Cold Weather Here to Stay?

Well I think today is the last day of nice weather we will have. Doing chores this morning was rather refreshing. There wasn't enough cold air to take your breath away.

I was a bit spooked this morning. I know it's a bit silly but the motion lights turned on just about the time I was headed out to do chores. Since I'm home alone and have bad aim, I thought I'd wait it out just a little bit in case it was a varmit that I'd have to shoot. We've been over run with bunnies so I'm guessing the bunnies were checking out some of my bushes.

I was surprised when I checked the mares's water trough that it wasn't frozen over. I didn't have the heater plugged in but it was completley ice free. Unfortunately Maverick's, the ponies', and Longhorn's waters were frozen on the top. I wasn't smart enough to bring my hammer to smash open Maverick's water but I had a tool handy (and it wasn't my foot this time!) Luckily it's warm enough that none of the waters are freezing too hard. I'm not looking forward to the rest of the week where I'm sure to be smashing waters all morning.

I read the following on Kelo:
"Today will be the last mild day for quite some time as a cold front moves across KELOLAND. The wind will increase this afternoon from the northwest….so it won’t feel as warm as yesterday. Highs will be near 50 in Sioux Falls…with 40s to the north and west. A few light rain or snow showers will be possible in the Black Hills region this afternoon and tonight. The wind is expected to continue overnight with lows mainly in the 20s…a few teens in the west.

Tomorrow will be colder with breezy NW winds with highs in the upper 20s to lower 30s. And Thursday won’t be any warmer….with highs in the 20s. Wind chills will likely tumble in the single digits above zero on Thursday too along with a few light snow showers and flurries. Some moderation to the forecast is likely Friday and Saturday….but colder air will return next week. There are still signs of a storm system in the plains next week…but the track is still uncertain. It will really depend on how fast the really cold air in Canada moves south next week. Stay tuned… "

I'm thinking of putting the mares in the barn. That way they can get out of the wind and the cold. It's not that the lows are that bad; it's the major swing in temperature that I'm concerned about and the wind chills. I'm also considering leaving Sam in the barn. With his weight loss I want him to stay as warm as possible. Bob's blanket doesn't fit very well and I dont' want him to adjust to a blanket when the temps aren't really that cold yet.

If I keep Sam in the barn I can always watch to see what all he is eating. He's pretty insistant lately that he goes in the barn in the morning, which isn't happening. I'm thinking if I keep him in the barn I can make sure he's getting all the hay and alfalfa that he can handle.

I'm afraid Sam really does need his teeth floated. I saw some wads he spit out and that is my indication that he is desperately in need of a float. The problem is I don't want to put any undo stress on him until there's more weight. So what's a girl to do? I guess as long as I pump him full of grain and alfalfa for the next month maybe next month I can get him in.

I haven't yet decided if I'll keep Queen, Babe, and Sam in the barn every night this week or if it'll just be for tonight so that they can adjust to the weather change. Everyone is pretty fat except for Sam. I guess the wind chill will decide their evening dining location.

I'm starting to worry about Babe. She's not adjusting to losing the sight in her other eye very well. She spooked again last night. She doesn't spook too bad but I don't want her to get hurt. I guess if she doesn't adjust to no sight then I'll have to start thinking about my options.

Mike called Sioux Valley and had them come out to fix our yard light yesterday. I wasn't sure at first if anyone had been there but when the light turned on all on its own I kind of figured they'd fixed it. Of course the minute I saw the light on I wanted to burst out in song or something along those lines. I was really worried about getting the yard light on. My only saving grace was that it's a full moon so if I couldn't get the light on I wouldn't be outside in pitch black.

I'm not sure why we didn't just fix that darn yard light years before. I guess it all comes down to money. I can live with a lot of quirks and problems but at some point there is a limit. I'll happily enjoy my yard light tonight while doing chores in the dark.