So I woke up this morning feeling pretty damn clever. I had carefully calculated a plan to avoid the line up at the lab where I had to get some routine blood tests and stuff done. I figured most people would be trying to get in and out of the lab before work, so they'd be there at 7am when it opened, making the place busy. I assumed that by 9am most people would be at work, or so they should be!!! Since i have the summer off, I hoped I'd just be able to waltz right in, pee in the cup, get poked and proded and go home to a giant breakfast since I had been told to "fast" for 12 hours prior....no such luck. I opened the door to the clinic at 8:50am walked right up to the counter where a woman tried to ask me if I'd taken a number, but I didnt understand a thing she said, one of the hundred people sitting in the clinic motioned to the ticket machine. I went over, took a number that said 76 and waited for someone to get up so I could steal their chair. The place was full, mostly of old people, everyone of them cranky since they'd all been fasting for at least 12 hours. When they called number 50, just to check him in, I realized this could be a LONG day. I decided to abandon ship and go home to make an appointment for another day! An appointment, what a great idea, duh!!!

After an unproductive first hour, I devoured a huge breakfast, hey, I'd been fasting, remember? Then headed out to ride my horse. The ferrier was there and he wanted me to hold my horse while he got trimmed. Now, the ferrier, is kind of sexy in a hard working, dually truck driving, big ruff hands, rustic kind of way and though I love my boyfriend, there is nothing wrong with LOOKING is there? Besides, one would have to be crazy to turn down a license to stare at a hard working, dually truck driving, big ruff hands, rustic ass while it was bent over catering to your needs (well your horses' needs?)...right? That is why I agreed to stand in the hot barn and hold the horse, though normally the stable girls insist on doing it. I am sad to report that it was NOT WORTH IT!!! The alleged "rustic ass" was impossible to enjoy as it was overshadowed by the hairy, sweaty crack that kept creeping out the top of the ferrier's wranglers, instead of staring, I spent the hour, avoiding the bent-over ass in front of me and getting snot blown all over me, by my annoyed horse!

The afternoon did have some excitement though. A friend of mine had left me a voice mail while I was in the barn, that her horse, Panda, had gotten tangled in the wire last night and was in need of some medical attention. She wanted me to come over and "help". I went from my stable to the farm where she keeps Panda, an adorable, HUGE quarter horse, her old 4-H project. Panda had definately lost his battle with the barb wire and his swollen, bleeding, ooozing, back leg seemed to tell the story. My friend had been to the vet on her own, it is way to expensive to take the horse there. She came back to Panda with an armful of ointments, syringes and other "sure to work" medical miracle products. We began the treatment by filling the syringe with penicillin. He needed 35ml and the vet had said to administer the drug in two injection sites. I was brave and agreed to "try first." I remembered the special "injection zone" from my own 4-H days, picked a target spot and stabbed the needle in. Panda, being an older horse has been pricked and prodded his whole life, so like a tropper he just stood there. I began to press down on the syringe, but I couldn't seem to make the penicillin come out. I figured I must be doing something wrong, so I removed the needle, and Jamie tried, she had the same trouble. By now, poor Panda has been "stabbed twice" and had recieved zero medicine!!! The owner of the farm came over to help us, damn, I hate it when two chicks look like they can't handle a situation and a man has to come over and "rescue" them. Anyway ofcorse the penicillin flowed easily from the syringe for him, and 4 needle holes later Panda was full of his daily dose! The needle injections were followed by a hose of cold water being held over his wounds, then we used a nail brush to scrape away the scabs before putting the mint smelling green cream on the sores. The whole processed ended with a thorough application of the blue "keep the flies away stuff". When we left Panda, his back leg was bright blue and he was hobbling around his dry pen looking miserable, poor guy! I have signed up to help treat him again tomorrow....the fun just doesn't stop!!!