Catnap

Goals

I have never been one to make New Year's resolutions.  It's always just seemed like another day to me.  The horses still want to be fed, the barn still needs to be cleaned, the dishes washed, etc.  I have been sort of drifting this past year though.  Granted, the last few years have been very demanding and draining.  Buying and selling property, building a house, retiring long term equine partners, finding new ones, donkeys, Ramsey(!)...it has been a busy few years and I kind of took 2013 off.  I needed it, but I don't want to get lost in the drifting either so I decided to try to make a list of some of the things I hope to get done this year:

• Plant a decent garden.  This has suffered the most in recent years, being totally overshadowed by other projects.  I'd like to grow some real food. 
• Make a container garden on the deck away from marauding deer and moles.  This has been part of the plan all along and I would like to make this happen this year.  I think I have finally figured out how I want to do it, I just need to get it done.  The most frustrating part of gardening is dealing with the damned thieves.   
• Ride more.  My horse and I both need this. 
• Get a saddle that fits both Tessa and I so that the above might be possible.  I wish I could just go bareback, but my knees can't take it. 
• See the orthopedic specialist to find out if anything can be done to help bad knees.  I have an appointment the end of Jan.  Those will be some interesting x-rays.
• Get a harness for Emma and train her to actually pull something.  Not anything real heavy, she is too young for that, but she she is certainly ready to move up to the next level and actually start driving. 
• Keep studying and working on hooves and nutrition.
• Build the steps off my back deck.  This is something that should already be done, but has been pushed back repeatedly.  For whatever reason, it feels like an overwhelming task now.  The longer I put it off, the bigger the job seems.  If I could just start it, I think I'd be 90% done.
• Finish interior of house.  This is the other job that keeps getting bigger the longer I put it off.  The biggest problem here is that I just don't want to deal with the mess and upheaval that comes from any interior building project. 
• Add a second coat of paint to upper story of house.  The original coat was sprayed on by the building contractor and it is already in bad shape. 
• Fix trim around doors.  This is one thing that the building contractor really screwed up.  All the exterior trim around the doors was improperly installed and has already disintegrated.  It needs to be redone completely before the doors themselves become damaged. 
• Figure out how to fix the other mistakes that the building contractor made, such as the leak under the west wall in heavy rains and the electrical outlet that does not work.  These things drive me crazy, not just because they are a real problem, but because they are the things I decided I should leave to the "professionals".  
• Don't leave anything up to the "professionals" without making sure I understand exactly what is happening.
• Plant more trees, mostly more evergreens that will act as a windbreak, but I'd like some other species as well.

You know, I think I should stop there.  Goals are good, but now that I am actually writing out a list, I keep thinking of more things to add to it and this could get out of hand in a hurry.  One of my other goals for the year is to try not to expect quite so much out of myself and be a bit more forgiving towards myself.   I think that will be the toughest thing on the list.  It will be interesting to look back at the end of the year and see what I think of this list then.

The Love Affair Continues

Remember the love affair Tessa started with the Old Red Dragon last summer?  It's still going strong...

I've tried to explain to her that this match will never work out...the forty year age difference, the problems with inter-species communication, the hazardous chemicals....You know what it's like trying to convince a teenage girl that her inappropriate, older boyfriend is bad news though.

"You just don't understand him Ma.  He may not say much, but that's because he's the strong, silent type."  *sigh* Just wait till summer when he's out charging and roaring round the fields again.  Oh the fun we'll have....

"That horse is crazy, who'd ever want to mess around with a tractor?  Traffic cones are so much nicer after all."

Border Relations

"You better stay where you belong donkey or I'll bite your nose!"

"Oh yeah dog, c'mon, try it."

"Mom, she's looking at me."

"Mom, she's LOOKING at me!  Tell her to stop LOOKING at me."

"I mean it donkey, you stop staring at me or I'll bite your nose."

"Who me?  I'm not looking at anything, I'm just standing here, minding my own busuiness.  What's your problem anyway?"

"Mom, pleeeeeeease make her stop LOOKING at me."

"C'mon dog, put your bite where your bark is.  I dare ya!"

"BOTH OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF!  Tanner, go play Jolly-Ball.  Emma, get in here and eat your breakfast."  Sheesh, kids these days!

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.

We've Made it This Far

So far, the only casualty is one frozen pipe.  It hasn't broken yet (knock-on-wood) so hopefully I'll be able to get it thawed out without damage.  It is PEX at least, which is less likely to rupture and easier to fix than copper or plastic.

Tanner is less than thrilled, but is hanging in there...

The donkeys are also less than thrilled, but also doing OK.  They haven't been out of the barn in two days, but aside from boredom and getting tired from bracing against cold, they are doing well.  All attempts at restricting calorie consumption have been suspended for the duration, free-choice hay and straw for everyone.

Tessa, in her sleek otter-pelt, is just about impervious as long as she can be out of the wind.  She has even ventured out for brief forays, but the wind sends her back to the barn after a short time.

And oh, did the wind howl last night.  This is always a horrifically windy spot and I had some serious qualms listening to the groaning, creaking and thrumming of the barn and house roofs last night and felt the walls quaking.  It's all still standing thank goodness.

Down in the town, they reported -35 wind chill.  It had to be closer to -50 here at my little patch of paradise.  Between the howling gales and the gunshot explosions of flash freezing all around the house, it was a rather noisy night.

The cat has found herself a hay-cave somewhere in the hay shed and only comes out for brief appearances.  She is probably the warmest of the bunch.  It might get up to 10 degrees tomorrow.  If the wind lets up, it'll be downright balmy.  Maybe I'll be able to get the donkeys to leave the barn for a bit.

I hope all of you and your animals are safe.

Warm Thoughts

Remember a few months ago when we were complaining about the heat and humidity?

 When gardens were growing...

Flowers blooming...

Horses grazing....

Donkeys playing. 

When I was worried that the baby Barn Swallows would die of heat stress....

and breakfast meant a short walk?

Yeah, I'm having trouble remembering all that too right now.  I hope everyone else out there getting a crash course in the meaning of "polar vortex" is doing OK.