Bellis, "Microsoft", genetic diseases, etc.

Who was it that suggested I potty train Bellis? Kay? I finally had had enough of her pooping and peeing in her stall when she can walk right outside and do it. I thought, well, since she's already inclined to always poop on poop (Mara's) or poop in poop places, and nowhere else, why not try it.

I am such a neat freak I dreaded this, but I purposefully left a pile of manure in a place just 3 meters from her stall where it would be easy to clean up. Easier than in the deep boot-sucking mud she's been fancying lately.

And it seems to be working. It's been about 9 days and she obviously goes to the pile and adds to it nightly. I'm now trying to wean her back from such a large unsightly pile and see how small it can be before she gives it up as the poop place. J asked, "And where is she peeing?" I said, "I have no idea but it's not in the stall!" Yeah!

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Random awesome stolen photo:




Last week J said we got a call from an American telephone number. I blew it off. Today we got another call from this number. Nothing I recognize, thankfully, because I was in a panic - did someone I know die?

It's so weird to hear J answer the phone with "Hello." That is simply not done in Germany. He said hello a few more times and got a lot of static, but eventually someone with poor English said hello back.

"Hello, thees ees Microsoft. Please turn on your computer."

J said, "Hallo, Microsoft? Can you please tell me the number from which you're calling, so I can confirm that you're calling from Microsoft?"

At this point I ran into the room and hit speakerphone.

The man said, "Please turn on your computer."

J repeated, "Give me your telephone number please. Do you understand me?"

The man said, "We need you to turn on your computer."

I started cackling insanely. This was the first and only time I'd ever observed/received a scam telephone call and I was totally amused by it. What a novelty! Also, these people know they're calling Germany, and they expect people to ....speak ENGLISH!? *LOL* Which my husband can do nearly flawlessly.

The man said, "Ees that your wife? Ees that your wife laughing?"

"Yes."

Click. The dude hung up.

OK the scammer didn't like me laughing, and I am a little chagrined that the game was up so quickly.

J googled the telephone number of the caller and it was, of course, a scam, but they don't always use Microsoft as a cover. They use random things, *shrug*

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I was looking at the facebook recently and saw some Arabian breeder in Mallorca celebrating her success. I just find it so odd, the way they schmink the horses here. It is not allowed to trim their whiskers, nor their ear hair (although that is often done despite the rule). So you can take a razor to an Arabian horse's face and get down to the skin around their eyes and nose but don't touch the whiskers! Personally I love the look of whiskers, and I don't mind clipping, I'm kind of ambivalent. But I find it funny when a  horse is shaven and greased up, but his whiskers are oh-so-long catching the sunlight. It's some sort of paradox.

(In Germany horse's whiskers are considered the same as a cat's, necessary for feeling the environment. I admit I used to shave Baasha's whiskers, to make him look proper. And the ears, always. Most importantly, the chin/jaw hair. But I have no experience with a razor.)

Here is a stallion at stud at a popular Arabian breeder here, who is both a CA and a SCID carrier, and the breeder lists their mares that he's bred this year on his profile page. I think this is morally irresponsible. I feel like writing Sax Arabians a letter. When I see WH Justice as a sire, I cringe. You can eliminate this disease, CA, if you care enough. (That is a heartbreaking video of an otherwise robust filly, who couldn't survive because coordination turns out to be important in horses.)




Please note the properly schminkt face, and long whiskers. There are so many horses out there, why would you breed to a genetic disease on the hope of not incurring it...soon?