We have been staying up way too late watching Cookie!  She is such a sneaky monkey we are still keeping one eye open.  We did put down straw in her stall yesterday because she is getting so close.  No wax, but there have been other years she did not wax either.  Her udder is bigger and her barrel shape seems to have changed.  But that could just be the foal moving around in there.  She is also doing some restless behaviors like tail swishing, shifting her weight, stretching her legs and stamping a bit.  We are getting closer - it’s tough to keep her stall clean now.  Remember her stage name is Cookie Poop Zalott!!  Glad you’re helping us watch, Buddies…Cookie could fake us out. 

Erika fixed up all the water tanks. Some had heaters that didn’t work all the time and we also needed to get a better way to water the back paddock. She’s been carrying buckets out back every day for Phoebe, who would knock them over just to amuse herself. Haley seemed to enjoy watching her do it. 

Zippy’s got stripped out the other day and Erika put fresh shavings down before she brought him in for the night. He absolutely LOVES new shavings so much that, even before eating the grain that was already in his bucket, he dove down into the new bedding and rolled twice. Picture a kid jumping into a play pen of plastic balls and you will get the idea : )

Speaking of Zip, he is going international again. If you recall, a lady in Switzerland bred two of her mares in ’05 and had healthy, colorful Zippy babies last year. At the end of ’06. we donated a breeding to the ApHC in Germany, and the German lady that won it is buying another dose so she can breed two mares. She will be using frozen “essence” and will probably breed in March or April. Zoh…vaht du you tink she vill name dem…….perhaps “Zee Em Ein” und “Zee Em Zwei?!?” LOL!