January Blasting In

Saturday, January 13, 2024

This morning, my neighborhood is way beyond frozen at 2 deg.F! Inside of my kitchen refrigerator is warmer than the outdoors. Late yesterday, my frost-free hydrants were frozen for the first time ever. I worked hard to get their levers lifted, and no water came out. This morning, hopefully, the horse troughs won’t need topping.

Maybe my crazy hen, the one that worries me by preferring to roost outside alone, had enough smarts to awaken and go find shelter.

Last evening’s confrontations with sudden weather-related challenges made me fail to blanket my oldest mare, Rosie. She’s plenty fuzzy and in good weight, but a blanket reduces the caloric outputs necessary for maintaining enough body heat. Today, I will blanket her. Last night, too, I carried into the house Rosie’s half-frozen halter, so today, it’ll be flexible enough to get her into.

Incredible that we’re still at only 2 deg., and the hard snow that’s begun to fall likely will become ice. Oh, how I don’t want to go outside in this weather, and worst, I’m scheduled today to work in the department store. I expect traveling to be slow on snowy roads and through slick roundabouts.

Sometimes we’re faced without a choice, and now that’s me. Without question, my outside animals need feeding and I must suit up and go outside. Later, on this cold and snowy morning, I could make a choice by listening to my inner self calculating the pluses and minuses of leaving home and going to work.

Dear Friends: Harness, feed, blanket, and water, hardships now and over in a few days. Diana