Robin Writes

Meet the newest member of our herd, Virginia Range’s Hallelujah Trinket!

As you all probably know, I’ve been waiting for a foal for months and months—more like years, decades, whatever. Felt like this pregnant mare was taking forever! Daily, usually morning and night, I’d take pictures of Charm’s, um, parts, to check for any changes and impending foaling. Every morning, I’d wait for it to get light enough to see the paddock, and . . . nothing. Nothing but a hugely pregnant horse.

Last night, Charm didn’t quite finish her bucket or clean up her dribbles. She came down to the north paddock by herself instead of eating hay with the others for a while first. She kept warning Cav and Nicky away, but didn’t actually chase them.

Unfortunately, I was laid up with that bad disk in my neck which was killing my shoulder; Advil and a heating pad and feeling miserable was the best I could manage. Besides, I figured I was imagining things and well . . .

So I got up yesterday morning about 6:30, as usual, and peered out into the darkness. No movement. Had my coffee, kept looking outside. Nothing. Did my thing.

I walked through the living room and looked out the front windows just as it got light:

There she was, the teeniest, tiniest perfect little filly, running beside her mama!

All I could do was set down my coffee cup before I dropped it and keep repeating, “Oh, my goodness!” as I grabbed my phone and ran out the door. Charm was trotting around, one paddock and then the next, Trinket keeping pace with her, while I tried to snap pictures.

I was still in my robe and slippers . . .

Hurried back to the house and got dressed. My husband was putting on his boots and asked if I wanted a ride down to the barn, or if I was just going to float—I floated!

Throughout the day, I kept an eye on the little girl. Couldn’t focus on a darned thing. Charm nudged her towards me a few times, but she wouldn’t come closer than a few feet. My husband made Mama nervous too, and sometimes I did as well. Couldn’t be helped—I had to get the paddock cleaned up, among other things.

They came up by the barn for dinner with the others, who were dying of curiosity but too smart to get very close and risk a wallop from Charm. But Trinket came up to the fence where I was sitting and sniffed my arm, and THEN nibbled on my fingers! ❤

About 4:00 or so, when I moved the pair back into their own paddock, little Trinket walked a few steps away and WENT THROUGH THE FENCE into the south paddock. I about had a heart attack. She trotted down the fence line, me behind her while trying to open the gate so Charm could come get her, and popped back through to Mama.

Good grief.

Long story short, my husband and I were putting up wire between the ground and middle boards until 9:00 p.m. In the dark. With rain and thunder and lightning.

Might have to rename her “Trouble!”

I read this morning that a Japanese company was now giving non-smokers six extra days off each year. Apparently, the non-smokers complained that they were working more that their co-workers who smoked, i.e., took smoke breaks.

Everyone knows the dangers of smoking. It’s not rocket science. The first Surgeon General’s report on smoking was in the 1950s and they say it’s worse for you now because there are more chemicals in cigarettes, along with the nicotine.

In the 1970s, the correlating danger of second-hand smoke was brought to the public’s attention and not long after that, one would be offered a choice of “smoking” or “non-smoking” in various venues. That was followed, naturally, of smokers claiming to be discriminated against.

I’ll say it straight out—it’s a bad habit. So are a lot of things. This one, however, does indeed effect everyone around the smoker at the time it’s being done. Overeating doesn’t; alcoholism doesn’t. While these habits may interfere with others’ rights at a later date, they are not so, if you will, “in your face.”

I know a lot of people who have had cancer; only one or two were smokers. The CDC lists the following causes of death in the US, annually:

•Heart disease: 633,842

• Cancer: 595,930

• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 155,041

• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 146,571

• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 140,323

• Alzheimer’s disease: 110,561

• Diabetes: 79,535

• Influenza and pneumonia: 57,062

• Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 49,959

• Intentional self-harm (suicide): 44,193

On another section of the CDC website, they attribute 480,000 deaths to smoking; this ranks smoking as Number 3. Certainly, you could argue that smoking doesn’t help any of these diseases or illnesses and may well cause some of them, but it’s not listed as its own, per se.

As an interesting side note, gun deaths by homicidal maniac aren’t listed at all . . .

But, as often, I digress. Let’s go back to Japan:

I’m a smoker. And I’m a lot more productive at a desk when I can smoke. If I’m thinking about when I can take a smoke break, or trying to get my brain to fire on all cylinders, I’m a lot less productive.

So I’m thinking, why not have a smoking section in the office? Surely Japan, of all places, could come up with a really good ventilation system. Smokers would probably double their productivity on the clock—heck, they might even end up being the ones to get the extra days off!