This is My Passion...

This is my passion. My Cause. My Calling. My Ministry. My Goal. My reason for trying.

Found Causes "Sunset Therapuetic Riding Center" from DALE EPPERSON on Vimeo.

If you know me at all, you know that I am not an outwardly emotional person. I am more likely to laugh than to cry. This video had me in tears for approximatly three fourths of the run time.

http://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/
http://sunsettrc.org/therapeutic-riding/


Hippotherapy (Equine Assisted Therapy)


Benefits
Physical Benefits:
• Improved balance.
• Strengthened muscles.
• Improved coordination, faster reflexes, and better motor planning.
• Stretching of tight or spastic muscles.
• Decreased spasticity.
• Increased range of motion of the joints.
• Reduction of abnormal movement patterns.
• Improved respiration and circulation.
• Improved appetite and digestion.
• Sensory integration.

Psychological Benefits
• General sense of well-being.
• Improved self-confidence
• Increased interest in the outside world.
• Increased interest in one’s own life.
• Improved risk-taking abilities.
• Development of patience.
• Emotional control and self-discipline.
• Sense of normality.

Social Benefits
• Friendship.
• Development of respect and love for animals.
• Increased experiences.
• Enjoyment.

I am St. George!

Today, we celebrated Labor Day by... Wait for it... Laboring. Three-ish hours of weed-whacking. (Or weed-eating? That's what we always called it, but now it seems odd, since I really am not interested in consuming any weed I have met up til now...Maybe I am just hanging out with the wrong crowd of weeds.) A nice rest and then a few more hours of mowing. ( I ruled that riding mower/atv/four-wheeler. Yeah, I am one tough lawn/jungle controller. You know it.) Meanwhile, boss-lady took care of pulling and burning those weeds (nee. trees.) that were so large my poor lawn tools were not up to the task. She also rebuilt the barn door and completely de-winter-coated the mamma dog that has been too busy to worry about those kinds of things. Yeah, you can be impressed. We are wild-west, rockin', ranchin', tough chicks. We got this. 

Speaking of that, there was only one small screech when this lovely snake fellow turned up on the porch after supper. (The sound did not come from me. Sure served to get my blood pumpin' though.) Apparently he was not too pleased with the amount of unrest we had been creating on the property.  

While alive, He looked like this...

 And closer...

 And blurrier...

There may have been extreme zoom, long armed aiming and slight trepidation involved in the blurriness of these shots. I had not yet determined what kind, and hence, what level of danger was present...

Here he is... less cohesive...

Don't worry, I got it.
But good.

Here, I saved this for you...

 (*Big evil grin*)

 I am only very slightly hoping this creeps someone out.

Okay, maybe more than slightly. But to be kind, I will not describe the shovel technique, or the strong curl and strike he tried several times, or the decapitation itself, or even how cool it was when the body hit the hot ashes in the fire-pit causing... muscle freak out. (It's a technical term, okay?)

Just cause I am so very sensitive like that. Or something. Plus, the boss really isn't hot on the whole subject matter, so I might want to keep my own counsel. 

Just imagine Saint George & the Dragon and you have the exact picture of me in this situation. 

Yeah, I rocked today. 

In case anyone was wondering, I think the consensus is leaning towards Mesa Verde Night Snake as the official calling card of the visitor. They are only very slightly toxic, so not as bad as finding a rattler or some such on the porch. 

But I am open to other opinions...