Happy Tuesday Everyone!
I am still having fun thinking about my BARN 55 visitors last weekend. The weather has been very nice and I’ve been able to spend lots of quality time outside with all of my paddock buddies.
I also want to wish my dear friend, STEVE HASKIN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He is a fellow Aries and celebrated his special day yesterday! Cheers to you, STEVE! May you have a fabulous, healthy and happy year!
The photo above is TOO CUTE! Tim is holding MY CAKE! Earlier, I played with a cupcake for a moment to have a taste of frosting, but my REAL BIG CAKE was one made up of all of my favorite foods. Claudia Rubio helped put it together for me. She cut up big pieces of pears, apples and bananas and layered them on whole carrots with the green portion decorating the outside of the box. Then shredded carrots were shaped in a BIG Z on top! It was rather heavy to carry…so Tim helped out. It was absolutely delicious!
There was so much ‘Z CAKE’ that all of my barn friends were able to have a GENEROUS portion and help celebrate with ME. WE all agreed that it was not only a clever type of cake to create for ME…but extremely tasty too!
March Madness ended last night with the Championship Game. Kentucky made it to the Final Four and in itself that is a great accomplishment. Butler and UCONN played last night for the Championship with UCONN winning! Congratulations to them…and all of the teams who worked so hard during this tournament!
Now, our TOURNAMENT begins tomorrow. It is getting exciting! BRONZE #19 is really curious to see who her new owner will be! GOOD LUCK, Everyone!
With Love,
Hugs to All~
Z
Sharon Call
@KaryR. I certainly understand how you feel. Please consider this. Some of the people that have posted about a lost pet have admitted that they haven’t been able to even say the pet’s name until they posted on this site. Being able to do that one thing is the beginning of healing for these people. They can say that name on this site because of the love, caring and understanding that emanates from here. This is because of our shared love of Z. Being able to talk about these things can be extremely cathartic and at certain times, eveyone needs a place to go to where they can say their feelings without being criticized. Let’s keep this web site a haven for everyone (yes, even the trolls – it’s easy enough to ignore them and they don’t last long), those with happy stories and unhappy ones as well. We all go to that place at one time or another.
sue
Too Cute, Zenny! Your cake and you :)
You bring such joy into people’s lives, Zenny. When feeling stressed, we come to this site and read your diary–and voila, we feel much better about the world. You have a magical effect on people, Zenny :)
Ann
Zenyatta, wonder if I am feeling like you did before a big race. The suspense which surrounds the bronze is building…I think the winner should be flown to Lexington to have his/her picture taken with the Real Zenyatta. Good Luck to everyone. Stay healthy and happy, Zeny.
sue
Karey: That’s okay–if people want to use this site to express their sorrow. You don’t really have to read all the posts. Just read Zenyatta’s entry! Have a wonderful day :)
shemas
Oh my Zen, you look so gorgeous in this picture. And your cake! That has got to be the most colorful festive cake I’ve ever seen. What a delight! You look quite interested!
I’m also fine about being low key about your upcoming pregnancy. I totally understand. I could imagine how I might feel. A little too much pressure and stress.
Best of luck with you and Bernie. Just let us know if you’ll be having a baby shower … hhheee !!
hugs and snuggles
Gloria Elio
Will you be going to “visit” Bernardini
any time soon or is it too late???
Luv ya Z…….
Robbie Pfeufer Kahn
To Livey, Ivy, and Karey R: I agree with you regarding postings that can be traumatizing–whether they be about human loss through death or the difficulty of illness or accident or the emotional costs of life’s disappointments as well as the loss of a beloved animal or of cruelty done to animals.
Personally, I feel uncomfortable reading such emails and responding to them. Kathryn Cogswell on the other hand has the gracious ability to embrace these posting and at the same time make clear that she cannot adequately respond to them. About one posting above, Kathryn said: “Please don`t have second thoughts you wrote this; just understand that, reading it, and hoping to presume any answer to it, seems inadequate to the loss, and the cost to you, at least for me. Still, I am so grateful you wrote; and that, at the end, you could say ‘sometimes our hearts do break in order to expand,’ to allow healing. Really, for me, it`s the best response imaginable.”
I think that how each of us expresses ourselves and responds on a social website is highly individual and the sometimes sharp variations need to be respected.
There is no obligation to read all the posts on Zenyatta’s website.
Karey R
Lisa g, Jane in Novelty, livey, Sharon Call, sue, and DJ – Thank you all so very much for giving this ‘sadness and cruelty’ request some thought. I do understand that part of Zenyatta’s healing powers here have to do with everyone being able to say what is in their hearts, even if that means it is hard to read. I definitely support all the healing that can happen here, and with all the loving ‘regulars’ on this site, I think lots of healing is possible. As a psychotherapist for many years, I guess my heart is already full to the brim with sad stories, and I will find a way to manage that without asking favors of you kind people.
DJ, please know that I care very deeply about what has happened for you. My problem is that I care too deeply I think.
Please don’t let my extra sensitivity stop any sharing that the spirit of Zenyatta might heal.
Karey R
Robbie PK, We were writing at the same time. Thank you, too, for giving this some thought.
Ida Lee
Jane in Novelty: my puppy’s name is The Cisco Kid or Cisco for short. He’s a 10 lb. chihuahua who was found in the streets and brought to the shelter. He’s completely insane, steals my underwear and shoes, harasses the cats, has pooped on my carpet 3 times, and won’t let anybody rest for a second with his nuttiness and constant need for attention….I’M SO IN LOVE!!!!
Trina Nagele
To all in regard to the sadness issue raised by Karey R– Perhaps when we are writing something especially sad–and particularly if it involves reporting an act of cruelty–we might post a little ALERT before that section as a warning for those who are not up to reading about something horrible just then. Then they can skip ahead uninjured.
Trina Nagele
@Ida Lee—Congratulations on your new puppy Cisco. I’m so glad you went to a shelter to get your ten pounds of LOVE!
Trina Nagele
@DJ I want to recognize that you did put in your own ALERT (as I suggested above) by introducing your story as “a sad one”–so sensitive souls (as we all are) were warned–but maybe that warning could have been even stronger, given the nature of what happened to Becket. You write vividly, from the heart, and powerfully, and I thank you once again for sharing with us. I look forward to your comments.
Sally (B)
@DJ; @Sharon Call; really enjoyed your words.
@ Happy Harriet; Oh, I surely agree with having strict rules set in place through especially the most important months of a foal and of Z’s. Lane’s End may not even permit visits to Z in her paddock even in her 7th month or later. I will respect that. Nothing comes before Z and her future baby Z. (Sometimes for me it is wishful thinking to see her later in her pregnancy) Your praise for Dottie was really well stated. Thanks
Karey R
@Trina Nagele – Thank you very much for your excellent idea. The “ALERT” warning shows respect for all of us – those who wish to share the details of traumatic situations, and those who would like to read through the posts without fear of being traumatized. Since this is the end of a diary post, not many folks will know of your idea, but, again, I thank you most sincerely for validating the issue with such a caring, democratic, and effective solution.
Jan from Georgia
Hi, Little Tige!!
Wanted to congratulate you and your team for receiving the “William H. May” award!!! WooHoo!! You Go Girl!!
This has got to be my favorite pic of you yet!! love it!!
Kathryn Cogswell
Dear Trina: You have tapped to a ‘golden mean’ for addressing what options visitors have in reading stories here. A simple and elegant solution. When the village green sifts through how to vote, listening to others` wishes surely helps reach Karey`s ‘caring, democratic, and effective solution.’ Robbie`s balanced appreciation for readers w/ lapses, not in empathy, but in capacity to answer, was welcome. Thank you, All.
Amanda Gilliland
My Sweet Lady Zenyatta, Great photo of you. Your cake just looked so good I would have loved to have a bite. I like all the ingrediates. I love the fact you shared it with your friends. I look forward to more photos.I’m excited about the contest Wed. Good luck to all and I’m really happy to whoever wins Thanks Dottie for the post. I love you Zenyatta!Sending Hugs & Kisses With Love From Alabama, Amanda G.
@ Dawn & NIK-Thanks for your kind words for my loss of my family member.
lizzy
What a beautiful surprise after a brief absence from this site. We are evolving on here as posters. What a wonderful gift you gave a poster(s) on here who shared her thoughts in a honest and raw way. I think our ‘hearts have broken open.’ Congrats to the insightful and moving thoughts and receiving KareyR’s post with such pure intention. Wow, just wow.
Vicki B.
@Karey R: You may miss this, as it’s a day late, but I’ll give it a shot, anyway. I liked all the comments about handling sad posts, and the ALERT suggestion. I do know what you mean about being so sensitive, that things can cause anguish for days. I often avoid such things (like awful news stories).
But when it’s too late, and it’s already been triggered, it often helps me to just write for myself about whatever’s hurting or bothering me. It helps me to just “let go” about it, and I often can sort it out, without worrying about an audience.
Just like those who wrote about their sad stories, I thought it was good you wrote some of yours here — about being sensitve to it all. That’s also healing.
Karey R
Vicky B – Thank you for your caring and considerate response. I believe a number of the regular posters have responded in ways that are helping us all feel more connected and supported, whether we want to report the details of a deeply sad event or whether we want to avoid reading those difficult details. The spirit of Zenyatta nurtures us through the traumatic events of sadness and through sensitivities to those topics. With the kindness and compassion shown here by all of us today, my guess is that kindness and compassion will continue. And perhaps an ALERT sign when appropriate too! Obviously there is wisdom among us as we help to create a safer and even more nurturing community. We’re working on it together! As always,it’s especially important to have EARS FORWARD!!! Some ears with cotton, some without. :-)
Karey R
Vicky B – Yes, it’s time for me to do some
writing about these sensitivities. Good reminder. Thanks again!
Carolyn Allen
Happy Birthday Zenyatta and may you have many many more. Love you girl!
Kathryn Cogswell
Checking the TROTTSoCal site for a different search, there was a link to featured articles highlighting the work of Karen Murdock, ‘a psychiatric nurse for 25 years .. . and for more than 30 years . .. an avid student of many forms of human & animal behavioural training.’ By the spellings and her accent, Ms. Murdock`s British origins are clear. Her work w/ a damaged horse, Lukas, are linked to YouTube, becoming a near-phenomenon. She bridges similarities in the re-learning capacities of all creatures; human, plus animals great & small. Bringing your grains of salt to any online lessons are a good idea, but the connection to TROTTSoCal gives the link credence; the videos on the page were glitchy, but maybe it`s just my reception.
Kathryn Cogswell
Karen Murdock`s work with Lukas: http://www.horsehero.com/editorial/?feat=40074&page=1 appears under the title, ‘THE ART OF KIND TRAINING,’ 21 January 2010 ‘A Horse That Gets E`Mails?’ Another one.
Jane in Novelty
Zenyatta’s done it again. Her special way through her website has brought together such good people that are so willing to understand anothers point of view. Special thanks to the folks that brought this website to fruition and keep it going. It’s been said thousands of times, all creatures great and small, God loves them and made them all. Now and then someone like Z comes along and puts a light and smile in our life that we would never imagine could happen.
Lisa g
@Kathryn Cogswell: I wastched the video and read the article, admired the pictures,
thank you for the website. I will have to get on Lukas FB…asap.
Lisa g
@DJ: There is no need to apologize for your post. We can pick and chose what we read, and as for saddness…if the stories told did not make one sad, tearful, or heartbroken…I would say something might be wrong with them…Please I give you back your apology…not necessary here. Love and prayers, Lisa g
Paul
Zenyatta, you must be trying to make me hungry with all those pictures and descriptions of the food that you had for your birthday. If you are, it worked. This was a birthday celebration to remember and I hope that all of your birthdays are like this one was. Did you see the National Championship which was won by Connecticut? Everybody is saying it wasn’t a very good game because it was one of the lowest scoring National Championships in history. I can’t wait for your championship to start and to find out the winner of the bronze.
Robyn Mullhausen
How clever of Claudia to make the perfect Birthday Cake for you!