The back side of winter...at last!

Winter's back is finally broken...we hope. Temperatures soared into the 40's on Monday; a promise that spring was truly coming. As snow dripped off the eaves, it even sounded like spring. We tapped the trees, the sweetest joy of spring dripping into the buckets.

But without the proper rise and fall of temperature, the sap won't flow. Thursday morning brought more snow in a short-lived blast; enough to cover the roads. Just another "ha-ha!" from Mother Nature.

With the snowbanks still a few feet high, the woods remain inaccessible by horse. And there's still a good 12 to 18 inches of snow in the pastures which keeps our horses hemmed in to their small patch of tramped out space. I attempted to pick the manure out, but I needed the sled to haul it away while post-holing up to my knees! I'll be happy to see the back side of winter this year.

I think the wildlife will be happy when winter ends as well. A bald eagle soared over my truck and landed in a pine near the Great Works River this past week. Out for an early morning hunt, only to find the river frozen? Maybe the bird was hunting the recently awakened chipmunks that I've seen scurrying over the snow. Last week, driving to the barn, John and I saw a herd of deer moving up the powerline and into the woods. John caught the last two curious stragglers with the camera.

And across the road, the horses watched the deer herd with pricked ears.

The cleared roads and drive have given John an opportunity to work with Ruffy and her driving. She did well, considering the lack of work she's had all winter. She got a little sideways and stiff, ready to go like the ex-racehorse she is, but I was impressed by how well she did.

We traveled up to Buxton for another load of hay last Friday. With winter hanging on, green grass seems a long ways away. As the snow slowly recedes, we New England horse folks will be snatching up whatever hay is available. It will be tricky to get the grass to come in and not get torn up by hooves during mud season. I suspect we'll have to sacrifice one pasture to save another.


Rain finally came this afternoon, but we're supposed to get another 1 to 2 inches of snow tomorrow...ooh boy...

Dog days of summer are here

Snack time!

This is the kind of weather where it's so hard to get motivated, even to ride. Hot sultry weather seems to stuck in our neck of the woods with no relief from the rainstorms that passed through last night. Despite the icky, sticky weather, John mowed the ring area (yes, the grass was taking over) and now we'll need to disc it again before dragging it. Then he mowed around and between our garden plantings, while I weeded by hand, whew! The squash, potatoes, corn, and peppers seem to be holding their own against the wild radish invasion! I even found two zucchini in the nick of time--before they became monster squash with no use.

After the mowing was done, we decided to brave the heat and take the girls out for a little jaunt. Harley has broken out in hives again (something hatched or the no-see-ums attacked), and the fillies have minor cases, as does Vance. So, no saddle for Harley again.

We walked up the power line and down through the woods to the Orris Falls trail, all the while, swishing at the darn deer flies swarming our ponies. They were absolutely awful and the girls were most unhappy, tossing their heads, swishing their tails, even breaking into a trot to get the heck home as soon as possible! I can't say I blame them. All they really wanted was a nice cool shower and to stand in the shade with a fan blowing on them. And that's just what we did, along with giving everyone a little snack. Stamping off flies and standing in the dirt, no grazing in the buggy fields, leads towards weight drop, so the snack/indoor break gave them a nice reprieve.

Then a big storm blew in with blue-grey clouds that burst open and poured. No thunder and lightning, like they predicted, and not a lot of cooling, but the brief respite felt wonderful. I stood in the barn doorway, getting misted from the blowing rain--ahhh!

Rain, rain, go away!

Hey Ma, where are the carrots?

It's now rained every day since last Saturday. My knee is still not quite healed up--if I have to bail out again, the landing wouldn't be pleasant. So if I'm going to miss out on riding, it may as well be this week. Each day I go out to the barn, Mr. Muddypants needs a good solid hour of brushing. If it ever warms up and dries up, Harley is getting a bath! I suspect the mud keeps the bugs at bay; he and Vance are the two pasture piggies.

Last night, I called Harley to no avail. I had to walk within 20 feet before he acknowledged my presence. But it took Vance's interest in my carrot bag to get him to move. Once Vance headed my way, Harley came at a trot--he's not going to miss out on a treat. When I left, I stopped at the bottom of the hill to give Harley a good night pat--he wanted more carrots.