Good news, bad news

The good news:  I got the job!  Not sure exactly what my start date will be yet, but soon if they can get the paperwork pushed through.  Which is excellent, both in terms of income and on the challenge front.

The bad news:  I knew I shouldn't have unplugged and put away the tank heater.  Winter came back.  Apologies to those of you still suffering in the grip of it up north, and please excuse my whinging, but it's icky out there.  Yeah, yeah, I know - get some crackers and cheese to go with my whine, right? 

Honestly I shouldn't be complaining, since we needed the moisture and I suppose having 10 hours of falling ice pellets was better than 10 hours of freezing rain, right?  I kid you not, either - the ground is covered in a crispy crust that's not snow.  It's tiny little BB-sized ice balls.

We did have some freezing rain, which was miserable, but not enough to make things super slippery at least.  And the thunder just kept on rolling.

So I have the truck plugged back in, broke ice for the horses to drink this morning, and gave them the option of hay in the barn.  During the worst of the falling pellets (we had about half an hour of dime-size hail midday) they abandoned the barn to stand heads down by their ankles, butts to the 25mph (gusts to 35) north wind, along the fenceline.  Must have been too loud in the barn with the tin roof and all.

Except for Rufus they came through it unscathed - he must have gotten himself cornered at some point, because he has a new bite mark and a new scrape/strip of hide missing off his forehead.  He seems determined to be bald, one way or the other! I'd blame the bite mark on Sunny, but Amyra's cycling again, and she's crabby.  She even stood Sunny off her grain pan this morning, and not too much discourages him when there's food involved.  Most days she's willing to share the crumbs without fussing.

Earlier in the winter Rufus was the only one smart/brave enough to stand in the barn when it was nasty.  Unfortunately for him, the rest of them learned that it's much drier and more pleasant in there :(

After grain, they had to be satisfied with hay and the creekbed pasture again today, and Sunny is ticked.  They can hear the front door on the house open, and every time I go out he sticks his head around the corner of the barn and yells at me.
 

Pretty sure that by Saturday they'll be able to go back up on grass, but we'll see how quick things melt and soak in.

Good news!

I am (almost) employed again. I start on July 6th. A bit of commuting will be in order, so time for riding may be scarce, but I'm looking on the bright side - when time gets tight, I always schedule better. So look out Sunny & Rufus!

Foxy - day 3

Foxy was fine last night, which was a great relief. They were all moving with caution, as the lot looked like a chocolate cake batter someone had unkindly poured water into. It didn't smell as appealing, though. And it was slippery.

Having forgotten to put on my rubber boots before wading in, I decided I might as well continue as I started.

[Plug here for Mountain Horse Mountain Rider boots - (I think they've discontinued thesel, or at least they've gotten difficult to find in the US, unfortunately, but I LOVE them.) In spite of the fact that they're leather with laces, I have yet to go home with wet feet after wading through the over-ankle deep slop. Wet pant legs, yes. But my socks are always dry. They're not cheap, but one pair lasts me several years of winter/summer wearing. And I wear them in everything, 'cause I'm always forgetting to put on muck boots.]

On the other thing.... Well - my co-workers were mad, which was nice. I'm still on the lookout for that window to show up, and I have moments of panic now and then, but on the whole, I think we'll all weather this just fine. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers - they're much appreciated, and I'll keep you posted. Unless something major occurs, though, I'm probably going to stick to horse topics here. It's cheerier! :)

Waiting for the other shoe

On the good news front, Foxy was doing much better tonight. We (T came out to give me a hand) soaked feet - rear left & front right - just to be safe, but she was only slightly off trotting, and was standing & walking without favoring anything. Guess we'll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe it was a strain, or maybe the mysterious migrating lameness will be back again tomorrow.

On the bad news front, it was definitely a pink letter day. The economic downturn has hit home here.

My last day at work will be May 31st.

I'm still processing.

It was a surprise,
but not a complete shock,

The possibility's been looming for a while. I was assured of positive references, and that none of this is anything to do with me, personally. Doesn't make it any easier, does it?

So, we have some decisions to make here. Stay? Go? For a job in my field, I'd probably have to relocate, which isn't an unattractive proposition - not entirely, and especially not now. But whatever gets decided will be a joint decision. Rome wasn't built in a day, and nothing's going to get decided tonight, that's for sure.

You know, I stewed all day wondering what the mysterious meeting at 4 PM with the director & provost would be - I knew it wasn't going to be good news. So in a way, knowing was a relief. But I didn't feel better about things until I'd been out to feed tonight. The horses are completely oblivious, happy to be fed, and with warmer weather. Sunny waiting semi-patiently at the gate, hollering when he saw me climb out of the car (he's the only one who does). My fuzzy mental health fix.

I'll have lots to do at work the next couple months getting things wrapped up and someone(s) trained to take over the essential stuff. Unfortunately for those still employed, what I'm doing is still going to need to be done, whether I'm there to do it or not.

And bad as today's news is, we will be okay. Doors don't close without others opening, and I'm doing my best to see the positive side of things. I'm not quite sure what shape positive will take yet, but I know it's there!