Sunday, December 24
Dec. 25th, 2023 03:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gottawonderToday I am grateful for:
Gorgeous weather.
Getting good sleep.
People sending Christmas texts, even if they don't send cards.
We went to see River, and it's so lovely outside with the nearly full moon.
River did well with our Liberty work overall. There is still some confusion between the "draw" circle and the "away" circle, which mystifies me a bit because the cues are very different. I feel like he's just offering the "away" circle out of anticipation; sometimes I don't cue him for anything, and he just offers things because he's hoping for a treat, though I don't use treats for the Liberty circles.
He kind of does that with the Spanish Walk (which is still more like pawing for now); randomly offers it in the hope of a treat.
He is now at the stage with the Spanish walk where it is still more like pawing, but he is alternating legs and moving forward when he does it. Good progress.
He did well with our ridden work, though doing the work that requires him to be ready to trot quickly or halt quickly and so on makes him a bit worried. Like he isn't that comfortable needing to be ready to speed up or slow down quickly. I really try to take the stress out of it by not making him "in trouble", but he does have to be accountable for paying attention.
He's just a funny horse. He can be really dull sometimes to my cues, and then get so sensitive that he's almost "overdoing" it a bit. Mostly all he needs to do is just listen, and neither ignore me or anticipate.
Anyhow, I think we still left things on a good note, and didn't over train anything.
We came home and watched a couple of episodes of "The Expanse", and my Sweetie did a bit of preparation for installing the doors on the shower/bath unit downstairs.
I talked to him about how disappointed I am that there is NOTHING I felt I could buy him for Christmas that I could put under the tree.
He's incredibly difficult to buy gifts for, as everything he wants or needs is incredibly specific and often technical.
I would never try to buy him clothes, because he would have to try it on and so on, so no clothes.
I have often bought him a bottle of something nice to drink, and I asked him if he wanted that, and he said no, he's got lots of bottles on the go right now. Then he came home last week with a fancy bottle of whiskey, and joked about that being his Christmas present, but it leaves me with nothing I can give him.
He's NOT the kind of person you can buy just little things for like mittens or slippers just for the sake of having something to wrap. He would be polite and if they weren't perfect they would just rot in the closet. Many of the little things I have bought just for the sake of having something to wrap have just sat there unused.
I tried buying him things like real maple syrup for his pancakes, but I see that he's still got one only partly used from last year, and another bottle unopened.
He does this with his birthday, our anniversary, and Christmas. There are no surprises that he will want that mean anything to him. It's kind of bigger ticket things he wants or needs that you would never buy without him more or less just buying it for himself and calling it his present.
I'm fine with the bigger gift being something he chooses. I'm no different. He could never be expected to buy me riding gear or art supplies or perfume.
Yet, he can easily buy me things like toys for the animals, or horse cookies (and that's often what my gifts are like) knowing that I will enjoy and use them.
He said that the nice clothes we bought for his job are good enough, but...work clothes? That doesn't seem like a Christmas gift.
So, he says something he could really use is a new computer bag, which is fine, but it still has to be something we go and let him buy for himself, and we'll do it next week, and it still isn't something I can wrap and put under the tree for him, is it?
He's entirely missed the point.
Too late to do anything about it now. He gets nothing under the tree, and he seems fine with it, but I'm not fine with it. It makes me feel like somehow I'M a bad wife for not trying.
I learned that the voice actor used for the voice of Charlie Brown in "Charlie Brown Christmas" was Peter Robbins. Peter was only eight years old.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas
Gorgeous weather.
Getting good sleep.
People sending Christmas texts, even if they don't send cards.
We went to see River, and it's so lovely outside with the nearly full moon.
River did well with our Liberty work overall. There is still some confusion between the "draw" circle and the "away" circle, which mystifies me a bit because the cues are very different. I feel like he's just offering the "away" circle out of anticipation; sometimes I don't cue him for anything, and he just offers things because he's hoping for a treat, though I don't use treats for the Liberty circles.
He kind of does that with the Spanish Walk (which is still more like pawing for now); randomly offers it in the hope of a treat.
He is now at the stage with the Spanish walk where it is still more like pawing, but he is alternating legs and moving forward when he does it. Good progress.
He did well with our ridden work, though doing the work that requires him to be ready to trot quickly or halt quickly and so on makes him a bit worried. Like he isn't that comfortable needing to be ready to speed up or slow down quickly. I really try to take the stress out of it by not making him "in trouble", but he does have to be accountable for paying attention.
He's just a funny horse. He can be really dull sometimes to my cues, and then get so sensitive that he's almost "overdoing" it a bit. Mostly all he needs to do is just listen, and neither ignore me or anticipate.
Anyhow, I think we still left things on a good note, and didn't over train anything.
We came home and watched a couple of episodes of "The Expanse", and my Sweetie did a bit of preparation for installing the doors on the shower/bath unit downstairs.
I talked to him about how disappointed I am that there is NOTHING I felt I could buy him for Christmas that I could put under the tree.
He's incredibly difficult to buy gifts for, as everything he wants or needs is incredibly specific and often technical.
I would never try to buy him clothes, because he would have to try it on and so on, so no clothes.
I have often bought him a bottle of something nice to drink, and I asked him if he wanted that, and he said no, he's got lots of bottles on the go right now. Then he came home last week with a fancy bottle of whiskey, and joked about that being his Christmas present, but it leaves me with nothing I can give him.
He's NOT the kind of person you can buy just little things for like mittens or slippers just for the sake of having something to wrap. He would be polite and if they weren't perfect they would just rot in the closet. Many of the little things I have bought just for the sake of having something to wrap have just sat there unused.
I tried buying him things like real maple syrup for his pancakes, but I see that he's still got one only partly used from last year, and another bottle unopened.
He does this with his birthday, our anniversary, and Christmas. There are no surprises that he will want that mean anything to him. It's kind of bigger ticket things he wants or needs that you would never buy without him more or less just buying it for himself and calling it his present.
I'm fine with the bigger gift being something he chooses. I'm no different. He could never be expected to buy me riding gear or art supplies or perfume.
Yet, he can easily buy me things like toys for the animals, or horse cookies (and that's often what my gifts are like) knowing that I will enjoy and use them.
He said that the nice clothes we bought for his job are good enough, but...work clothes? That doesn't seem like a Christmas gift.
So, he says something he could really use is a new computer bag, which is fine, but it still has to be something we go and let him buy for himself, and we'll do it next week, and it still isn't something I can wrap and put under the tree for him, is it?
He's entirely missed the point.
Too late to do anything about it now. He gets nothing under the tree, and he seems fine with it, but I'm not fine with it. It makes me feel like somehow I'M a bad wife for not trying.
I learned that the voice actor used for the voice of Charlie Brown in "Charlie Brown Christmas" was Peter Robbins. Peter was only eight years old.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas
no subject
Date: 2023-12-27 06:20 am (UTC)It's maddening to buy stocking stuffers for people who say they don't want anything or don't know what they want, especially when you know that on some level, they do.
I nipped to Whole Foods and bought small wrapped slices of obscure Canadian cheeses, a fancy mustard, and a jar of onion compote to go in the keto-follower's stocking. I added Uniqlo socks, too. I should have considered soap, but that'll be an idea for next year.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-27 12:04 pm (UTC)Part of the issue is that there is very little I could buy for him in the small towns that I frequent on my own.
Then, when we go to the city together, we have a busy itinerary.
I feel weird about buying him say, more of the soap he just uses day to day, or more of the same socks that he prefers, or another winter hat that he probably won't wear because he likes the one he has. It's like buying someone more tooth paste or toilet paper. It's a staple, not a treat.
I did buy him some "extra" food items to eat throughout the holidays, but I didn't wrap them because he helps me unpack groceries, so it's not a surprise.
He would be happy with anything I got for him, but it's not the same as getting him something that would mean anything.
Maybe I have to let go of that, and just buy him some soap and socks, if that's all it is, just something to wrap.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-28 08:05 am (UTC)In my case it was figgy mustard, odd cheeses and Fortnum and Mason onion compote for putting on snacks. The sous chef and I had to twist an arm to get him to accept a down-filled hat that's good for dog excursions in winter.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-29 08:35 am (UTC)I wanted to kind of let him deal with having absolutely nothing to open this year, since he won't give me ANY IDEA of something he might like, but it didn't seem to bother him.
He also just buys anything he wants, pretty much whenever he wants it, but then it makes me feel like there's nothing I can give him.
Yes, I most certainly could buy him socks or cheese, but I had hoped to actually give him something that was a bit special.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-29 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-12-29 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-02 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-02 09:13 pm (UTC)