A Pony for the Freezin'-a** Winter?

When I was a small child, I discovered the joy of reading.  This was one of my favorite books.  It was given to me by a teacher for my achievements.  It may very well be the first indication that horses were in my future!  I'm going to see if I still have this one.  It's overdue for a  re-read.

Keeping a pony for the winter sounds a bit romantic, doesn't it?  My best recollection is that a little girl wanted her parents to allow her to board the pony for a carnival that used it for rides during the warmer seasons.

Oh, if only I could talk my dad and mom into that!  As a child, I can imagine that I thought the only hurdle for the little girl was convincing her parents how cute they were and having a fence around the backyard.  HA!

Well, now I'm all grown up and have two ponies for the winter!  (They're not really ponies, but full-sized horses, and last winter there were three.  R.I.P. Buddy.)

Talk about a fantasy world... True, I don't remember much about the book; but I do remember there was no mention of carrying 5 gallon buckets filled with water through ten- inch drifts of snow and ice, being extra cautious not to spill any on her for fear of frostbite from the below-zero windchill!  Nor was there any mention of pushing a wheel barrow through that deep frosty mess.  Or how about trying to dump said wheel barrow only to find the cargo frozen to the bottom of the cart?  

I'm fairly certain there was nothing written about miles of extension cords trailing to heated water buckets, or having to clean out those hanging buckets when that cute little pony decides to use it as a port-o-john!  I'll bet that sweet child never twisted her ankle by stepping down wrong on a frozen... uh... dumpling.  I don't recall if the girl in the story had a dog.  If she had, it would have been fun to watch her little dog running from the stall with... uh... dumpling stains on his pretty white face.  

Yes, keeping a pony for the winter isn't exactly a romance, but I do enjoy the break from the heavier smells of summer and the biting flies.  I like that I can clean both stalls without stopping to wipe the sweat from my brow.  And there's nothing better than a horseback ride through fluffy white snow on a sunny winter day.  A big plus is walking through the paddock without sinking ankle-deep in muck.  

Now, if only we can get back to normal temperatures and I can dump this cold... I will ride off into the sunset on my pony for the winter.

Before you go...

Rae, over at Weather Vane is having a give-away!  See what I've got my eye on...

Don't you agree it would look lovely in my blue country kitchen?

I used to say, "I never win anything!" but not anymore... I won a signed book last month!  Maybe I'm on a roll.  Or maybe I'm just wishin'.

One Week Ago

I could finally see my front walk again.

   We don't clean snow from it.  Everyone uses the side door.

I

The big drift on the front porch was quickly shrinking.

We could even see the bottom of the chairs!

It's gone now... every bit of it.  The last few days, I've been running around town in a T-shirt and sandals.  The grass in the new pasture is looking like a green carpet.  Where the grass is thin, the mud has become a problem.  The horses are getting antsy to run, but the ground is too wet.

As much as I love spring and fall, I miss the snow.  I hate the thought of summer being so close.  In my perfect world, the temperature never gets above sixty, unless I want to swim.  And it doesn't get dark until I get tired.  But this world is pretty good...

Ride Along One More Time...

Mom wanted to go to WalMart tonight...  I told her that if I could get out of the driveway, I'd take her.  All this melting has made for some icy slush.  Boy do I miss my Tahoe 4x4!



Coming home, even more had melted, but it was starting to refreeze...



Don't worry...  I didn't crash.  The video just blinked.  I made it safely to the house.

More Snow

The view from the living room...

How about a cookout?

 

Check out the way the ice formed on this fence rope...

Never too deep for Sadie!

 

And we had more after this!

Right now my car is stuck about 300 feet from the garage!  It's in a dip, so... uphill on ice both ways!  

Tomorrow I'll lug some of the horses loose salt down there.  Wish me luck...

Take a Drive with Me... Part II

This was shot tonight.  Notice the big piles of snow on each side?  Hubby was busy today getting the driveway open for traffic!

After we parked the truck in the driveway, we started unloading groceries.  The truck began to slide down the driveway!  Hope it's still there in the morning...

Take a Drive with Me...

It's a little bumpy because Mr J's driving too fast.  (Shh.... don't tell him I said that!)  But here's a look coming down our driveway before the big snows hit! 

Birthday Snow

I always want a white birthday, though rarely get one.  Seems this time of year the snow only lingers around for a day or so, but not this time!  Although the sun had some melting power today, there's still plenty around (over a foot) for my birthday tomorrow!

Here's what the view from my bedroom deck looked like before the last storm...

 

We've got around fourteen inches now, and the weatherman just said we'll get another 6 inches between tomorrow night and Tuesday morning!

Actually there was another thing I wanted for my birthday...  a ticket for the theater.  If you follow my essay's blog, you know that my bf and I love to go to the theater.  She got us tickets to a great broadway show.  So the day of the show rolls around, and... yep!  More snow!  We wondered if they would cancel the show, since a large concert had even been canceled.  Even the malls were closing.  But you know what they say...  "The show must go on!"

I'm the designated driver whenever we go anywhere.  She doesn't like to drive on nice days.  I don't mind the snow, so off I went.

And they complain about teens texting while they drive...  Here I am taking pictures!  But, I wasn't looking at the screen.  I just held it and shot, hoping to get some good ones.  And I only picked it up where the roads were clear and there was no traffic.

 

The roads were terrific!  I guess everyone thought they'd be a mess because there was hardly anyone out that day!  It was like driving through my personal winter wonderland!  It sure put a smile on my face...

OK, don't laugh at my goofy sunglasses.  They do the job.  You should see the heavy-duty pair!

 

ramp to I-75 south

 

Middletown's main route!

We made it to the show with time to spare.  Turns out Cincinnati didn't have very much snow.  Can you guess what show we saw?

The actors took up a collection for Haiti.

Meanwhile, back on the farm...

I love the way the snow clunge to the fence!

 

Look how much snow is hanging on the rope in the background.

 

This is a view of our neighbors farmhouse from our driveway out by the road.

 

This bike path borders our property. 

That's our woods on the left.

The snow had molded to the gate and was now falling off.

 

Coming down the drive by the front pasture.

Over the hill on our driveway.

The trees border the creek.

The house is in the background.

On the right, behind the trees, is the goat house.

Ice Fog on the Farm

Most of these shots are from the 2nd week of January.  We had lots of heavy fog for several days.  It was a beautiful site to behold!  It wasn't as shimmery as ice on the branches, but it wasn't as damaging either.  The frozen fog left very artistic detail covering everything   ...even the deck boards.

 

Click on this close-up...
 

Doesn't the smoke from the wood burner make it look even colder?

 

  

  

  

  

 

Sweet Baby James was right...

"the birches seem dreamlike on account o' that frostin'... "

  

But don't worry...  I stayed toasty warm while enjoying this view from the edge of my bed:

Snow Day with Horses

This picture makes me happy...

That's Buddy's rump with the white tail, and Nekoda is the spotted one in the background.  But see, there in the middle, sharing Buddy's hay?  Yep, Maggie Mae.  Normally, we have to give Maggie her hay far away from the other two or they run her off.  It's just horse hierarchy.  Besides, she gets her alfalfa in pelleted form now, so any hay she eats is a bonus.  It still makes me happy to see my herd bonding tighter.

This is Mr J leading Maggie to the side pasture...

I've already thrown out their hay or they'd be following me to the gate.  The red building is their run-in shelter.  Buddy and Nekoda stay in it when the weather dictates.  Maggie is stalled at night and in inclement weather.

This is me...

...under the wool hat with ear-flaps and the insulated pants.  Gotta pass those hugs around!

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!

I just love showing how safe my horses are.  When the hay isn't there, I can back Nekoda around the field by the tail!

Organic accessories?

Staying warm in my horse-hair scarf!

Maggie Mae

I have to tip-toe to peek over her!

The horses love running in the snow...

Nekoda loves running anytime, but seeing the snow fly up is extra fun!

Christmas on the Farm

Better late than never...  Thought I'd share some of my Christmas preparations and sights with you.

While digging through some boxes in the basement, I found these old poinsettia and holly sprigs.  Since this grapevine tree gets so much weather, I figured they'd be durable enough to dress it up for Christmas.

 

This love-seat rocker faces the drive, so I decided hanging the wreath on it would brighten this corner of the porch.

We have decided that this tree we planted last year will be our official outdoor Christmas tree.  It's a bit bigger than the one I had lights on before, so new lights are on the list for next year.

Of course, Sadie always has to supervise Mr J's projects, but she's not alone today.

Even the shrubs are dressed up for the holidays!

I love my fiber-optic tree... no ornaments.  I just plug it in and enjoy the colors.  And I can see the outdoor tree through the window.

Mr J's lodge has an annual Christmas party with Santa.  Grands #1 and #2 are too old for this kind of stuff, but #3 and #4 love it!

And they still love camping out in the living room!

The older girls love exploring the woods.  I think they made the mistake of letting Sadie lead the way and came out in a big mess of hedge apple trees... OUCH!

...and no gate!  Luckily Mr J keeps a wide path cut all along the fences.

Even though we didn't have a white Christmas, the days following were spotted with snow showers.  Here's one we drove into taking the grands home.  I took this because it drives Mr J crazy when I pull out the camera in the car!

I agree with Dorothy... There's no place like home.  I love our driveway at night.  I'm always looking for the deer in the headlights.

The snow seems to be getting deeper as we get closer to the creek.  I can tell we're getting close to the house...

I can see the little Christmas tree.  And since we've no place to go...

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!