Sunday, April 28
Apr. 29th, 2024 01:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gottawonderToday I am grateful for:
Nice day weather wise.
My Sweetie made "birthday weekend" pancakes for himself.
No hurry to get anywhere today.
My Sweetie went and cut down a tree that had fallen on part of our fence. It has been in that position for likely two years, and every time we walk in the pasture, I sort of say "maybe we need to do something about that tree". I'm glad he finally did.
All he needed to do was cut it in half and toss it all in the bush on the other side of the fence. It wasn't a huge tree, so it took him about ten minutes. Two years of looking at something that could have been done in ten minutes.
I had brought the old truck into the pasture because I thought he was going to cut the tree up for fire wood. Instead, we cut down a whole lot of saplings that were sprouting up everywhere, trying to keep them away from the fence mostly. We like to maintain a clear pathway around the pasture along the fence so that you can always get to it with the truck for maintenance.
We got a full truck load of small trees and saplings, so good that we did it.
Then we went to the riding barn.
River did well enough, but again was low energy. His breathing was a bit off again.
He did okay with our work though.
I tried using some spurs to help with communication for better circles. When I say spurs, these are not the least bit sharp or hurtful, they are blunt and more like being able to use your finger tip to give someone a tap to say "hey there, you awake?". They are NOT intended to "get him going" or as punishment. R suggested I try them to help him move off of my leg cues. I got them yesterday when I replaced my helmet.
They are meant to be used only after you have asked for a movement correctly with your seat and legs, and the horse doesn't move over, then you GENTLY use the spur to make a clear aid. The goal is to get the horse to be more responsive to your correct aids before the tap from the spurs.
Somewhere in his past, I think someone else has used spurs on him, because he seemed very aware that I was wearing them. He knows what they can mean. That means I have to be very respectful with them, and be very clear in my intentions when I use them for yields and turns.
I did use my new helmet, and I'm not sure about the fit, but it might take getting used to.
As we were getting ready to put River away, the Sunday rider came, and we chatted for a while. I hadn't seen her since the Love of Liberty performance last weekend, so I complimented her on her routine. She really did a great job.
We came home, and I put everyone out in their pastures, and Dandy out with Wonder again. I could tell that Wonder was trying to get Dandy to play with her, so that was cute.
The neighbor to the South was out in their yard; they had partly torn down an old, rotting shed and it looked like he was working on it again. I got my Sweetie and we went over to see if he needed a hand.
He didn't need a hand at that point, but we chatted and met his wife.
I've mentioned that I don't exactly WANT to know my neighbors that well, but I figured we should at least meet them and have some idea of who they are. They seem okay, but it's a bit nerve wracking to go through the "who are they friends with" thing.
Maybe this isn't a big deal in cities, but you know how it is if you meet someone at work or say in a church group or any group. You try to figure out who their friends are, because it tells you a lot about who they are and what "sides" they might be on.
Well, in rural communities and small towns, that "who are your friends" thing matters a LOT. It can tell you whether or not you even want to know them.
As it goes, they are friends with some people we don't hold in highest esteem, but they seem like okay people, but we'll be aware of this.
They are renting this house and yard, and hope to buy it and the farm land it is part of (farm yards are often rented out, as there is this thing where often people buy farmland but don't need the yard, so they rent it or subdivide it and sell the yard and keep the field). So, that means we should at least try to be on reasonable terms with them.
Then we came inside and watched "Boardwalk Empire".
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is right below Morocco, and has that piece of the West Sahara that is disputed territory.
Over 90% of Mauritania is made up of Sahara Desert, with some coastal areas on the Atlantic Ocean.
"The country's name derives from the ancient Berber kingdom of Mauretania, located in North Africa within the ancient Maghreb. Berbers occupied what is now Mauritania beginning in the third century AD. Arabs under the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the area in the late seventh century, bringing Islam, Arab culture, and the Arabic language. In the early 20th century, Mauritania was colonized by France as part of French West Africa. It achieved independence in 1960, but has since experienced recurrent coups and periods of military dictatorship. The most recent coup, in 2008, was led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who won subsequent presidential elections in 2009 and 2014.[8] He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani following the 2019 elections, which were considered Mauritania's first peaceful transition of power since independence.[9]"
Mauritania is considered part of the Arab world, culturally and geographically.
It's worth mentioning that that whole romantic trope of the French Foreign Legion going off to some remote fort in North Africa and fighting the Arabs would have been in the regions I have been talking about recently, Algiers, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion
During the time of French rule, they made slavery illegal, but it is still an issue. "Modern-day slavery still exists in different forms in Mauritania.[32] According to some estimates, thousands of Mauritanians are still enslaved.[33][34][35] A 2012 CNN report, "Slavery's Last Stronghold", documents the ongoing slave-owning cultures.[36] This social discrimination is applied chiefly against the "black Moors" (Haratin) in the northern part of the country, where tribal elites among "white Moors" (Bidh'an, Hassaniya-speaking Arabs and Arabized Berbers) hold sway.[37] Slavery practices exist also within the sub-Saharan African ethnic groups of the south."
Though Mauritania has natural resources like iron ore and petroleum, it remains poor. Most of its economy is based on agriculture and fishing.
Though Mauritania gained independence in 1960, it was a single party system that was authoritarian, and not really democratic. "Mauritania's first fully democratic presidential elections took place on 11 March 2007. The elections effected the final transfer from military to civilian rule following the military coup in 2005. This was the first time since Mauritania gained independence in 1960 that it elected a president in a multi-candidate election."
Mauritania would have fought with France in WWI, and WWII.
Though mostly part of the Sahara, there are areas of savannah (dry grassland), bits of forest, areas along rivers and oasis that are green, and some wetlands along the coast.
The human rights situation is pretty bad, with the right up until recently military government having an ingrained culture of use of torture as a form of punishment/interrogation, and a general disregard for international standards of legal procedures with criminals or political detainees, such as fair trials or humane detention.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritania
An interesting geological feature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richat_Structure
https://youtu.be/QTDxrzELzmU?si=GH3J8F1VIDdy4OYv
Nice day weather wise.
My Sweetie made "birthday weekend" pancakes for himself.
No hurry to get anywhere today.
My Sweetie went and cut down a tree that had fallen on part of our fence. It has been in that position for likely two years, and every time we walk in the pasture, I sort of say "maybe we need to do something about that tree". I'm glad he finally did.
All he needed to do was cut it in half and toss it all in the bush on the other side of the fence. It wasn't a huge tree, so it took him about ten minutes. Two years of looking at something that could have been done in ten minutes.
I had brought the old truck into the pasture because I thought he was going to cut the tree up for fire wood. Instead, we cut down a whole lot of saplings that were sprouting up everywhere, trying to keep them away from the fence mostly. We like to maintain a clear pathway around the pasture along the fence so that you can always get to it with the truck for maintenance.
We got a full truck load of small trees and saplings, so good that we did it.
Then we went to the riding barn.
River did well enough, but again was low energy. His breathing was a bit off again.
He did okay with our work though.
I tried using some spurs to help with communication for better circles. When I say spurs, these are not the least bit sharp or hurtful, they are blunt and more like being able to use your finger tip to give someone a tap to say "hey there, you awake?". They are NOT intended to "get him going" or as punishment. R suggested I try them to help him move off of my leg cues. I got them yesterday when I replaced my helmet.
They are meant to be used only after you have asked for a movement correctly with your seat and legs, and the horse doesn't move over, then you GENTLY use the spur to make a clear aid. The goal is to get the horse to be more responsive to your correct aids before the tap from the spurs.
Somewhere in his past, I think someone else has used spurs on him, because he seemed very aware that I was wearing them. He knows what they can mean. That means I have to be very respectful with them, and be very clear in my intentions when I use them for yields and turns.
I did use my new helmet, and I'm not sure about the fit, but it might take getting used to.
As we were getting ready to put River away, the Sunday rider came, and we chatted for a while. I hadn't seen her since the Love of Liberty performance last weekend, so I complimented her on her routine. She really did a great job.
We came home, and I put everyone out in their pastures, and Dandy out with Wonder again. I could tell that Wonder was trying to get Dandy to play with her, so that was cute.
The neighbor to the South was out in their yard; they had partly torn down an old, rotting shed and it looked like he was working on it again. I got my Sweetie and we went over to see if he needed a hand.
He didn't need a hand at that point, but we chatted and met his wife.
I've mentioned that I don't exactly WANT to know my neighbors that well, but I figured we should at least meet them and have some idea of who they are. They seem okay, but it's a bit nerve wracking to go through the "who are they friends with" thing.
Maybe this isn't a big deal in cities, but you know how it is if you meet someone at work or say in a church group or any group. You try to figure out who their friends are, because it tells you a lot about who they are and what "sides" they might be on.
Well, in rural communities and small towns, that "who are your friends" thing matters a LOT. It can tell you whether or not you even want to know them.
As it goes, they are friends with some people we don't hold in highest esteem, but they seem like okay people, but we'll be aware of this.
They are renting this house and yard, and hope to buy it and the farm land it is part of (farm yards are often rented out, as there is this thing where often people buy farmland but don't need the yard, so they rent it or subdivide it and sell the yard and keep the field). So, that means we should at least try to be on reasonable terms with them.
Then we came inside and watched "Boardwalk Empire".
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is right below Morocco, and has that piece of the West Sahara that is disputed territory.
Over 90% of Mauritania is made up of Sahara Desert, with some coastal areas on the Atlantic Ocean.
"The country's name derives from the ancient Berber kingdom of Mauretania, located in North Africa within the ancient Maghreb. Berbers occupied what is now Mauritania beginning in the third century AD. Arabs under the Umayyad Caliphate conquered the area in the late seventh century, bringing Islam, Arab culture, and the Arabic language. In the early 20th century, Mauritania was colonized by France as part of French West Africa. It achieved independence in 1960, but has since experienced recurrent coups and periods of military dictatorship. The most recent coup, in 2008, was led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who won subsequent presidential elections in 2009 and 2014.[8] He was succeeded by Mohamed Ould Ghazouani following the 2019 elections, which were considered Mauritania's first peaceful transition of power since independence.[9]"
Mauritania is considered part of the Arab world, culturally and geographically.
It's worth mentioning that that whole romantic trope of the French Foreign Legion going off to some remote fort in North Africa and fighting the Arabs would have been in the regions I have been talking about recently, Algiers, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion
During the time of French rule, they made slavery illegal, but it is still an issue. "Modern-day slavery still exists in different forms in Mauritania.[32] According to some estimates, thousands of Mauritanians are still enslaved.[33][34][35] A 2012 CNN report, "Slavery's Last Stronghold", documents the ongoing slave-owning cultures.[36] This social discrimination is applied chiefly against the "black Moors" (Haratin) in the northern part of the country, where tribal elites among "white Moors" (Bidh'an, Hassaniya-speaking Arabs and Arabized Berbers) hold sway.[37] Slavery practices exist also within the sub-Saharan African ethnic groups of the south."
Though Mauritania has natural resources like iron ore and petroleum, it remains poor. Most of its economy is based on agriculture and fishing.
Though Mauritania gained independence in 1960, it was a single party system that was authoritarian, and not really democratic. "Mauritania's first fully democratic presidential elections took place on 11 March 2007. The elections effected the final transfer from military to civilian rule following the military coup in 2005. This was the first time since Mauritania gained independence in 1960 that it elected a president in a multi-candidate election."
Mauritania would have fought with France in WWI, and WWII.
Though mostly part of the Sahara, there are areas of savannah (dry grassland), bits of forest, areas along rivers and oasis that are green, and some wetlands along the coast.
The human rights situation is pretty bad, with the right up until recently military government having an ingrained culture of use of torture as a form of punishment/interrogation, and a general disregard for international standards of legal procedures with criminals or political detainees, such as fair trials or humane detention.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritania
An interesting geological feature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richat_Structure
https://youtu.be/QTDxrzELzmU?si=GH3J8F1VIDdy4OYv
