Warm Tending Toward Cold

Two weeks of spring like weather in January.  Crazy.  Nice, but crazy.  It's cold enough at night that the snow has melted into ice skating rinks any where there is traffic.  Thank goodness for wood pellets.  When it's wet during the day I can lay a thin layer of pellets, they'll sop up the wet, expand, then freeze in place at night.  Makes for nice little "walk way" for me and the horses.  Though, I'm not thrilled with what sticks to the boots and tracks into the house, but better than doing a flip on the slick ice.

Angel started to shed big time about a week ago, Jo has started and the boys are holding on to their coats. I think the boys are smart, 'cause I'm pretty sure we'll get hit with some cold and snow in February.  Angel's stall is 100% inside while all the others have outdoor portions to their stalls, so that may be why she's shedding so bad.  I need to hunt up the shedding blade.

The hay bales I have this year are 115 to 120 pounds and boy are they hard to move.  I am sooo careful, but still, I managed to wrench my lower back a couple days ago.  Popping asprin and icing my back trying to calm it down.


I've been taking Sarah Labrador and BayLi Rat Terrier out for a run with the ATV.  Sarah gets this big smile and runs and runs and runs.  She loves the winter running.  She has a hard time when it warms up, that double coat keeps her too warm and she just withers, but oh, come winter and you can see the joy in her eyes as she lopes along in front of the ATV.  I let her choose the speed and her speed is around 10 MPH.  I love that look of joy she gets.  BayLi loves to go out, but he's more interested in the smells than the run.  Haven't been taking Jack JRT out, he thinks he can handle it, but I don't think so.

I ran out of suet for two days and the birds all left and haven't come back.  LOL.  Ungrateful, fickle little buggers that they be!  I do hear the chickadees and nuthatches in the trees though.  They come in now and again but they sure don't like that thistle feeder.  I see them try it, but they don't stay long.  Not sure why they don't hit up the suet as they leave, but they haven't been.

I was invited for a ride out on the desert a couple days ago.  When I went to hook up the trailer, the darn thing had fallen off it's blocks.  By the time I found the jack and got organized, I decided I was just not suppose to go.  Probably could have made it, but I would have been frazzled.  Darn, I really wanted to see  the trails in this particular area.  One of the few I haven't done yet.

Suppose to cool down a bit for the next week.  Well, I better get the ice pack and go nurse my back for a bit.  Probably do some reading while I do that, there sure isn't any thing on TV.  I mean, really, there is nothing worth wasting your time on.  I know, we need another cop show!  LOL.

Sunny Winter Days (Big Smile)

What a beautiful day.  After spending the last week reclaiming stalls and buildings from the flood waters, things are looking pretty good.  At least for now.  I imagine we'll have lots more snow and then the inevitable spring melt and mess, but I don't have to worry about that right now.

One of the Northern Flickers had another tussle with a couple Stellar's Jays this morning.  Last time the Flicker gave up but he held his ground this morning.  Not going to make him leave that suet until he was darn good and ready.  LOL.  The Jay's were even trying to physically move him, but no go.  They all got plenty.  I see a Nuthatch out there right now.  I put a thistle feeder out but none of the little guys seem to like it, they ignore it and go to the suet instead.  Ah, well.

I really need a hair cut.  It's driving me nuts.  I finished stall clean up and am going to go take a nice long shower, then head into town and get a hair cut.  Hope ya' all are having as nice a day as we are here, later.

Friends That Transcend Place and Time

The cold/flu that hit me last week seems to have pretty much moved on.  Just a bit of sniffles left.  We had a few beautiful winter days, cold but sunny.  Now, it's warmed up, the sun is hiding and it's just a bit dreary outside.  The snow no longer has that fresh, crisp quality, having melted into a mass of white with no real definition, just there.  Instead of that black blob from Star Trek, it's a menacing white blob.

Took a picture of the windmill.  It was completely covered in snow last week.  Now the snow has settled and melted and the wind vane has re-emerged to show that there is a bit of wind out there today.  The top is about 4 feet, so still a bit of snow out there.

I had a visit from an old friend, Ellie, over the weekend.  She lives over in the valley, retired professor at the University.  It was so wonderful to spend time with some one that was not only like minded but such a kind and caring soul.  She brought and left behind a peacefulness that I haven't felt in sooooo long.

It was an interesting weekend!

An Unkindness of Raven

The horses think that the name for a group of Ravens is quite appropriate.  An unkindness of Raven.

In the winter with the packed snow, if it's not raining or snowing, I'll put the horses hay out on the packed snow, then toss their pellets on top of the hay.  They either get complete cubes which are quite large and require a lot of chewing or they get a low starch pellet which is rather small and apparently the perfect size for Raven.  Tonight they got 2 pounds of low starch pellets on each hay pile.

So, I fed and then a bit later when going out to the garage to get some thing, I noticed quite a lot of activity in the horse paddock.  I stopped and looked and saw black wings, the occasional Raven head and horses chasing them and apparently not winning.  I don't have the best of views from the garage, so after a few minutes of watching and thinking it quite funny that the Ravens were stealing the horses pellets,  I decided that I really ought to put a stop to it, since I really don't want Raven poop all over the area.

The Raven had a look out in a near by tree and I didn't get half way to the barn before they all took off.  OMG!!  There must have been 30 Ravens, the sky was black as they took off.  No wonder the horses were losing the battle.  They weren't all that upset, just irritated.  LOL, guess they didn't get a full ration tonight, may have to go toss them some extra hay to make up for it.

I'll have to stay in the barn tomorrow night and see if the Raven come again and if they do, maybe I can get a picture.  Maybe a bit hard since it will be near dark, but it would be a cool picture.