Almost Like Florida

Well, maybe not quite, but it was 20 degrees today, sunny and NO WIND.  The wind up here sometimes seems like a living, but mindless, thing that can't be reasoned with or ignored.  It was a nice day today though, a very welcome break.  I got all the water lines working properly and nothing broke, yay for PEX pipe.  If you ever have to do a lot of plumbing, go for PEX.  It's so much easier and more forgiving than any other options.

The donkeys got to be naked for a while and we even braved the ice and went for a short walk.  Cynthia asked if they wear their blankets 24/7.  Generally, yes, but I take them off whenever it warms up enough.  Except for those really cold days, when I didn't want them to get any more chilled then they were already, I always take them off once a day to check for rubs or problems.  On sunny days like this, they love to poof themselves up and sunbathe.

Val asked how much snow we have....we did indeed get rain last weekend, before the cold hit.  We had about a foot of snow on the ground, but it got rained down to just a couple of inches and then froze hard.  It is now a slick, crunchy crust.  I had to convince the donkeys that it was safe to walk on and it is not easy for them.  Their small, sharp feet break through about every third step, making for jarring, difficult footing.  They've got it figured out now and are moving around more though.

Whatever isn't covered in snow, is covered in ice.  This is actually quite an improvement, you could have ice skated down the middle of the driveway yesterday.  Thank God for studded snow tires.

One of the many benefits of allowing horses and donkeys to come in and out at will is that they learn about bad footing and how to handle it.  Horses kept in stalls tend to get really nutty and when turned out, want to race around.  In my experience, almost all major pasture injuries happen when horses are turned out after a period of long confinement.  That doesn't happen if they learn how to cope with everything as it comes along.  My crew didn't explode out of the barn, they tiptoed out very carefully and studiously avoid the icy spots.

Check out all the faces, these guys never fail to make me laugh....

Good thing we had a nice day today....snow tomorrow, rain Saturday with flood warnings, snow again by Tuesday...the psychosis continues.  I am so stink'n sick of weather.