In which everyone should have a good jeweler, and you can borrow mine!

Okay, everyone, I'd like you to say "Hi" to Teresa!
Teresa and I work together at the library (not nearly often enough!) but she has a real career as well: she makes wonderful things with gems. Teresa and her friend Sue make and sell their jewelry in a partnership. Since they are both obsessed by gems, they call themselves TwoObsessed. Oooooooh! SHINY!

I told Teresa about the Prom Dress Extravaganza that will happen this Saturday at the upcoming PNER Convention, and she agreed that a fancy prom dress totally demands a shiny necklace to, uh, temper the neckline a bit.

(My dress is spaghetti strap/straight across--not the kind of neckline to diminish the appearance of linebacker shoulders...or in my case, "hay-bale-toting shoulders").

A V-line is a more flattering look for those of us sturdy-built ladies.To keep the cost down, we combined some of the horse-themed jewelry I don't wear much with Teresa's collection of shiny sparkles. She used 24 gauge sterling wire to hand-wrap swarovski crystals to make a necklace pretty enough to wear to the party, but sturdy enough that I won't break it!
It amazes me that she can do this stuff on a break between shifts in the lunchroom of a library! She is so talented.

Just when I thought it was perfect, she added one more little touch: This little cowboy boot charm is near the clasp, so there's an extra little bit of pretty on the back of my neck.

Given the (ahem) revealing nature of the prom dress, and the scantiness of my hair, this little charm adds just that perfect touch of....well..., what else? Charm!

Just wait until you see the ensemble! I'll be sure to get a bunch of pictures.

In the meantime, drool over more of Teresa's work at her website, HERE. I can't decide which I love most: bracelets? Maybe the earrings? They also do custom designs for special occasions like weddings...or proms!

(I just visited that page and discovered that I now completely love "freshwater coin pearls." Who knew?)

For local shoppers, TwoObsessed jewelry is available at Romanza in Ballard and at the Romanza sister-store in Walla Walla. They are also on etsy.

Here's my recommendation: forward this post to somebody special. Be specific. Tell them your birthdate, or the colors you intend to wear to that fancy party. Want horse-themed jewelry that you don't see on the website? Write to Teresa and Sue via email, and tell them what you want, so they can make it especially for you!

Tell them Haiku Farm told you that shiny and sparkly is always the very height of fashion!

In which the barn roof is on at long last, and Fiddle sees the (bright) light

Whew! The guys worked hard all morning yesterday (while I was at work) and the barn roof is finished!

Mimsy plays hostess, showing off the spacious 12' aisleway and skylights above the stalls. The view outside

shows what we lack: walls. As soon as I can get my tax refund, I'll be buying the materials for that--stay tuned!

Hana (above) was nervous about the whole "rain making sound on the roof" thing. Actually, Hana is very proud of her prettiness when she is spooking. Her nervousness was 90% prettiness and 10% actual nervousness.

Fiddle (below) was just glad to get groomed out of the rain!

The reason Fee was getting groomed and booted: We had an appointment with The Light.

Let me 'splain:

It's not very often that your vet knows EXACTLY why your horse's gait is a little "glitchy," you know, not lame, exactly, but not quite right.

However, last Thursday, I was riding with the vet (center, with the pink helmet on the dark bay gelding). Fee and I were in the front of the group, and part of the road fell out from under Fiddle's foot as we were trotting. Specifically, part of the shoulder of the road--because she is tenderfooted, she tries to be on the shoulder as much as possible--which was saturated with water, gave way under the weight and impulsion of Fee's stride.

Patty said that the road--and Fee's foot--suddenly zigged about two feet further out to the left than normal trotting would dictate. She didn't seem lame, but I walked her for a while, and she was sound but not as eager to trot during the rest of the ride.

When we got to the trailer, Patty said that she could see a little bit of "glitchy gait" due to the incident.

Fee had the rest of the week off, with small doses of Bute to help with any inflamation. On Friday, she seemed more glitchy--the muscles had tightened up--and she was even less enthused about trotting.

Today, it was time for Fiddle to see The Light: a veterinary therapeutic laser. Here's a link to a page about Cold Laser Therapy. Fidle is not really keen to have "strangers" touch her, especially in places that hurt. Patty could easily have pursueded Fee to accept her doing the treatment, but there was no need: with some basic instruction and carefuly vet supervision, even a (blonde) owner can make it work. Keep the laser moving, don't look into the beam, wear the protective glasses, keep the laser moving, keep the laser moving, keep the laser moving.

I was told that (years ago) when Fiddle was (briefly) in training at the racetrack, she sustained a (not-serious) injury to a hind leg. The injury required daily application of some medicine, but nobody wanted to be the one to do the applying, and the groom who lost the straw-drawing would don a helmet to do the task because she kicked like a fiend! I just want to say that it has been four years of continual practice in the skills of patience and trust....but I spent more than twenty minutes this afternoon underneath my mare without a single moment of concern.

Yes, it was a long road. No, she isn't a completely reformed character (she did try to kick Patty!). She is a good girl...at least, she's good for her Mama.

Let's just say that I don't lay awake at night in fear that someone will successfully steal Fiddle.

After I did the underside of the muscle, Patty moved me up top, and Fiddle mostly fell asleep, except when this innocent-looking angel decided to "help" just a little. Bad Sig!
After the laser, Fee got to "walk it out" for a while. Her post-treatment trot-out showed HUGE improvement, and post-treatment/post-walk trot showed even more.

Whew.

I guess now I should go down to the gelding pasture to meet Patty's up-'n-coming endurance horse: uh, Rocky? Put your face up for the camera, dude! Thanks, you big goofball.

Life is good!