05/25/2026
I have a new followers (66 away from 1,000 - which is pretty awesome!), so I thought I should introduce myself (or reintroduce myself). So in no particular order:
Right now, I am recovering from an injury I got in January while handling a young horse. Fractured my tibia (that has healed), severed my ACL, and trashed my meniscus. I finally had surgery two weeks ago. Recovery time is a year! Right now, I am on crutches and spend much of my time in bed either with an icing machine or a machine that moves/ bends my leg.
I grew up in Missouri and most years travel back twice per year to the family farm, located in the Ozarks, that my brother and I inherited in 2020. The rest of the time, I'm south of Houston, Texas - sweating in the humidity and praying that we don't get a hurricane this year.
For my "day job", which is also my passion, I run Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, a horse rescue that I co-founded in 2005. We take in abused, neglected, abandoned, and unwanted horses, get them healthy and trained, and then find them homes. I do post my foster horses here.
I also normally garden (not this year, can't wait to get back to it), read a lot, and spend too much time on Facebook. AND I have Vanbasti Farms. We have three adopted horses, an adopted pony, and my mother-in-laws adopted horse plus normally at least a few foster horses here.
Normally, I raise Swedish Flower Hens, a landrace breed of chickens that are colorful and hardy. Unfortunately many of them got taken out when raccoons infiltrated two of my coops so I'm going to have to rebuild.
AND I am a fiber artist. I spin yarn, weave, crochet, knit, and have dabbled in felting, macrame, and making things with a lucet. I haven't met a fiber art yet that I didn't enjoy.
I'm also disabled. I was born with ocular albinism that results in very pale skin and fair hair and low vision. I can't drive because of my vision and enlarge text on my Kindle and computer screens to read. Being disabled comes with a ton of frustration and also a lot of isolation.
I'm also "unapologetically liberal" - I believe that people aren't illegal, love is love, freedom of speech is important, civil rights are crucial, we should demand equality for all, and that we cannot continue without a focus on social justice. I also know that disabilities don't make you "less" and caring for your mental health is as important as caring for your physical health. I do not like what's going on with our country's "leadership" , and I worry for my child's future. I love my friends deeply and fiercely, and if you are reading this I care about you and your success.
I can also be wordy - the curse of a former writer. :)
Right now, I'm struggling because I'm on crutches and can't do horse or garden or chicken things (no garden this year, all my seedlings just died because I couldn't water them).
The injury and recovery are also pretty isolating. I can't get out and most of my friends live far away so I can't visit them right now.
If you read to the end, you get a gold star. And you all get my thanks for being here and for your support.
