Monday, November 14, 2011

Community - a gathering and Lily Update

I was telling my DH about Carmon, a woman I've never met. I was talking to my friend, KC about how I feel I missed an opportunity to meet her, but she was too ill when I was last in New Mexico. Soon, we wrote to one another. I'd be back in New Mexico. It wasn't my fault or hers that we didn't meet.

We met as we could, here in these little thin lines, in the glow of a screen. (update. I just learned Carmon moved on last Friday. )

....

It's funny how close I *think* I am to everyone in this little space of pixels and white. How vested, intertwined, I feel about everyone who reaches back when I reach out (I know others just come by to merely read, and that's fine). Yet I realize that we all have a glimpse of each other, and that these connections feel sadly lacking when a member of this group is hurting, or down.

Two years ago I had a wonderful opportunity to widen my circle of "bloggers I've met."

Carmon reminds me that I should find more ways to do that. So I'm going to give it some thought. Maybe a ride in the spring, somewhere in Texas for the folks here. Maybe just an extra day in a journey to the east coast to manage a lunch with someone. Sometimes words, even heartfelt ones, seem too thin to hang a friendship on.

Or maybe it's just natural to yearn for a bit more.

But let it start with just this, this one opening. If you find your way to Austin or San Antonio, drop me a line. Lunch is on me.

------------


It looks like Dr. Google was right. The tests on Lily came back positive for the bacteria with a name longer than I care to remember - bottom line we've got Pigeon Fever, midline edema edition.

Her swelling is down and she's in her very own paddock well away from the herd. I don't know that it'll do much good since she was oozing all over for a day, but luckily this condition is merely disgusting. She has a HUGE hole in her belly from where the abscess was, and we've rinsed it out once. She has to stay apart from her herd mates until it closes up shop in a week or two.

I miss my sweet Lily ride, but it's nice to have only one horse to work with. Hopefully Smokey and I can get some good work in over the next few weeks. I'm working on head dropping and getting that side pass cleaned up. Maybe we'll do some trails this week. The weather is beautiful, a little drizzle, on the warm side. Perfect riding weather. Hopefully we'll get some of that done soon.

Hope all is well with you!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

And if you ever get to Chicago or Wisconsin, let me know . . .

Glad you got a definate diagnosis from the vet - hope she's all better soon.

Dan and Betty said...

Those of us in New Mexico would love to have you back again - you too, Kate.

Dan

Jan said...

Story, what a heartfelt post. I know what you mean about feeling like we know each other from our blogs; I feel the same way. It is a nice community of horse lovers who share and write and read, and encourage and offer suggestions. It also makes me feel like I have friends all over the country, and Canada! But it is so kind of you to open up even further and offer to buy lunch! I wish I could come and visit!

So if you are ever in Richmond, Virginia, I'll buy you lunch!

I'm glad Lily is doing better. What a difficult illness it is. Glad you had a good time with Smokey also.

the7msn said...

I missed an opportunity to meet you when you were in Albuquerque, which I very much regret. I can only hope that our paths will cross in person sometime soon.

Mikey said...

If you want to come to AZ... we're here, the coffee is on! I will miss Carmon very much. I was blessed to meet her briefly and she was simply a wonderful person.
Glad Lily will be better soon and you know for sure what it is. That helps.

Funder said...

I'm so sad about Carmon too. :( I read her blog for years - even before I started my own. She touched so many lives!

I have a couple of other blogger friends in Texas, so if I ever make it down there I'll definitely look you up. I've got an open invitation to people passing through Reno!

John and Regina Zdravich said...

I feel the same way about the people I "meet" on the blogs -- I refer to them all as "my blog friend" even though we have never met.
Anyone coming thru Northwest Indiana is welcome to visit and have a trial ride with us!
So glad the situation with Lily is not serious....

Fragrant Liar said...

Yes, I've met many great people through the Interwebs, and even some I've met in person. They are all very special to me, and I think these days you can never have enough friends anyway.

Still, glad you are my bestie in real life. Whenever I see you again, lunch is on ME. xo

Fragrant Liar said...

P.S. So sorry to hear about Carmon.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

I keep coming back to comment on your post, but then I just can't.

Carmon's passing has really devastated me more than I thought it would. I had contacted her a few times about getting together, but our schedules just never worked out...and now I feel so lost that I allowed schedules to come in the way of getting to know such a kind, wonderful lady in person. I can never get a second chance either.

When I began blogging, I didn't take it seriously...I just figured it was a light-hearted forum for journaling with a message board of sorts.
But after 5 years doing this blog thing, I should have realized that it would be impossible not to get intertwined into the lives of those people, whose blogs I've followed for such a long time.
And I should have realized that over the years, some of us will go through good times and bad times, and even some will experience tragedy.
Still it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

I'm so glad that I made the effort to come out to the Mark Rashid Clinic and the Blogger's Meet-up dinner a couple years ago. It was wonderful to meet you in person...and Smokey, too.

~Lisa

Achieve1dream said...

I was sad to learn about Carmon too. I stopped in on her blog every once in a while, but didn't read it regularly. I'm really not sure why. I think it was in my list of blogs to catch up on and I never made it that far. :( She will be missed far and wide.

I hope I can meet some of my fellow bloggers someday. It really does feel like a big, happy family. :D

Eek on the Pigeon Fever. It sure seems to be going around huh? I hope she heals up quickly. :)