Friday, March 8
Mar. 9th, 2024 03:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gottawonderToday I am grateful for:
The break in the weather we've been waiting for. It was right at 0 C today, which means some of the snow from the roof and such was melting.
A short but pleasant phone conversation with Sister E.
I went to see River, and naturally had to take him away from his supper. Every time. That poor horse. Yes, there is food left when he gets back, but it seems so unfair.
Not the best session today, as someone not that far away was firing a gun repeatedly. River didn't spook, but was very worried, and it was hard to get anything done.
We did our work, but not in a very connected manner, as he was too concerned to give me his attention.
I feel like he was still oddly reluctant to do the turn on the hindquarters in one direction, and me being me, I know I probably focused on it far too much today.
The girl with health challenges did have a lesson today, and I did stay and work with Quidley. Mostly I did "spa day" with him, as he had a chiropractic adjustment recently, and you don't work a horse much after those for a few days. So, we worked with Surefoot Pads, that promote proprioception and the use of small core muscles for stability.
The girl (let's call her H) with health challenges rides one day a week at another barn, it's specifically part of a program for people with health challenges. H was trying to communicate with her parents that she is having some kind of issue with this other barn, so H's Mom asked R to find out what might be happening.
After much conversation with H, which isn't easy because R doesn't REALLY use sign language, H managed to convey that she is sometimes left to ride by herself at the other barn, and that she feels that the other handler ignores her fears when she tries to communicate that she doesn't want to do something.
So, somehow, it is up to R apparently to talk to this other handler (I guess they know each other?) to see if things can be improved.
I don't really know how all of this got to be R's job, as H does have parents, and how did they not figure out what H's concerns were? They speak fluent sign language. It should also likely be their job to talk to this other person, yes?
So, I have to hand it to R though, she's going far above the call of duty with trying to help H. She likely spent an hour talking with H's Mom, and then H, trying to understand the situation and then communicate this to H's Mom again.
It was weird that it was up to R, but she really put in the effort to help H.
My Sweetie showed up just as we were cleaning up, so that was nice.
Also at the barn, R has two dogs, both rescues. The most recent rescue dog is a small, Shiba Inu. There is no history of this dog, other than R found it on the side of the road, skinny and mangy and in need of care. Nacho is very quiet, and it has taken him some time to settle into things with R's family. She's put a lot of care and attention into Nacho, but you can tell he's always "minding his own business".
Today Nacho and R's other dog Breeze were playing a tiny bit, and this is the first time R has seen them playing. Animals who were not well-socialized or are scared, do not play much, so this is a wonderful thing to see. Nacho likely never knew how to play, and Breeze is teaching him.
It makes me very happy to see an animal get a good life like this.
We came home, my Sweetie had a bath, and we talked, and that was about it.
I watched a fun movie called "Wanderlust" that was in that peak Paul Rudd "philosophical comedy" era.
So, I'm jumping around a bit with the countries. I'm likely not going to do the big countries, as I already have a reasonable recognition of ones like Russia and India. I'm a little afraid to jump into their vast histories and so on.
Cyprus is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea.
It was first settled by Greeks, then occupied by MANY OTHER groups. Empires: Assyrian,Egyptian, Persian. Then Alexander the Great, then Egypt again, then the Roman Empire, then Arab Emirates, then France, then the Venetians, then the Ottoman empire.
Then Cyprus was under the administration of the U.K, and formally annexed in 1914, but there was always tension between the two ethnic identities of Greek and Turkish, which is still a source of conflict, even though Cyprus became independent in 1960.
This has led to ceaseless conflict, and the creation of a demilitarized zone called the Green Line (an attempt to curb the violence by separating Greek and Turkish Cypriots). "The dividing line is also referred to as the Attila Line,[1] named after Turkey's 1974 military intervention, codenamed Operation Attila. The Turkish army has built a barrier on the zone's northern side, consisting mainly of barbed-wire fencing, concrete wall segments, watchtowers, anti-tank ditches, and minefields. The zone cuts through the centre of Nicosia, separating the city into southern and northern sections. In total, it spans an area of 346 square kilometres (134 sq mi), varying in width from less than 20 metres (66 ft) to more than 7 kilometres (4.3 mi)"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Buffer_Zone_in_Cyprus
Cyprus was involved in the illegal selling of passports: "On the 12th of October 2020, Al Jazeera released a video of an under-cover investigation related to the Cyprus Papers. In the video, Al Jazeera reveals how Cypriot lawyers, business people and top-tier politicians are willing to aid and abet convicted criminals to obtain Cypriot citizenship, granting the criminals access to the European Union's internal markets and visa-free travel."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus_Papers
The island is mountainous, and home to Mount Olympus. It is warm, sub-tropical, semi-arid, and has forests.
There is a chronic concern over fresh water, and it relies heavily on rainwater for drinking. The government is investing heavily in desalinization plants.
Cyprus is a Presidential Republic, with the President having universal suffrage for five year terms.
Though it is doing well economically and so on, the issues between Greek and Turkish cloud the waters a bit:
"In "Freedom in the World 2011", Freedom House rated Cyprus as "free".[168] In January 2011, the Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the question of Human Rights in Cyprus noted that the ongoing division of Cyprus continues to affect human rights throughout the island "including freedom of movement, human rights pertaining to the question of missing persons, discrimination, the right to life, freedom of religion, and economic, social and cultural rights".[169] The constant focus on the division of the island can sometimes mask other human rights issues.[citation needed]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus
https://youtu.be/38NGVPw3UFw?si=zkriwm3HQ-15Odnz
The break in the weather we've been waiting for. It was right at 0 C today, which means some of the snow from the roof and such was melting.
A short but pleasant phone conversation with Sister E.
I went to see River, and naturally had to take him away from his supper. Every time. That poor horse. Yes, there is food left when he gets back, but it seems so unfair.
Not the best session today, as someone not that far away was firing a gun repeatedly. River didn't spook, but was very worried, and it was hard to get anything done.
We did our work, but not in a very connected manner, as he was too concerned to give me his attention.
I feel like he was still oddly reluctant to do the turn on the hindquarters in one direction, and me being me, I know I probably focused on it far too much today.
The girl with health challenges did have a lesson today, and I did stay and work with Quidley. Mostly I did "spa day" with him, as he had a chiropractic adjustment recently, and you don't work a horse much after those for a few days. So, we worked with Surefoot Pads, that promote proprioception and the use of small core muscles for stability.
The girl (let's call her H) with health challenges rides one day a week at another barn, it's specifically part of a program for people with health challenges. H was trying to communicate with her parents that she is having some kind of issue with this other barn, so H's Mom asked R to find out what might be happening.
After much conversation with H, which isn't easy because R doesn't REALLY use sign language, H managed to convey that she is sometimes left to ride by herself at the other barn, and that she feels that the other handler ignores her fears when she tries to communicate that she doesn't want to do something.
So, somehow, it is up to R apparently to talk to this other handler (I guess they know each other?) to see if things can be improved.
I don't really know how all of this got to be R's job, as H does have parents, and how did they not figure out what H's concerns were? They speak fluent sign language. It should also likely be their job to talk to this other person, yes?
So, I have to hand it to R though, she's going far above the call of duty with trying to help H. She likely spent an hour talking with H's Mom, and then H, trying to understand the situation and then communicate this to H's Mom again.
It was weird that it was up to R, but she really put in the effort to help H.
My Sweetie showed up just as we were cleaning up, so that was nice.
Also at the barn, R has two dogs, both rescues. The most recent rescue dog is a small, Shiba Inu. There is no history of this dog, other than R found it on the side of the road, skinny and mangy and in need of care. Nacho is very quiet, and it has taken him some time to settle into things with R's family. She's put a lot of care and attention into Nacho, but you can tell he's always "minding his own business".
Today Nacho and R's other dog Breeze were playing a tiny bit, and this is the first time R has seen them playing. Animals who were not well-socialized or are scared, do not play much, so this is a wonderful thing to see. Nacho likely never knew how to play, and Breeze is teaching him.
It makes me very happy to see an animal get a good life like this.
We came home, my Sweetie had a bath, and we talked, and that was about it.
I watched a fun movie called "Wanderlust" that was in that peak Paul Rudd "philosophical comedy" era.
So, I'm jumping around a bit with the countries. I'm likely not going to do the big countries, as I already have a reasonable recognition of ones like Russia and India. I'm a little afraid to jump into their vast histories and so on.
Cyprus is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea.
It was first settled by Greeks, then occupied by MANY OTHER groups. Empires: Assyrian,Egyptian, Persian. Then Alexander the Great, then Egypt again, then the Roman Empire, then Arab Emirates, then France, then the Venetians, then the Ottoman empire.
Then Cyprus was under the administration of the U.K, and formally annexed in 1914, but there was always tension between the two ethnic identities of Greek and Turkish, which is still a source of conflict, even though Cyprus became independent in 1960.
This has led to ceaseless conflict, and the creation of a demilitarized zone called the Green Line (an attempt to curb the violence by separating Greek and Turkish Cypriots). "The dividing line is also referred to as the Attila Line,[1] named after Turkey's 1974 military intervention, codenamed Operation Attila. The Turkish army has built a barrier on the zone's northern side, consisting mainly of barbed-wire fencing, concrete wall segments, watchtowers, anti-tank ditches, and minefields. The zone cuts through the centre of Nicosia, separating the city into southern and northern sections. In total, it spans an area of 346 square kilometres (134 sq mi), varying in width from less than 20 metres (66 ft) to more than 7 kilometres (4.3 mi)"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Buffer_Zone_in_Cyprus
Cyprus was involved in the illegal selling of passports: "On the 12th of October 2020, Al Jazeera released a video of an under-cover investigation related to the Cyprus Papers. In the video, Al Jazeera reveals how Cypriot lawyers, business people and top-tier politicians are willing to aid and abet convicted criminals to obtain Cypriot citizenship, granting the criminals access to the European Union's internal markets and visa-free travel."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus_Papers
The island is mountainous, and home to Mount Olympus. It is warm, sub-tropical, semi-arid, and has forests.
There is a chronic concern over fresh water, and it relies heavily on rainwater for drinking. The government is investing heavily in desalinization plants.
Cyprus is a Presidential Republic, with the President having universal suffrage for five year terms.
Though it is doing well economically and so on, the issues between Greek and Turkish cloud the waters a bit:
"In "Freedom in the World 2011", Freedom House rated Cyprus as "free".[168] In January 2011, the Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the question of Human Rights in Cyprus noted that the ongoing division of Cyprus continues to affect human rights throughout the island "including freedom of movement, human rights pertaining to the question of missing persons, discrimination, the right to life, freedom of religion, and economic, social and cultural rights".[169] The constant focus on the division of the island can sometimes mask other human rights issues.[citation needed]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus
https://youtu.be/38NGVPw3UFw?si=zkriwm3HQ-15Odnz
