As the hurricane pounds New Orleans (again) I am grateful it is not my home that is under siege.  Selfish, I know.  But oh, so true.

I have felt a little under siege anyway these past few weeks so know I can do without the added stress of a hurricane.  Here are some updates:

BrownDog-is ten days post-snake bite and is getting along pretty well.  The antibiotics are keeping infection at bay.

The top side of BD’s raw paw-the hidden side is worse.

However, the affected skin is peeling off and leaving her with raw open foot that nothing I apply seems to soothe.  Since spotting the cotton mouth last week and failing to kill it as I was too busy photographing it, we have not seen any more of the snake(s).  Lauren and I mowed lots of high grass last weekend constantly reminding each other to “keep the mower in front of you” so it would hit the snakes first.

Mickey received his last dose of vaccine for his pythium infection on Sunday.  He has not been doing as well since my last update.  The cough is back with a vengeance and we have not been able to accomplish much work.  He is revved up and wants to go, acting like a just broke two-year old, but when he does he is stopped by coughing spasms.  I am working on scheduling the next laryngoscope now.  I don’t know how this story is going to go, there is so much swelling in his airway, if that has not improved, well, I just don’t know.

Additionally, Texas has been hit hard with West Nile.  A person died of the virus in El Campo (our neighboring town and where Lauren went to high school).  So, Sunday we gave all the horses their vaccines for West Nile and all their other annual shots.  I have the vials to send up to Snowboy.  The mosquitoes are worse than I ever remember here.  We are spraying the horses three times a day and barely keeping them comfortable.  When I go out to feed in the dark of early morning, I am attacked.  If it were another part of the country I would be looking forward to a good frost, but last winter it didn’t frost even once.

Feather is continuing her training.  She and Lauren are working hard.  I have been out on Mick the last few nights, getting to watch the progress with the mare.  It seems her lines are straighter and she is jumping better.  She pulled a couple of flying lead changes after the jumps for Lauren for the first time.  She is athletic.  I am discovering more of her siblings on Facebook and it is fun to contrast and compare them.  Of course, she is the prettiest by far!

Finally, today is the day I leave for Denver.  Tomorrow Amber and I will pack all but traveling items in mom’s room.  Then Friday the movers will come and move the last pieces of furniture to Amber’s home.  It is sad to have it all come down to this.  I wish mom was better and could live out her days with her husband.  I am more than a little freaked out by the thoughts of everything that will happen over the next couple of days.  As I drove home last night, I thought, the next time I make this trek from Houston my mother will be with me.  It will be fine.  I know it will be.