Rain and more rain

When I fed the horses this morning, it was sunny and there was still snow on the ground. But the temperature went up to about 50, and by afternoon it was raining. Tonight when I got home and opened the back door of the barn, the sight stopped me in my tracks. With the snow melted, all that remains is various decaying stages of manure. Absolutely hideous, especially as it is mixing with mud. The snow just outside the back door of the barn has compacted into an ice shelf about 3-4" thick. The only thing that keeps me from going flying is the manure that is impregnated in it. Thank god for muck boots! I fed the horses dinner in the run-in shed, and they miraculously went in. Actually, there was quite a bit of manure in there, so I think they figured out it was more pleasant to be under cover. I'll bring them in a little early tonight and take off their wet sheets. They stay amazing dry under the sheets, but their heads and necks will be soaked. Because it's going down into the 20s tonight (crazy weather) I'll have to put winter blankets back on. Is it spring yet?

Wishing for hay on a winter's day

Noble peeking over the fence, hoping I'm bringing her hay.

Busy week

At least the weather has improved since my last post. Well, sort of. Sunny and nice yesterday, so I took my car through the car wash. My reward was waking up today to a wet snowfall. So by the time I got to work in Manchester, it was hard to tell that my car was clean just a few hours ago. Winter in the northeast: if it's dry so your car will stay clean, it will be way too cold to wash it (as in teens or single digits). So when the sun is shining, we all drive around with filthy cars because we don't want the door locks to freeze. Then, when it warms up so that it's safe to clean your car, it either snows or rains. Either way, you've got a clean car for less than 5 minutes. Hardly worth the $6 to drive to run the car through the Laser Wash.

Just for fun, my old mare Noble decided she would like her own blog so she could have her say for the world. She's at The Marezilla Rant. It's quite interesting, and she has loads to say.

Tomorrow it's going to be warm (40's) but high winds and rain, so the horses will have to wear their sheets. Noble especially gets very chilled and visibly shakes in this kind of weather, so I have to keep her from getting soaked through. I think Sailor appreciates staying dry, too. Of course the knuckleheads could always go in the run-in shed to get out of the rain, but that would be too easy.

Right now I'm waiting for my son to call. His plane should be landing in L.A. any time. He's going to visit a couple of friends from high school who are living out there. But I'll worry until I hear from him!

Calm after the storm

It snowed all day yesterday, leaving about 8 inches of heavy wet snow on the ground. So I stayed home, doing stuff around the house. The horses were covered when the came in last, and so wet I changed their blankets. Noble even had icicles hanging off her neck and mane. The coats were actually frozen stiff like boards, because by 9 pm the temperature had dropped to about 20 degrees. Lovely! The only way to thaw them is to bring the heavy things in to the basement. Today is colder, but at least it's dry and the sun is out.
Maybe I'll try out the treadmill that I brought from my mom's house.

Another storm on the way!

Today was the calm before the storm, so to speak. Tonight snow starts, and depending on who you listen to, we're going to get anywhere from 5 to 9 inches of snow. Better than ice, I guess.
Last night I worked an author event at the store. Small crowd, but then it was snowing like crazy (plust high wind) in Manchester. Had a miserable drive through blinding snow and slippery roads for a good part of the way home. But when I got close to NY (I work in Vermont) the snow stopped and the roads were dry.
Today I went down to Albany to visit my mom, then went to my sister-in-laws to deliver my old walker to her. She broke her ankle last week, not as serious as my break 3 years ago (she didn't need surgery), but she's still plenty miserable about her situation. So I stayed for a while and commiserated with her, let her know that it's OK to feel sorry for herself sometimes.
Not much horse time today, because I was barely at home. I hope they don't feel too neglected. But as long as they're eating well, I'm sure all is forgiven.

It's snowing

Just as much of the snow was melting, here comes a fairly big storm. Today started nice, sunny with no wind, but by lunchtime it was getting cloudy and a very strong wind whipped up. By 3 pm or so it looked like blizzard conditions outside. I had an appointment in late morning for a freelance writing job, so I was fortunate to get that done before the snow started. I also took out time to have lunch with my son, which was nice.
The horses have snow built up on their blankets, but at least they are staying dry underneath. Because the temperature is relatively warm (low 30s) I think I'm going to give them both dry blankets when I bring them in the barn. It seems like the wet snow on their necks melts and then runs down along their chests, making the area around the front of the blanket all wet, including a little underneath. But overall, I love the waterproof Weatherbeeta blankets. They're moderately priced, wear like iron, and keep my girls warm and dry.

Busy weekend

The weekend flew by. Went to visit my mom(who's in assisted living near Albany) and brought her some furniture from her house. Went out to dinner when we got home at a local spot. Guess you could call it a Valentine's Day dinner, although that wasn't the intent (wouldn't occur to my husband). Sunday I had to work at the bookstore for a big author event. Guy from the NY Times with a new book (the Inheritance) drew a ton of people, about 250. So I was very busy getting ready and making sure all ran smoothly, which it fortunately did. My reward today was waking up with a nasty migraine that has managed to stick around all day. So it was pretty much a wasted day.Tough family news: my sister-in-law fell ice skating on Saturday night (they have a backyard rink) and broke her leg (tibia/fibula) just as I did 3 years ago. But hers is less traumatic; she doesn't need surgery, thank god. Still, I feel so bad for her, because I know what a long haul she is facing.

Warm-up: Brief but nice

Second try at this post: the stupid computer lost its mind and couldn't save it. What I was trying to say is that we had a brief warmup, with the temperature hitting 50 on Wednesday. I took the opportunity to attack the glacier that had formed in the driveway from the house to the barn. After a lot of chopping, I was able to clear a path down to the gravel. But I'm still wearing cleats on my boots, because the daytime puddles become nighttime ice. Even though parts of the paddock are a little icy, the horses are being very careful and seem to be navigating OK. What's turning out to be an annoying problem is that Noble doesn't think she can move to the outer parts of the paddock. So all the manure is being concentrated in a small area. It's getting really nasty. And I can't remove it because it's frozen to the ice/snow cover. When it warms up, the aroma is rather pungent, shall we say. But it's nothing compared to what it will be like come mud season when it all melts into ankle-deep slop. Thank god for muck boots!

Is it spring yet?

It's only Feb. 9, and I don't know how much more of the cold weather I can stand. If I didn't have two hungry mares waiting for me in the barn, I sure wouldn't have been outside at 7 am this morning. With a little warmup over the weekend, then cold temps again, we have a lovely skating rink that leads from my back door to the barn. It's impossible to get there without cleats on my boots. The worst thing is, I know we have a LONG way to go before winter is over. Up here in northern NY, March is just another winter month. Things will get a little better in April, but that's still a long ways away. I need to go someplace warm! I'm seriously thinking about going to visit my friend Cheryl, who packed up her horses and moved to North Carolina for the winter. She's a smart friend!

Outhouse race followup

Regarding the Outhouse Race pictured yesterday: I don't know if there is an actual "prize" for coming in first, other than a trophy of sorts and bragging rights to the fastest outhouse on the lake! My son's team came in 5th (out of 10). Not bad, considering they just built the thing last week and had no preparation or idea of what they were doing. Beer, however, was involved. When you have a 32-mile long lake that freezes from end to end, people come up with things to do on it. I think there are also snowmobile races, car races, motorcycle races, and ATV races. The festival opened up yesterday with skydivers landing on the lake.
My son's a real Adirondacker - he loves to snowmobile, rock climb, and now he wants to get into ice climbing. The irony is, he wants to leave the area, because he's convinced it must be better someplace else.

Lake George Winter Carnival Outhouse Races

Down the stretch! It's Team Longshots heading for the finish in the outhouse they constructed last week. My son Craig is the passenger inside on the "throne." It was a sunny and beautiful day out on the lake. I guess this is how we amuse ourselves in the Adirondacks!

Another Cielle pic at 5 months (taken Sept. 08). She has her mom's kind eye.

Here's Cielle at 5 months, being led outside by her buddy/barn foreman, Felix, a 7 month-old Jack Russell. She thinks this is perfectly normal to be led by a tiny dog.

Mommy & me!

Here's a beautiful photo taken last spring of my friend Cheryl's mare, Leora, and her gorgeous filly, Cielle (born last April). Cielle is growing like crazy and is now almost 14 hands tall. She's a luv, just like her mom. Leora is an off-the-track thoroughbred who had a nice hunter jumper and eventing career. Cielle is thoroughbred/Hanoverian.

This is a photo of Lake George, looking north toward Bolton Landing, taken Jan. 31 by my son Craig who was snowmobiling up the lake with friends. It looks lovely, but it was cold (only about 20) that day. I think the big mountain is Tongue Mt., and to the lower right is Dome Island, a nature preserve on which people are not allowed. Craig said it was a great way to be out enjoying the lake, even if the water was frozen!