 ·
I'm shamefully unaware of holidays, even when the stores blast them. I don't think Fat Tuesday is a big thing here.

I'm still recovering from my virus, and a bit wobbly in places, but getting better. I've had PT twice, worked at the gym, and went riding tonight. My trainer asked if I was sure I felt ok, and I said I was Toby-better but not Jasper-better. (Tomorrow might be a resting day).

I stayed late & helped my trainer at the barn her horse lives at, so I ended up getting fast food on the way home. Not great 😛 . Tomorrow is grocery day, added bok choy and spinach to the list.
 
#26 ·
Not Friday night but Saturday night!

I have a golden wedding party to attend to night that means dressing up. Not looking forward to it really.

Decided to wear a black dressy trouser suit and actually bought a rather nice blouse to go with it. Add a string of pearls and that'll do.

My vehicle so a dog mobile and very neglected. Mechanically it is fine and checked regularly but inside a real MESS. I pick up litter as I walk. (I want to catch the person who walks a certain route and chucks empty cans on the way - always the same cans in the same area. I hadn't walked that way in a few weeks and picked up seven cans this week) This gets chucked in the front and is inclined to stay. The fact that I am usually muddy means dirt and pebbles.

I decided that as I was going to be wearing good clothes and had been asked to give my Aunt and another pair of women a rode back, I had better do something about it. I was going to clean it myself and then it poured with rain so I took it to a place where they wash and clean cars.
The poor man almost died when he saw the mess! This was after I had removed two large bags of items and rubbish. He declared that there was no way he could get it cleaned in 30 minutes and he couldn't do it for the normal price. I assured him I was happy to pay and would come back in around 90 mins.

Walked into town, went to the bank, bought the above shirt, went and had some lunch and returned. My car was clean, they must have had to empty the vacuum of dog hair many times. I gladly paid and gave a generous tip. Well worth it.

At home I covered the seats in some bed sheets, new covers for the front ones, put the dog guard back in and will remove it so I can put the seats back after I have walked the dogs this afternoon.

I well remember the couple getting wed. I fell from a horse that morning and broke my arm. Owner of the horse took me to have it set, took me back to change and to the station for me to get the train - which I had missed. He took a taxi home and let me drive his Lamborghini to the wedding.

That was a great wedding, started with half a pineapple, soup, main meal, dessert, then an ice cream cake. (Family owned an ice cream factory) masses to drink.

We ended up at Aunty Nina's house and playing stupid drink games in their enormous playroom.

That side of the family were Italian and boy, they know how to have fun. When we packed up I was staying with other members of the family across the road. Francis, their cousin, had a Morning Suit on and crawled on his hands and knees across the road with his top hat balanced on his back! It was white with frost.

I am fairly positive that not one of the children went to early Mass that morning!
 
#27 ·
I needed to get groceries today but couldn't get myself psyched up for it so it will have to be tomorrow (later today really) because by Sunday the shelves will be bare of popular items and it takes them all day Monday to get restocked. Not that we'd starve even if I put it off for 6 months. LOL

Mardis Gras, Lent, Fat Tuesday and the like was never a thing with my family so no parades, King Cakes (I've never heard of them before either) or observing Lent (thank goodness because I don't do fish or seafood).

Had a KFC chicken pot pie for supper. While I didn't go to town hubs did to return some stuff so he brought food back. Seems like we've been eating out or at least bringing home something more than usual lately. I think I only cooked twice this week. I'm more than happy with breaks from cooking.

Tomorrow will also be extra time doing chores because all 3 water troughs need dumped, sprayed out and refilled. It's not often that all of them need refilled the same day and rinsing them out is done every time they need filled.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top