Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Out with the old...

Today for some odd reason I decided it was a good day to clean out some of my horse paraphernalia. You know all the stuff that keeping horses requires. Well over eleven years I've accumulated quite a collection!

So, I began with the extra halters/leads box. Found a few missing weanling halters and leads, the pretty decorated halter lead someone sent me for Christmas, a bunch of leads that I can't stand, a bit for a harness I don't own anymore and the missing blanket clips. Why were they there? Who knows.

I then opened the box of brand new lead ropes I'd ordered last month and stored them in the big Tupperware container for easy access. I am making a box for all the usable but I won't use stuff, as I have way to much.

Next box - oh the leather halters I bought and have never used, treat bags, a couple of Mini fly masks - nothing needs to be in here together, so sort sort.

Onward we go to the medicine cabinet. This is one of those places I've avoided cleaning out as it's overflowing with creams, ointments, syringes and meds that all need to be sorted. I start pulling things out and realize I need a better plan, so pull out the gallon ziplock bags and start bagging like with like.

I discovered I have well over 300 3cc syringes, a few hundred extra needles, plus a gallon bag full of 6, 12, 20 and 60 cc syringes. They're all sorted now!

Pull out the bandage box - I have enough to start a triage unit.

Two dozen rolls of vet wrap, assorted tapes, bandages, pads, wraps and sterile dressing, three pair of scissors, seven thermometers and wound wrap to keep me for awhile. Not wanting bad karma I'd like all of that to remain unused - so neatly bagged and re-shelved it's ready. Mind you this is the extra stuff - I have a wound box, that is already packed and ready for use. Someone has been a bit overbuying or not checking what they have...

Also in this jumble I found a few in their package clipper blades, one of the missing clippers, a staple (wound staple) remover, a key to ?, a few unused containers of vaseline, pepto, and baby enemas, two pair of unused leather work gloves, a bag of rubber brands for braiding hair, the bag of kitten nursing equipment (my cats are now 8, so why do I still have this?) and an actual First Aid kit! I know I use to be organized, ugh.

Did I mention I found a bag of gloves the kind that go up to your shoulder as well as a box of surgical gloves? Why I have the shoulder length ones is beyond me as I've never used them. All of this is neatly sorted and put away.

The meds unfortunately are still waiting for me to go through and dispose of properly and I still need to check the fridge to see what meds are in there that are likely expired.

That leaves the 7-10 boxes of blankets, feed buckets to sort, all the halters that need to be washed (I wash them annually), the shelving unit full of grooming stuff, feed supplements, and all the clipper accessories still to go through.

But I'm happy, it's a beginning and will hopefully motivate me to continue as the worst is done. At least I know now I don't need to order syringes again this year, heck I may not need to until 2014 or so!

No comments: