Monday, February 9, 2015

Day 24: 10 Things About Me That Often Surprise People

1. I have the hide of my horse Skye hanging in the shed, waiting to be processed, and the hide of my pony Gram in the freezer waiting for the same. I know it sounds nasty to a lot of people, but my figuring is that it is a way to keep a remembrance of them. And their hides are just going to rot otherwise. My Dad is the one who did the actual skinning process, but I will do the processing. I’m not sure if I could do the skinning. I probably could if I didn’t have anyone else to do it, and I could definitely do it on someone else’s horse. These 2 horses though were very special to me, so it would have been a challenge. We’d have sent them to be processed, but either people won’t touch a horse hide because they don’t have experience with them, or they charge something like $500, which I can’t afford.

2. I love creepy things. Especially books. I love reading stuff that is going to totally freak me out. Peretti, Dekker, etc. However, I usually don’t watch horror films and such. First off, it’s not as scary when it is someone else’s imagination showing me what is scary. And second, they’re usually gory. Or lame…For example, Paranormal Activity was on tv a while back, and I watched it until I grew bored and asked myself why the heck I was wasting my time. I love the show Supernatural, because it is creepy, but does not contain a lot of gratuitous violence (it’s violent sometimes, but not overly), but I don’t like The Walking Dead, because their scare factor seems to be things jumping out, which I don’t care about, and it’s just violent and freaking gross. One of my favourite creepy things is The Oath, by Frank Peretti. I usually read it once a year or so, and it creeps the heck out of me every single time. But I can lay the book down and go outside in the dark by myself without any problems. 

3. I’m pretty OCD. Most people laugh at that, because they think of the type of OCD where everything has to be in order and spotless. Not exactly the way I operate. But I am the type of OCD where I count things, I will adjust my gait so that I start a staircase on the correct foot. I’ve gotten better with it, and I can force myself to use the wrong foot or to not count, but I feel very strange and wrong for a while if I do.

4. I watch America’s Next Top Model. Not religiously, but I rather like it. Well, except when they start fighting…

5. I am incredibly germaphobic. I hate shaking hands with people, and touching doorknobs and such. Animal germs don’t bother me. I’ve helped birth horses and then fallen asleep (I usually sleep in the barn after the birth) with amniotic fluid still on my trousers and most likely on my hands. But human germs? Yuck…

6. I actually like having pictures taken of me and wish I had friends who took pictures when we hang out. Especially if it's a situation (like a wedding) where I am dressed up. I always end up with photos of other people and rarely photos of myself other than selfies.

7. I love watching bull riding and bronc riding. I actually did a lot of research on it several years ago and learned that, at least at the professional level, it’s very humane and the animals are well cared for. And less likely to die than racehorses...(Yes, I used to like watching horse racing as well, and I’ve sort of gotten over that…). Bull and bronc riding are some of the very few sports I will actually take the time to watch on tv.

8. I’m not shy. I feel awkward talking to people, but I’m perfectly able. Usually though, I don’t care. And that’s the reason I don’t talk to people. Especially when it’s all about small talk. I know that I won’t remember the details I learn during small talk (my brain just doesn’t operate that way, it’s not a matter of being a jerk), so I don’t want to do small talk, knowing that things will get awkward if I ask a question that has been answered previously

9. We give our animals shots. Other than the dogs because in IL, you can’t legally vaccinate your dog for rabies on your own, you have to have a vet do it. But I have given a lot of injections. To horses, cats, and even a mini donkey. And, strangely enough, sticking a needle into an animal really doesn’t bother me in the least. Except with kittens that act as though they’ve been harpooned.

10. Despite the fact that I regularly walk barefoot on stones, or in water or whatever, I cannot handle having anything in my shoes. One of the most terrible feelings is when I take my shoe off because I feel something in it, but it’s something so small that I can’t find it. And then I take my shoe off a dozen times to try to find whatever is in it, but I can’t. And wet socks...if someone tracks snow into the house, I’d rather walk through the cold puddles barefoot than get my socks wet. Wrinkles in my socks are also horrific.
 

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