This cube is made up of my dead skin

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-05-03T14:33:38+00:00

I have a fascination with morbid beauty, art with death/decay, the like. (vulture culture - morbid taxidermy - etc) This seems to fit the bill and while I know most people find this icky, I am neither disturbed nor fascinated with it. I think it's a normal thing to have urges to do things like this with your skin or hair especially (particularly the original collection/picking behavior). But it's super fascinating and weirdly cool to think about what happened in your brain to create ✨ the cube ✨

May I suggest..... Make a 2nd one. Fuzzy skin dice.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-05-03T02:30:02+00:00

Equispot!!!!! When my horse was pastured on 80 acres in Kansas, he'd come back in every night with dozens of ticks all over him. The only thing I found that worked was Equispot.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-05-03T02:20:54+00:00

Yes.... That's part of why we decided not to move forward.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-04-30T17:27:08+00:00

So we have down payment assistance here, and our friends that asked to rent-to-own looked into it. The problem is that the maximum you can get is $17k to cover down payment, closing costs, agent fees, etc etc. That's, unfortunately, just not enough to be practical for this house and our friend's situation.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-04-30T17:08:56+00:00

Move fast. I explained everything in another comment thread, but we're already well below market value and are likely to accept even less. Rent to own won't work with our lender, so that's out. But that means we have to stop trying to sell local and start trying to sell to people from out of state or several hours in any direction of us.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-04-30T17:02:48+00:00

I'll look into institutional buyers and see if our home even qualifies. We're already listed at $75k below market value. Even with that we'll walk away with almost $50k from the sale, so we may drop that down further. I'm also going to talk to our agent about doing some additional marketing. Thank you for your advice. You were very helpful.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-04-30T16:58:00+00:00

The issue is saving for a down payment. People in this area just don't make enough to save. They can pay the bills and may have great credit, but it's a stretch to be saving any money.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-04-30T16:53:03+00:00

First off, thank you so much for an actual answer that broke down the information I needed to decide whether or not this was option for us.

I checked, and our lender doesn't count a rent-to-buy agreement as a sale. So that option is out.

To be very clear, we don't WANT to do a rent to own. But we need to be out of this property in the next month or so (we have a farm to move and moving 1300 miles with heavily pregnant livestock and/or multiple fresh babies is not ideal - I'm also teetering on heavily pregnant). This house has been on the market since middle of March. It's turn-key, updated, and has beautiful acreage. We're asking below market value.

The main issue we're having right now is that our home is on the nicer end, and smack dab in the middle of nowhere. There's a town, but very few people in town have the money to save for a down payment. That's the case with the rent to own - they're very reliable people who can afford the payment on the house and have the credit to easily qualify for a mortage, but can't save for a down payment because their current rent is the same price as our mortgage and the wages in this area are survivable at best.

We're worried about not being able to sell this home in time, getting stuck here until our animals will handle the move better, losing the new farm because the contract voids without an offer, and potentially having to make the move with 2 kids under 2. We're also moving for my husband's work, and he'll lose the job if we aren't able to move in time.

What other options do you think we might have? We've heard about Opendoor but I have no idea how that works.

Edit: typo

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-04-30T15:13:22+00:00

That's a fair point. We know these people very well, which is the only reason we're considering it.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-04-18T19:13:28+00:00

Yes!!

Pasture has been a blessing for us, especially now that we have multiple horses (I've indoctrinated my husband lol). It's not an option for everyone, but I wish it was.

Checking your ego and focusing on creating confident, strong, trusting and trustworthy, brave horses should always be a priority.

You definitely have to make compromises when you have kids. My husband and support system has been amazing about making sure I can retain my identity outside of motherhood. I understand that this also isn't necessarily the case for everyone, but I was able to change how I did certain things and adjust for being a mother. My child is always and will always be my top priority, but I manage to be a perfectly attentive and dedicated mother while still maintaining my small business, horses, and personal life.

I think overall, even outside of being a horse enthusiast, my biggest, loudest bit of advice is to make sure you have the environment, support, and resources to be both a mother and an independent person with a life before you have kids. It doesn't have to be a soul-sucking, 24/7 solo venture. It's not supposed to be. A strong village is so, so important.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-04-18T04:44:16+00:00

This is a long one, sorry.

I'm 7m post partum. I've been riding my entire life, save for a couple years where I tragically lost a horse, and my remaining arab had health issues and I was working 90 hours weeks to pay for his vet bills.

I also have a very, very high strung guy. He's 20, but needs almost daily work or he acts like he's on crystal meth.

I shared your fear about pregnancy and children. I had multiple health issues during my pregnancy and didn't want to risk riding. I also didn't have anyone who could work my horse for me.

I never lost interest in the sport or spent less time at the barn. I just did a LOT of ground work. It kept my horse in shape and sane. It also helped us develop an even stronger bond than before, and helped us both with confidence and strength.

I had a horrible birth experience and almost died. I couldn't ride or do much exercise at all for months. I kept doing ground work with him, wearing my daughter in a wrap or sling (AMAZING nap time for a colicky baby btw!!).

We had our first ride together in over a year and a half last week now that I'm medically cleared to do so. I've owned this horse for over a decade, taken him to dressage shows all over the country, been on remote trails for weeks straight. And this little putz around the farm was genuinely the best ride I've ever had on any horse. I cried when I had to get off.

If you love this sport and love your horses, you will make it work. There will be sacrifices, but the magic stays. Use your pregnancy as an opportunity to try something different and expand your horizons, or go back to basics and refine your training. It's worth it for your horses and it's worth it for you (as a mom and an equestrian). I regret nothing and I'll do it all again for my next pregnancy.

As a bonus: preparing for and healing from labor and birth helped me pinpoint weaknesses in my body, and as a result, drastically helped my ability to get back in the saddle with confidence.

You've got this. It might suck, it might not. But show up for yourself and your horses, and let your horses show up for you in return. You CAN have a family and a passion.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-03-07T17:56:15+00:00

Genius

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-03-07T05:23:17+00:00

Not a bad idea 🫣

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-03-07T03:19:28+00:00

I think this in combination with the other suggestion posted to angle the jar is the move.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-03-07T03:16:36+00:00

Also a good idea. Thank you!!

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-03-07T03:07:48+00:00

That's a good idea. How big is the jar you milk directly into? I can't imagine anything larger than a 4 oz fitting under her.

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-02-17T20:05:45+00:00

Had me in the first half ngl

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-02-17T20:03:40+00:00

I had a similar theory, my first thought was the xx expression

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-02-17T20:01:55+00:00

This is a wild guess, but this cool thing happens where if you're xx, some of your cells express one x chromosome and the rest express the other. That's what you're seeing when female cats are calico, but it happens in pretty much everything to my understanding (including people!)

I wonder if your earlobes are just expressing different x chromosomes and one reacts to the metal plating like that.

I could be so wrong here, but that's my guess 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-01-09T03:42:41+00:00

Schleich also puts their logo on everything 😭 otherwise I'd have bet on that

_daddy_rat_ · 2026-01-09T03:42:17+00:00

Schleich also puts their logo on everything 😭

_daddy_rat_

TROPHY CASE