Snow-pocalypse

I was getting all excited about the coming spring.  The grass was starting to appear, robins showing up, and the tree buds are starting to plump up...

Robins:  February 22nd, 2012

But then we get a rude wake up call...  Winter isn't quite done with us yet.  A good ol' winter storm to dump about 8" of snow on us in a 24 hr span.

Snow-pocalyse:  February 24th, 2012

I guess I'll go back to the Bailey's and coffee, and dream about my summer garden! :)

My Favourite Time Of Day

Every horse lover; whether they own a horse or not, has a favourite time of day to be around the horses.  For me, it is first thing in the morning. Leaving the house, the sun light is just breaching the horizon sending fingers of light through the trees. The snow is crisp under foot, crunching as I make my way to the barn. I can hear my two mares moving restlessly as they, too, can hear my approach. Pulling open the barn door, I call a cheery “Good morning girls!” and I am answered by the deep, rumbling nicker of my younger mare, The Red Head. The Boss Mare is more dignified but I see her nostrils fluttering in response.

As I get the morning grain ready, The Red Head has her neck stretched around the edge of her stall, watching me to make sure that I don’t skimp on her breakfast. How she loves her food! As the girls eat their breakfast, I gather up the morning hay and haul it out to their paddock. The air is crisp enough that the skin on my face tightens. The birds are starting to chirp, and a squirrel runs down a tree on his way to his cache of food. Hay distributed around the paddock, I open the water trough and make my way back to the barn to get the girls ready for the day.

The Red Head is impatient. She tosses her head up and down to say “Hey, let’s go!” She puts her head into the halter I hold out for her and stands quietly for me to do up the buckle. As soon as I drop her lead rope to go get The Boss Mare ready, the head tossing starts again, but this time it’s a game to fling the lead rope over the stall door. The Boss Mare knickers louder now; she wants to go out too. She politely puts her head in the halter, waits for me to buckle it up and invite her out of her stall. Standing patiently, she waits for me to let The Red Head out of her stall, and then the three of us head out of the barn.

As we walk to the paddock, The Boss Mare surveys her domain to see what has changed during the night. The Red Head jigs a bit, eager to go. Once we are through the gate and it’s latched behind us, I turn the girls to their field. Slipping off The Boss Mare’s halter, she strolls off without a backward glance. The Red Head turns her head to me so I can easily reach the halter buckle. I slip the halter off and The Red Head jumps immediately into the canter in order to get to the hay for that choice morsel before The Boss Mare arrives.

And the moment is over. The routine of the day has begun, but every day is started with time that I share with my horses.