floating into Fall

We made it out onto the water to kayak one last time this season. It marks our fifth float this year. One less than last year. I normally don't track activities, but wanted to remind myself that we are indeed kayaking enough to have warrant purchasing. 

Kayaking is an activity we both enjoy. I am able to continue, thanks to my husband who does most of the heavy lifting and lends me a hand when needed. Kayaks are a much better water vessel choice for us than a Pontoon Boat. We seriously considered getting one more than once in our lifetime. The logistics do not make sense.

On a warm October 18th, we stopped the endless chore list to pause. As we headed out on the water at our favorite spot, it was easy to see the mirror part of Mirror Lake was back!

Ohhh how I love floating into fall!!

The reflections were stunning!

We shared the water heading out with one lone kayaking guy. He was far behind me, but I could hear his conversation clear as day. He kept his voice low and wasn't loud or obnoxious. Are you wondering who he was talking to? Me too. The water was so still you could hear a pine needle drop. Which means, I could hear his companion as well. He was taking to some women via Facetime/Zoom, or whatever video calling format. Ugh.

I wished for his phone battery to run out or connection to drop. It did and "hello, hello are you there?" could be heard. Thank goodness he came to his senses. I think perhaps he noticed he was missing the serenity. He said good-bye to chatty Kathy and stillness was restored.

I was so absorbed in the beauty of my surrounding that it was a while before I even noticed the lone kayaker had turned around and headed back.

color me happy

Early Fall is the best time to kayak. It is quieter and more colorful. Even with the occasional other 'yakers. Who have just as much right as we do, to enjoy the water as they choose. 

The wind had picked up as we paddled out of the narrows and into the wide open. You may recall they were dredging this area on an earlier float. I spotted the parked barge at the public boat launch and paddled to take a closer look. 

hello barge-y

Wow, they really opened up this area! There was so much more open water to explore. 

They had moved dreading equipment to an area that had became impassable. We went to investigate. 

Some nesting area's remained

I noticed a black squiggly thing floating in the water. Eek!! It was a dredging line. Oops. I had no idea they left lines in the water. Needless to say we paddled outta there and headed back.

It was then I became overcome with emotion and stopped paddling. I didn't want to leave the peacefulness. Thoughts filtered through my mind, as the breeze slowly pushed my kayak along it's way. Swoosh. Swoosh. The calming swoosh of water was all I heard.

Brad had paddled waaay up ahead. He is the little tan spot next to the very last colorful left tree line above.

Further down I could hear wind chimes softly playing their tune. It was surreal. I wondered where the sound that matched the swaying water was coming from.

I found out near an older quaint cottage that was buttoned up for the Winter. They had pulled their dock. Water vessels were stored up by the cottage. Yet they left chimes by the shore. Softly playing their melody.

I was happy to see the crazy haired tortoise I spotted on the way out had not moved far. 

say cheese



colorful ferns

red & yellow glowing maples

My water lovin' heart was full. This tranquil float was the perfect way to close out season two. 

land of wonders ~ october

Fall is a season of colorful trees and skies. In October, there are mornings we are treated with as I call it Surround Sound Color.

northeast on october 1

southwest

southeast 6:46am

Surround Sound Color happens fairly often during Fall evenings as well. When it does, I stop whatever I am doing. Slowly soak it up in all directions. Absorbing. Before the colorful magic quickly fades. Poof! As if to prepare us for longer Wintery bleak days to come.

At 12.75 years old, my grand dog Jameson's health is going down hill. I cherish however many remaining days of watching three canine buddies that grew up together, explore our woods. 

Tank, Jameson and Remi

Fall colors also brighten time spent indoors. I completed another stained glass project with my daughter. My Fall leaf below is ever changing with the light :)

10.2.25

same leaf as above

We may not have a water source on our land that ripples and flows, but we do have ever changing sky views that offer reflection in a similar yet different way.

10.3.25

The petunia's I start indoors from seed each year continue to provide color and nourishment.

Red Admiral butterfly

Pictured above and below are the last two winged wonders spotted for the year.

Viceroy (?) hiding on my marigolds

10.12.25

tree tops start to glow in Fall



different cloud formations appear most nights



Tank & Jameson (watching horses)


Do you think I could get both dogs to look at me at the same time? Nope.



 10.16.25

close-up

Towering trees always make me feel small. 

one of our entrances to paths in the woods

Just a small sample of the frequent glorious Fall skies that grace our land.

 10.17.25

Brad's current land project is removing a tree line. He is making the connecting path even wider in our Summer pasture. The tree line path became a dead end. It was in between the two pasture sections that make up the Summer pasture. It will give them more area to graze and make it one pasture. You may recall one section is behind our arena and the other borders part of our outdoor arena (pictured below) with a wide connecting path inbetween.

 10.18.25

I attended a second October stained glass workshop. This time we used all four stations, with both of my daughters and Brads niece. Doesn't have anything to do with our land, but hey it fits the timeline :) I was so delighted when sun came through the middle body/head textured glass and sparkled!! A happy surprise.

 10.19.25

The Autumn Blaze Maples we planted along our driveway are glowing at a rapid pace:

10.20.25


crisp Fall air brings out the fresh (33 secs)

10.21.25

peaceful pasture view 10.22.25

(Harmony & Hope and Nemo & Cierra)

maples in our woods come in many colors

my blueberry bush turns a brilliant red in Fall

full rainbow taken from the front of our house

a pair of bluebirds spotted hanging around the pasture

10.22.25

crows perched high scold loudly as we enter their woods

10.26.25

Hope and Harmony asking to come indoors

everything smells better together

(top is Remi, Tank and Jameson)

10.29.25

Nature is busy spreading (milkweed) seeds

10.31.25

October came and went incredibly fast. It was such a busy month for us, filled with wonder.

all is well

Our farrier was out for another 4 week trim. That evening, Hope balked while I walked her up/into the barn. Very out of character. We didn't think too much of it. There is some grippy gravel on the incline. Perhaps she caught a stone. Inside the barn she walked in the weirdest way. Extending her back legs straight forward and pointed. We checked her out and found nothing out of the ordinary. 

The next morning, Hope walked out of her stall and down to the pasture pretty much the same odd way. She seemed fine grazing in the pasture. Her exaggerated gait had not improved much by evening chores. 

33 seconds

Incase you are wondering about the first video comment, it was for me/my current mobility issues not Hope. Our daughter and son were with us that night. They can be seen/heard in the video. 

We all thought her walk looked neurological. It was as if Hope couldn't figure out where to place her feet. Especially her back feet. Needless to say we called our vet clinic in the morning to see if they could fit us in. They did and we got a two-fer vet visit. One vet was a recent graduate who was getting acclimated and a newer vet who was in charge. Both very nice gals. As you may recall, our regular vet is semi-retired. When you make an "emergency" call, you get who you get.

The vets checked Hope out all over. They took her pulse, and temperature (a first) then watched her move. It became evident she struggled with leg placement the most with elevation change. The incline to/from pastures, the step out of the arena onto concrete etc were all done with unusual leg movement. 
 

I have (thankfully) never seen a neurological exam. The flex and balance test things they did were interesting. A walk in hand with a tail pull to check for balance was included. All signs pointed to a neurological issue. Her leg placement was not as dramatic once inside the arena. However, she was hesitant and awkward with all movement she normally does with ease. For example, backing. 

21 seconds

We discussed the possibility of Stringhalt, Wobbles and EPM. They sent the video's to our vet. He has the most experience and is the clinic lameness expert. Other attending vets at the clinic also reviewed the videos. Our clinic works together as a team on more challenging cases.

Everyone thought what Hope was presenting was EPM :( most likely cause by ingesting opossum poop. Did you know possum are native to Australia and different than the opposum we have? Me either. Everyone I know calls our opossum, possum. 

Her blood sample was sent out for testing. While we waited for the results, Hope had three days of infused DMSO. An anti-inflammatory that stinks to high heaven. Our entire barn wreaked of rotten eggs/garlic. Pee-ew!! We have used DMSO in the past on other horses as a topical. She also had x-rays taken of her spine. 

hope getting back x-rays

Per our vet's recommendation, Hope was started on EPM medication. They said early EPM treatment is key, and it wouldn't hurt her. It was a hard decision to agree to treat for the unknown. 

Marquis is given with Corn Oil for better absorption 



corn oil, yum yum?

Our girl Hope took all of the above procedures with ease. Let me tell you it was a lot for any horse, let alone a two year old. The vet was impressed that they did not have to sedate her for the giant infusion needle insertion and standing still for the extended drip-drip-drip to happen.

My heart hurt as I watched Brads dream of raising/training/showing Cierra's off-spring fade away. He took all this better than I did and did not care about his dream. He just wants Hope to be okay. So do I. A reminder that things can change in an instance.

There was daily visible improvement with Hope's gait. Our vet rewatched the nero. exam video's the attending vets took. He changed his mind and is leaning more towards a weird short trim response vs EPM. I read trims can bring pre-existing conditions to the surface. Needless to say, we would be thrilled if this was all a result of a short trim. If so, the attending vet said this would be the most dramatic and unusual trim response any of them have ever seen.

Eight long days later, we got the call. Finally!! Waiting is hard. Hope tested negative for EPM and her spine xrays looked normal. Thank god. 

Of course, we don’t really know what made Hope react like she did. It may not sound extreme, but believe me it was. We are to let the vets know if changes resurface. 

Our farrier will be stunned when he hears about all this. Before you think he did something wrong, know he is a highly respected farrier and did nothing wrong with Hope's feet. There have been many eyes on her hooves. Our farrier has been trimming Hope since she was a baby. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say about her response. We will most likely start trimming her every other 4 week visit.

All is well that ends well.

padame fall update

As you may know, we have been trying to figure out Padame's off/on lameness. In April 2024 she had an MRI. It came back inconclusive. I posted a lameness update in March 2025. As of this date, we are still trying to figure out how to best help Padame with her soreness. Lameness never seems to stop (r)evolving. 

Thankfully, she was able to be shown by her trainer last season. However, Padame required hock injections. If this horrifies you, know leg shots are very common for show horses to be able to repetitively do what they do. Not a big fan of injections in horses, or humans for that matter. It is what it is and comes with the territory. I am not going further into the variety or pro's/con's. I think of them as similar to human's who receive knee/back etc shots. They are intended to help movement be more pain free. No different with active horses. Horse hocks eventually fuze, and these shots are no longer needed. 

The problem is Padame's leg injections were not lasting. She presented sore in a short period of time. For whatever reason, she was not getting the normal length of expected relief from them. Which reveals her soreness is caused by something else.

Fast forward to the visit I mentioned at our trainers. Brad asked me to attend a meeting to discuss Padame's on/off lameness. Our meeting included a horse show friend from years ago. She is a retired small animal surgeon/vet who has been studying equine lameness under a mentor. Her home herd has multiple retired show horses. Some due to chronic lameness. 

Her equine vet mentor is well-known for treating lameness on high end sport horses. I am sure many equine readers have heard of DeClue Equine. The difference with this vets treatment vs traditional equine vets is that she treats with a whole body approach. Traditional equine vets tend to treat lameness legs down. Patching the problem, not rehabilitating the cause. 

Our friend enthusiastically shared what she is studying about equine lameness. The general message was that it often stems from weakness in areas other than the legs. Requiring a whole body treatment approach. She talked about the Iliopsoas (aka hip flexor) being a common weakness in chronic lame horses. Iliopsoas is a non-weight bearing muscle/tendon. Here is a brief article that explains the muscle/tendon. 

For those of you interested in horse movement, below are video's of Padame twirling.

September 2025 (1.33 seconds)

1.17 seconds

Iliopsoas Injuries is a podcast link that was shared with us. With all due respect, I couldn't get past the excessive steak reference. I might fast forward and retry listening. Then again, I cannot keep up with the endless podcast rabbit hole!! 

We, mostly Brad, had a lot to think about. Potential treatments mentioned included a muscle relaxer, Chiro and Body work and progressive light walk-n-trot in hand. Back imaging and a series of back injections were also discussed.
 

Decisions were made in Padame's best interest. Three of us were in agreement on not going the back injection route. Inserting needles between vertebrae sounds frightening. We don't know if Padame actually has Iliopsoas weakness. Chiro and Bodywork helped her improve and she eventually went back to being ridden lightly. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the soreness returned. We are once again back to square one (aka the unknown). 

The next step for Brad's blondee will be hauling her to a specialty equine clinic that provides Thermal imaging. Hopefully it will help figure out what is making her sore. 

Padame needs a new treatment plan. You can't keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results.