Fizzle?

Is it me, or are the trees getting a bit fuzzy?

We had a skiff of snow Thursday night.  Enough to put a light white layer on things until about 10 AM.  There were all sorts of dire warnings about sleet and freezing rain, which I was just as glad not to see materialize. 

It was pretty, but not enough to settle the dust on the road. 

It wasn't even that cold.  But it was supposed to be just a preview.

The weather service has been building up winter storm Virgil for the last week.  Severe winter weather alerts have had the cats going puffy and staring at the weather radio, radio announcers have been warning everyone to stock up and stay home, events and what-not have been canceled for the weekend, the county's had the roads chlorided (or whatever that spray stuff is they put down) since Thursday....  And what do I see when I look out this morning?  A few measly flakes.  

Well, okay - it was coming down pretty good when I went out to feed this morning, but not sticking much. and the temps were still in the low 30's.  The radio's still yelling about 6-10" and northwest winds gusting to 30 mph by evening, but the Weather Channel says 1-3"... well, "Today" says 1-3" - the Winter Weather Warning says 3-5", but the future cast radar thingy makes it look like it's going to miss us to the north.

Whatever.  I'm declaring an inside day and catching up on the vacuuming.

Snow D(el)ays

Listening to the radio Wednesday-Friday was less music and more a litany of closures.  We ended up getting about 18", which is fabulous.  Weather service says we got just over 1" of moisture.  And since the ground wasn't frozen pre-fall, it's soaking in nicely.

Although waking up Friday morning to 4' was a bit of a shock.

Friday a.m. : 4'F and sparkly

We didn't bother trying to get anything cleared until Friday.  It didn't stop snowing and blowing until late Thursday night, and the county didn't get the road plowed until sometime Friday afternoon anyway.  Thursday afternoon the snow was knee deep for a 1/4 mile in both directions.  Although once you got to the top of the hill in the wind, it was probably only 8 or 9". 

I know this because T called the cow neighbors and the horse neighbors Wednesday night to let them know that a) we'd water the cows, and b) if the road was impassible, we'd walk up and check on the horses and make sure they had water.  The cows were no big deal, but the horses required a 3/4 mile slog up the hill.

Knee-deep, but oh so pretty

Snowshoes would have been helpful.  But we made it and got the ice busted in the tank.  They have a round bale, so other than that they were good.  The gray mare was uninterested in visiting, but the sorrel gelding would have happily had us stay and scritch indefinitely.

They could hardly contain their excitement - lol!

By the time we got back the wind had switched and the flakes were getting bigger.  The horses were bouncing around, kicking up big puffs of it.

Snow ponies

Cat 1 attempted to venture out of the granary for his evening visit while I hayed the horses, took one leap, and sunk up to his ears.

See the ears? Not a happy cat.

He was very quick to return to shallower ground inside, and spent the next 15 minutes complaining at me from there.

Clearing the driveway Friday morning was entertaining from a spectator's standpoint.  Not so much - or at least less frequently - from T's.  I shoveled the front while T did battle with the driveway drifts in the bobcat.  The temps and the consistency of the snow made it really slick.  That blue cast to things is probably not entirely from the snow... I sweated more, but he did more cussing.  Never a good sign when I can hear him although way up the hill over the engine! 

At one point I thought he was going to take out either the fence or clip a power pole, but he's handier than I am, and all and sundry made it through unscathed.  Midway through, the cow neighbors appeared with their bobcat/blade and between them they got things cleaned up double time. 

Saturday warmed up considerably.  I did outside stuff to the tune of dripping and snow sliding and thumping off of tin roofs.

Snow calving off the granary roof

And I took my turn in the bobcat, cleaning out the turnaround at the mailbox.  At 32', the snow was getting heavy and wet, and the tires had a lot more traction.   I was very pleased not to be dealing with the slide factor!

They're predicting we might get another 8-12" over the next two days.  Woo-hoo!   

I don't think he wanted his picture taken...

And then it SNOWED!

The smart horse is in the barn

Not sure whether Mother Nature decided to take pity on us or finally got tired of all the whining about how dry it is here but whichever, we're getting some precip.  It's hard to tell for sure because of all the drifting, but I'm guessing about 9" of snow so far. 


We didn't get quite as much overnight as they'd predicted, but it picked up with a vengeance about 9 AM, the flakes got fatter and fluffier, and for the last couple of hours the trees down by the creek have been invisible.  T called up the hill yesterday and let the cow folks know we'd water for them, and they reported they'd fed extra heavy yesterday so that if they couldn't get here today, the cows would be fine.  Good thing, too, as the plows haven't been out our way yet.

T declared us snowed in and called in to work.  We'll get the driveway bladed once it slows down some.  For now we're tucked in with plenty of hay, or hot chocolate, books and lap cats, depending on our respective locations.  Not a bad way to see out the storm.

Recipe: Barbecue Chicken Breast w/ Jalapeno Beans

We actually got a couple of inches of snow today!  It started about 1 PM as nearly invisible flakes, and by 4 o'clock it was snowing to beat the band.  I made it to the dump with another load of assorted nail-studded boards and half a truckbed of "it's biodegradable, so we can just leave it sit in a mound by the barn" bale wrap somebody didn't dispose of properly. Grrrr! Along with a few more odds and ends of things, I got another 420 lbs dropped off.

After a stop by the library and the grocery store, with the snow picking up, I headed home for evening chores pondering what to make for supper.  Personally I love soup, and the slow cooker has had a workout these past few weeks, but I know T prefers to cut something with a fork at least a couple time a week so....

I had some chicken defrosting, but not a clue what I was going to do with it.  Our usual fallback meal is stir fry, but I wasn't in the mood.  After some browsing around, I decided to experiment. T says this is definitely repeatable, so I figured I'd share.

Barbecue Chicken Breast w/ Jalapeno Beans

1T. oil
3 small/med sized onions
2 chicken breasts
1/2 container honey mustard barbecue sauce (or to taste)
5 or 6 (more or less if you like spicy or not) slices of pickled jalapeno
1 can of Great Northern beans - do not drain

Add oil to a large skillet.  Slice onions and saute with jalapenos over low heat until translucent.  Adjust heat to medium, wait until pan is hot and add chicken breasts.  Sear chicken until golden brown on both sides (3-5 minutes) and onions have caramelized.  Reduce heat to low.  Add barbecue sauce and beans.  Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender (at least 30 minutes) - the longer it cooks, the better the flavors marry.

Serves two, but would easily stretch to three or four with the addition of a couple more chicken breasts and another can of beans.

I served it with homemade bread and butter for mopping up the gravy, and a tossed salad.  Sorry, no picture.  The steam from the pan kept fogging the camera lens and I finally gave up.  I guess I could have taken one of my plate, but by the time it was on the table I was too hungry to be thinking about photography! 

First Snow

Okay, so it's October - nearly the end of October even - but still, the white stuff yesterday morning was sort of shocking given the fall weather to date has been sunny and unseasonably warm.

And the white stuff wasn't pretty and fluffy, either.  It was cold, damp, grey and blustery out there.  The snow was just wet enough to sort of stick to everything.  Raw gusts slapped at us, periodically sending globs of semi-frozen slush smacking down - invariably catching the gap at the back of my collar and running ice water down my neck.

The ponies looked resigned, tucked out of the wind with their coats all fluffed out.  They followed us up to the bale to see what we were up to, but didn't linger.

It was chilly up there, and the rattling noise of slush-balls letting go to fall on dead leaves and dry underbrush had them pricking their ears and swiveling their heads around to see what was sneaking up on them.

Moisture = good, but I sure wish it would have come earlier in the month as a nice, warm rain!

Snow be gone!

Put in just over half an hour with Sunny yesterday - 50's and melting slop had me shedding layers and keeping things slow.  I came home liberally splashed and splotched with mud, but completely happy.

The snow is disappearing quickly, soaking right in - which is great, considering how dry it's been.  I don't want to see a spring as wet as last year, but some moisture is welcome.

Didn't saddle Thunder, but I did take him out and do some groundwork with him. If/when Sunny and I head for the show ring this year, Thunder will be going too, and since we haven't reached the point of under-saddle classes, I'm going to see if we can't at least do some halter.  It's not my favorite thing, but it will broaden his horizons which is the important thing.  

One goal yesterday was just some separation time for both boys - breaking up the normal routine a bit.  They're both copacetic when it's them that's leaving, but they don't like being the one that's left behind. 

There are tiny spring green grass shoots poking up among the dead brown winter scruff, and Sunny was eager to snatch a few so once I had his saddle off I let him nibble for a bit.  The best spot was out of Thunder's sight, and that had him racing and whinnying.  Sunny wasn't concerned.

I offered Thunder the same opportunity when I had him out, but he was content to stand, soak up sun and let me brush him.  Unlike Sunny, Thunder assumes that when he's attached to a person he needs to focus. Good boy!

For your viewing pleasure...

14 seconds of winter, for those of you enjoying a more southern climate...

The boys are tucked down in below the tree grove out of the wind, soaking up some surprisingly warm sunshine and shedding. 

I came home covered in pony hair.

Snowy Day

Pre-mud pretty

We haven't seen much white stuff this winter, so it's easier to appreciate the picture it makes coating everything before it melts into the mud I know the boys are going to be wearing sometime soon. 

Frosted

The tree grove where Sunny picked up all those burrs earlier this winter - all it needed was a cardinal or two.


Little glops and glitters of snow were just starting to blow off the trees - it was calm when I drove out, but the wind was picking up. 

By the time I headed back into town the trees were shedding their coats like crazy and the ruts in the snow on the road were filling in.  Unless there's more snow than the 4-5" we got, the plows don't run past the farm.  One of the neighbors down the road has a plow, and he clears the mile from his house to the blacktop, but once I turn the corner I just have to cross my fingers that the road hasn't blown in too badly, or that someone's been through before me.

The first couple of winters I lived out here before I bought Sunny, when I was just riding the farm owner's horses, I had a small car with only front wheel drive - there were weeks at a time that I couldn't get out to the farm.  Four-wheel drive is a wonderful thing!

Sun, snow, and mud

Just watching the weather forecast for tomorrow, and it isn't pretty.  Looks like wind and winter weather for the next week or so. Given that it's nearing the end of February and it's been an amazing "winter" thus far, I guess I can't really complain.  It does make me very happy that I got a ride in this afternoon, though, 'cause it looks to be the last one I'll have on Sunny for at least a few days.

Monday brought us 4.5" of heavy, wet snow - yesterday temps crept into the mid-30's, and the bright sun melted it off the sidewalk where I'd shoveled, but it was chillier than I wanted to ride in.  It would have been PERFECT snow for towing a sled behind a horse, but everyone I could have possibly convinced to give it a try was working :( 

Today it was supposed to be windy and rainy, but at 2 PM it was nearly 50', calm, and the only clouds in the sky were a bumpy white and grey line to the south.  It sure didn't look like rain, and I figured even with snow I could do something with Sunny.

Shedding season has started

Sunny, thankfully, wasn't terribly muddy - he must have found a drier spot to lie down, because Thunder was a mud ball - and I had him cleaned up and tacked up in fairly short order.

Before

 

 

Other than my tracks across the field from yesterday (G was clearing the driveway with the tractor when I got there, so I parked by the mailbox and cut cross country) our practice field was pristine.  See the dip?  It bisects the field in big L-shape.  When it's dry, I ride right on over it, but when it's wet and sloppy or snowy, I try to stay on the inside of the L to cut down on the slip & trip potential.

After

I only rode for about 30 minutes - it was sloppy on top, muddy underneath, and although I didn't notice while I was riding, the temp started to drop while I was out there - what I did notice was the snow/mud starting to ball up in Sunny's hooves.  I wasn't pushing things anyway, just some slow work on collection and leg yields, but I didn't want him to come down on a big clump of icy glop and strain something, so I figured we'd quite while we were ahead.  Sunny was listening well and staying nice and light for me, and even though it wasn't a long ride, I was happy with it.

"Stop taking my picture and undress me already - it's nap time!"

 

I really wanted to get some video of how beautifully he's collecting, but since I can't be in two places at once... here's one round of cute pony ears, saddle squeak and snow squelch, and absolutely no collection whatsoever. 

Sunny with Slush

Woke up at 5 a.m. to temps already in the 40's, and it only got better from there.  No wind and sunshine.  Amazing.

Irresistible riding weather.  At noon I hauled the English saddle and the rest of Sunny's stuff to the car and headed out.  Interrupted the boys' nap time, but I wasn't too concerned about that.  Sunny's had upwards of two weeks off, so I was curious to see what I'd get.  He heaved a big sigh when I buckled his halter on and plodded along through the sloppy lot beside me. 

Once he was clean(er) and dressed, I picked our way down the slope of the driveway carefully - muddy spots interspersed with tire-packed snow made the footing less than ideal.  But Sunny's hooves cut into the slushy top layer much better than my boots - the advantages of four feet!

I shed my vest before I got on  (I'd already ditched a sweatshirt) - even just my turtleneck felt like too much, but taking that off too wasn't an option - lol! 

The snow in our usual field was a pristine blanket 3-4" deep and semi-slushy.  The snow wasn't balling up in his hooves, and Sunny didn't seem to be having any difficulties keeping his footing, but I decided as we shushed along the curve of our first big circle that we'd stick to walking and trotting - no sense taking a chance on him slipping or hitting something hidden in the snow.  I know there are no holes or big rocks out there, but the level snow was disguising several substantial dips and with only memory telling me where....

Ten minutes of warm-up, then I worked on getting him collected and really differentiating rates of walk.  Shoulder in, haunches in, and some spirals.  Sitting trot, and more collection - I did my best to just feel how collected he was getting, rather than tipping my head down to see what his head and neck were doing.  He's gotten much less heavy in front - especially considering where we started last fall.

All told, about 40 minutes - he's not getting as much exercise as he was, and the footing was increasingly sloppy.  Even just walking and trotting, the periods of collection were hard work - he was happy to pause for a breather periodically, and to take the opportunities to stretch I offered.  Overall an excellent ride, and the weather is supposed to be just as nice tomorrow so we should get to go again.  I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

Our post-ride circle...

Back up in the lot I left Sunny guarding a post after I brushed him and checked his feet for driveway gravel.  Thunder's turn - oh, nothing major, but I've been doing some thinking, and I decided I wanted to try him in the same type of bit I use on Sunny, rather than the D-ring snaffle with rollers that I'd put on him previously.  Since Sunny's bridle was right there handy, I figured no better time than the present...

You know, I learned something that surprised me - their heads are the same size.  Appearances sure are deceptive.  I would have bet money that Thunder's long face would require letting the buckles down at least a hole on each side.  Not so.  It must be Sunny's dish that makes his face look more petite...

Not his color, but the size is right

Anyway, I definitely like the way this headstall in combination with the full cheek snaffle fits Thunder much better.  The bars on the D-ring are straighter and thicker, and it was clunking against his teeth when he mouthed it which I really didn't like.  The slightly narrower, more shaped fit of the bars on Sunny's bit let him nom-nom-nom away without any painful sounding clunking noises.  Once he'd had a few minutes to chew, I did some bending exercises with him, and he was much quicker to respond, so I think practicing in the sidepull halter did some good, as well.

They both seem to have enjoyed the afternoon as much as I did, because they were hanging over the gate when I left.

Hopefully they'll be as pleased to see me tomorrow!

Tomorrow, we ride!

I've always wanted to say that - lol!

Today, we played.  I buckled Sunny's halter on and hopped - or wriggled - on bareback and Sunny and I made a foray up to check on the gate they escaped through on Wednesday.  No hoofprints even close to it, so apparently they haven't been that eager to repeat their excursion.

In fact, there weren't too many tracks out into the snowy fields they do have access to.  Today was the first day since the snow that the wind has really died down, and from the looks of it they've been content to shelter in the dip where the bale is and munch.

Thunder didn't join us.  He's long since realized - as Sunny has - that these treks of ours around the fields, even when we disappear from sight, are of short duration.  He cocked a hip and watched up go, and didn't stir himself until we came back, when he moseyed over to have his ears rubbed.

I didn't ride for long - out away from the protection of the tree grove and hill the tiny breeze was enough to chill my fingers and toes, and I was sorry I'd shed my gloves before I got on.  I buried my fingers in Sunny's mane and steered with my legs.  We half-passed slant-wise up the hill and managed a fair turn on the haunches before making our way back down.  Spiral in, and trot off, slowing to walk the perimeter where the snow cover could potentially be hiding things to stumble over.

I practiced trying to stop him just be breathing out and pressing my seatbones down into the warmth of his back, but had better luck just breathing the word "whoa".  Instant stop, just add w-word.  We backed a circle, then walked forward into another spiral in.  Another halt, then I asked him to flex to my knee in both directions, and then repeated, but this time asked him to step over with his back end until he was straight again. 

Touching my toe with his nose.

For such a short-necked horse, he really is pretty flexible.  Sunny was warm and willing under me, the sun certainly felt good, and it was fun seeing his tracks marking our maneuvers through the frosting of snow.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 40's and sunny again.  Crossing my fingers that the weatherman isn't being too optimistic, because I really want to get a serious ride in!

Spring?

Some, feeling generous might call it that.

I suppose, on the bright side it's wetter, rather than whiter...
Still,
I have to say, my mood rather matches Sunny's - cranky.

The ponies remain woolly yaks,
for which I'm grateful.
But is a week or so of actually sunshine
really too much to ask?

Needless to say, no riding this weekend. The gravel roads to the farm were 6" deep in semi-frozen slop on Friday, well nie on to impassible with slush and mud on Saturday, and rutted and nowhere near to dry on Sunday. I worried about high-centering or entrenching the Blazer - should have taken the big truck, but didn't want to linger in the rain unhitching the trailer. (And by no means was I subjecting Sunny to a trailer ride over those roads for anything less than an emergency vet-trip, which thankfully we didn't have.)

Here's to some sunshine for Easter!

Storm weathered

8" of new snow and a day later...

Waiting on the tractor

The sun was out, and the roads out to the farm were semi-passable - if you had 4-wheel drive, enough horsepower, and ample clearance to bust through the drifts without high-centering, cause the plows sure hadn't been through! - although the temps were discouragingly low. Shiny clean new snow isn't terrible, I guess.

The ponies bounced around doing the "horrors! it's a tractor-dance" while T pushed the bale forward - chasing one another in loops, bucking and kicking for no apparent reason and generally being super silly. I expect they were glad it wasn't snowing any longer, either!


(Please be kind and ignore the nasty sagging woven fence in the background - there is a line of electric up to keep them out of it, and that whole section is on the "spring-fix" agenda.)

I know, that doesn't look like 8" of snow, and actually it's not - there. The lot is in a nice little hollow, and combined with that treegrove it keeps the snow amounts way down when the wind's out of the northwest. Saturday morning the wind was out of the southeast - never a good direction as it's the one angle they don't have anything to stand behind, so I was really glad to see it switch later in the day, even if it meant colder air was moving in.

But I waded through some lovely (deep) drifts to get the gate open for the T & tractor, so I can tell you exactly where some of the snow that isn't in the lot went!

Yes, it's another blizzard

Spring flowers will be waiting a while longer. We had 6" of new snow this morning when I poked my head out. We had a brief lull, but it's settled back in with a vengeance at this point.

I ran out to take care of the ponies before noon, not wanting to risk additional accumulation and drifting - with just the light wind we had last night there were 8-10' runners across the oil road in long stretches. The county plows hadn't been out yet, so cleared road other than a few brief wind-scoured sections ended at the city limits. All the local churches canceled services, so even at 10 a.m. I had pristine snow to plow through once I turned on to the gravel. Which, since I took the dually, wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Depth perception was a shade iffy though, since the whole world was white, so I was pleased to not hit any 2' deep monsters.

I'd fed heavily yesterday knowing this was moving in, and distributed even more to the various feeders today just in case the roads are bad enough we don't make it out to the farm tomorrow. We're supposed to have at least another 6", which actually isn't terrible - it's the what the wind will do.


That's what SafeTravelUSA is showing for SD at present - isn't it all that red just purdy?

The only good news is that with the wind having switched around to howl down out of Canada, the horses will have the treebelt for shelter - well, that and the fact that President's day means I don't have to try to make the trek north until later in the afternoon tomorrow!

Winter driving

I don't always love driving in the winter, but the snow does make for some pretty dramatic scenery on occasion!

We had gust to 40 mph yesterday and a dusting of snow in the morning.

For the most part the roads were dry and clear underneath, so my trip home didn't take any longer than usual, although they were letting schools out early in a lot of the little towns.

Probably due to the side roads - I hit some nice drifts on my way out to feed later in the afternoon.

I was glad to be home, but could happily have driven a couple more hours watching the drift pattern in the changing light.

The ponies?

Out of the wind and napping. They wandered over to see what I was up to, then headed back to loaf.

Happy Valentine's Day

Guess what we got? More snow and lots of wind...
The howling outside had the cats freaking out. But at least there was some sun, and with enough layers it even felt sort of warm. Or at least not too terrible if you could manage to stay out of the wind.

When we got to the farm the driveway was drifted in badly enough that even 4-wheel wasn't going to get us up the driveway. We hiked up. I headed out to hay the horses. G was hooking up the trailer to deliver a load of sheep, so T hopped in the tractor to get the drive cleared.

Which, of course, had to be just a tiny bit exciting.See the trailer? It was sitting half into the ditch. The driveway's glassy-ice under the snow. G turned and the trailer just started sliding. The pick-up's white, so you can't really see it, but I think it may have a new dent or two from the mailbox.

The horses found the un-sticking process must-see TV. Me? I stayed busy with the hay. It was much more entertaining from a distance - LOL! They eventually unhitched the truck and used the tractor to push the trailer back on to the road, and G headed out. I fussed with the horses and played with the dog while T finished cleaning up the driveway.

My camera has decided to do weird things in the cold. See the lower right edge of the middle picture up above where it looks sort of spliced? Well I didn't Photoshop it - and I also ended up with this one. Both of them look perfect in the previews, but when I open them...
Not sure what's up with that. Hopefully something a change of batteries and/or a new disc will fix.

Let it snow...

I hate to keep writing about the weather
but given the season,
there doesn't seem to be much else to write about!

Friday almost looked pretty - sunny, shiny....
See the cloud bank off there to the west?

It was a real low cloud.

Still, not too bad.
The drifts on the road out to the farm
are really piling up.
And the fog was moving in.
Half a mile later, no more sunshine.
At that it still looked better than yesterday.
New snow and a good strong north wind.
That's road there in front of us -
don'tcha just LOVE winter?