Goodbye Rabbit

My heart is constricted and I'm surprised that I can even write at the moment. Maybe because I don't have to actually speak words it's easier. Thankfully I'm at home for the paying job so I can burst into tears while I write this.


I was afraid that I was getting immune to saying goodbye but I'm not. I guess that's a good thing. I guess that means I'm still human.


I let Rabbit out to graze in the yard this morning because the pasture isn't nearly as lush, what with having Bo on the pasture for the past month. I gave Rabbit her final meal of grain and groomed her to get rid of every speck of dirt. She was such a gorgeous girl. She looked every bit a healthy horse if you didn't watch her walk. Her eyes were doing ok and her breathing wasn't bad...until after her grain. I think she was allergic to some of the grains as well as having summer allergies.


I did do a short video of Rabbit eating but haven't uploaded it yet. The computer wasn't working and I've no energy yet to upload it. I'm afraid I'll burst into tears.


The appointment was scheduled for 9am and I wanted to have Rabbit loaded shortly after 8am so I wouldn't be late and could take my time. Rabbit had other plans. I forget that not everyone is an easy loader. Lightening keeps reminding me of that. I'd only had Rabbit off the place one other time and that was to have her teeth floated when I thought that was the reason for her weight loss and dropping grain. It wasn't, she had good teeth.


I'm sure I spent 20 minutes trying to get her loaded and was so frustrated I didn't know what to do. I played my final loading card and loaded her through the emergency exit on the stock trailer...or whatever that little door is. She loaded like a pro that way. I can't figure out that with horses that won't load through the big stock trailer door will load through the tiny little door that barely fits them. I know I've banged my head on the top of that doorway a number of times.


But Rabbit did load and off we went. I felt bad for her. So many different sounds and sights. So much to take in. Even when we arrived, there was a horse inside the clinic whinnying and she whinnied back. But so much noise compared to what she was used to. I felt bad. Lots of extra stress for both of us.


As always, our vet is quiet, patient, and understanding. He performed the procedure quickly and left me and Rabbit alone afterwards. As he said, the healthy horses take a bit longer to cross over. And apparently Rabbit was healthy. That made me feel a little better. Her shoulder is what ended her life but not taking into consideration her allergies and eyes, she was in really good shape. I'm so used to seeing horses where their bodies can't maintain the weight and they simply start to shrivel up before your eyes. So seeing Rabbit looking so magnificent with such beautiful weight made it even more difficult.


I know I made the right choice but I still wonder. I still question. I still regret.


She had been a castoff from her previous owner, a byproduct of a baby maker like so many other broodmares, but for almost 6 years she was a part of our lives and always wanted. She was misunderstood and had so much to give. She really was a very gentle horse with a genteel demeanor. I feel bad I hadn't recognized that demeanor sooner. Regrets all around I suppose.


I had so much I wanted to do and yet this loss numbs me. Every loss takes a piece of my heart. I am questioned why I would open a Sanctuary and go through such losses willingly. And I always say, It's better to have my heart scattered to the winds than to leave this earth with a whole heart. When my time comes, I hope that I will have done enough, loved enough, and given my all to those I have cared for and hold near to my heart.


It was an honor to care for Rabbit. I can only hope that we gave her the best retirement that a horse could have and that she will no longer feel pain. Run free my genteel Rabbit. We will meet again some day.

Rabbit enjoying her final pasture time

Rabbit Choker Nikki - Born 1993, Sanctuary member September 2011, died May 25, 2017

Goodbye Rabbit. Until we meet again.

Part of Life

I had hoped to be productive last night. Instead... I had a temper tantrum. That's right, adults can have them too. I'm not proud of it but you know what.. it is what it is.


I did let the big herd out on the lawn for a little while. I think after Memorial Weekend, I'll be able to put them on pasture without fear of any issues. I just need to get out to divide the pasture. A task I haven't had any time to take care of.


I don't foresee working on the pasture tonight. I'm going to hang out in Rabbit's pasture and spend some time with her. I didnt' think I was really attached to her. I was wrong. I'm going to really struggle tonight and tomorrow. I haven't had time to think about what is going to happen so I haven't shed a lot of tears but I'm betting tonight and tomorrow morning I'll be a blubbering mess.


I may not post for a bit. I need to let my heart settle. Sometimes I feel like I just can't talk. Like my thoughts are stuck and I can't utter a word. My chest is so constricted that I cant' speak and that forces my brain to shut down and run on auto-pilot. It's been happening all this week. I'm sure it'll happen to tonight and tomorrow.


So if I'm not posting, it's me going into defensive mode so that the loss won't hurt as I know it will. I also don't want to ruin anyone's day by going on about this loss. It's a part of Sanctuary life and I'm honored to have known Rabbit even if I didn't understand her until the last little bit.


So if there's a gap in blogging or posting on Facebook, it's not that I'm not here physically but I need some time. It's been since 2013 that I lost a horse.


Unfortunately I've had to say goodbye to either a dog or a horse every year since 2007 except for 2014. Not sure how that happened. It's difficult but a part of life I guess. Sorry, starting to rambling and totally not what I was going to ramble about but I guess upcoming loss does that to me.

Vacation

How is it that it’s May 23^rd? It should be May 3^rd! I’m even more behind than before. I think I’m to the point where I’m a year behind (or at least that’s how it feels lately).

I shouldn’t complain. I am just getting back from a quick family vacation. Before kids, I used to work 40-60 hours on the Sanctuary after the paying job. Of course I was more focused on the horses and not on the paperwork like I should have been. But I wasn’t a non-profit at the time and the horses’ comfort was my main goal (as it still is).

But with kids, I’ve had to reduce the number of hours I spend on the Sanctuary. I’d like to say that I’m ok with it, but I’m not. But I’m not willing to give up my time with my kids. They are little and in a blink of an eye, they won’t need me. Well, wont’ want to hang out with me and will be doing their own thing. So I’m taking advantage of this time in my life. But that also means less time on the Sanctuary and more time with family.

So you’ll be seeing a few more family vacations and since this is my blog (and my life), I’ll try to share some of our adventures. Because the beauty of some the places we’ll be going to this summer are too precious not to share.

For the past two years, we would head out to Badlands National Park in April to take advantage of their free park week. This year we weren’t able to coordinate schedules to go out in April but we did make it! It’s either my favorite or my second favorite vacation. It’s a super short vacation but oh-so-worth-it! I hope to keep it a tradition so that my kids will have the same ideas of tradition and love of conservation that I do.

Gorgeous doesn’t describe the Badlands. We are usually out there in the fall or early spring when the green hasn’t appeared yet but this time it was gorgeous and flowers were blooming! We missed the storms but the clouds made a perfect backdrop for contrast!

I need to refocus and get the horses out on pasture but I don’t foresee that happening this week. I need to divide the pasture and get some spraying done. But the weather is supposed to be rainy and drizzly until Thursday. And I don’t expect to get much accomplished Thursday.

I’m dreading Thursday. I haven’t had Rabbit off the place except once or twice since we brought her home in September 2011. There was never any need except when she needed to have her teeth floated. When she came up lame, I didn’t want to haul her in fear that she’d fall or be super uncomfortable in traveling on three legs. And for those wondering, we will be going to the vet. We simply don’t have enough land to provide a proper burial of all the Sanctuary horses. It’s not my preference but it’s the most economical route to go and I do have to think dollars and cents to care for the other Sanctuary horses. I’m simply going to pamper Rabbit for the next couple of days and try my best to forget about the upcoming day.

Until then, I’ll leave you with a few scenery pictures from the Badlands. I took a ton of pictures so maybe I’ll try to share some more of them.

Near Dillon Pass. I think this is my favorite part of the Badlands (at least for scenery)



Can you count the number of Bighorn Sheep? We actually saw wild life this time besides those pesky prairie dogs.

Normally I never see flowers but I saw this one and a few others. This time of year is so splendid for flora.

May Showers Bring Lush Pastures

The first day of May, we had a snow storm. The second Monday in May, we had 80 degree temps. All of this week it’s rained like cats and dogs with one short day of reprieve but it was still chilly. Next week we are supposed to have rain until Thursday and then the cold snap will be gone and we’ll be back into the 70s and 80s. Just when May is over.

May is always such a crazy weather month. I never realized it until now.

I didn’t realize how hard it is to schedule anything in May based on weather. I’ll remember that for future reference. I wanted to make sure that Rabbit leaves this world with sunshine on her back and a full belly of grass but it’s been a month of dreary.

But I’m not going to complain. It means moisture. Even though the bottom half of the pasture is flooded out right now, it’ll make the pasture super lush this August. I’m going to divide the pasture and keep the bottom half the pasture fenced off until August when everything starts to dry up. Now the hard part, getting everything fenced off. It’ll only be temporary as I don’t have the funds or time to put in a serious (and permanent) fence.

I have so many plans on what I want to get done and I’m afraid none of it will get done. Mike is finally back to thinking about fencing as well. The drylot fencing has always been terrible. It was cobbled together when we moved in. Cattle are notorious for ruining fencing. So we’ve been piecing it together the best we can. It’s now to the point where I’m using corral panels to keep everyone where they need to be.

The problem is, there’s a two foot concrete drop off down to the drylot where the fence is. I’ll have to take a picture to better explain. The original wood fenceposts were put in with concrete but we don’t’ have that capability and I’m not sure I want to drill holes that close to concrete. But Mike has an idea on what should work. Now it’s just finding the time, money, and energy to get it all done. Coordinating that will be tricky. Anyone want to help with any part of it? Helping fund the fencing job or coming out to help where ever needed?

I think there’s more to share but my mind is sort of realing from having to make the phone call with the vet to put Rabbit down. She’s scheduled to leave this world next Thursday, May 25^th at 9am. I’m not sure how to pamper her without causing her pain but I’m going to make sure I do right by her. I want her to feel loved and leave this world not in pain. I hate this part of Sanctuary.

Even with her passing, it does not mean that there is room in the Sanctuary. I want to leave any potential available spots for later in case there is an emergency. We are really maxed out. I want to see how summer goes. I had to buy an extra load of hay so that pushed me over the top of what I was figuring. If only I had more time and more help, I could get so much more done.

Dreaded Phone Call

The call is made.


I'm doing my best not to bawl while sitting in my cube at the paying job.


I hate playing God. But I know it's the right thing for Rabbit. Before the heat and humidity sets in to make the heaves and the eyes go bad and before the ground gets hard to make her shoulder hurt more.


But it still hurts.


Now for a week of crying. The appointment is set for Thursday, May 25th at 9am.


I don't even know how to pamper her. I'm afraid to do any grooming on her shoulders in fear of causing her more pain but she'll be getting lots of attention the next week.


I hate this part of Sanctuary.

Rambling

We had our farrier scheduled for yesterday but storms rolled in. I'm quick to reschedule when storms are near after the Sanctuary missed a tornado hitting us by only a half a mile. I don't want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt when storms are in the area. I am slightly concerned because King is off and although he's flat footed, he's typically not "off" like he has been. I'm hoping it's just a stone bruise or an abscess.

I still need to pay the vet bill for Bo's exam and ulcer medication. I dont understand why medications have to be odd colors. Shouldn't they be boring colors like white instead of purple?

I've also been avoiding making the phone call for Rabbit. Turns my stomach thinking about it. But when the ground gets hard, and the sun/heat arrive, she'll be miserable (her uvitis and heaves will flair up). So although she seems to be doing ok right now, I don't want to send her off feeling miserable. I'll be checking the forecast for next week to see if it's feasible next week. I will not say goodbye in bad weather unless it's an absolute necessity. I want warm sun on her back and a belly full of grass.

Need to fight the mud tonight and get bales put in the pens. I can't wait for pasture time but with the rains, I haven't been able to get out and spray. We'll have to extend the hay bales for a couple of extra weeks to ensure the pastures can hold the herd. We need to "rejuvenate" the pasture.

Just stressing. So much to do and so little time to get it all done.

Getting Fat

I hauled Lace and Junior to Madison Monday night. I think the couple of pictures speak for themselves.

Get fat Junior and enjoy! We'll see you in just under two weeks.

Wishlist Wednesday

Wishlist Wednesday: Our wishlist Wednesday item is for electric fencing, either high utility (or whatever it's called) or rope. At this point, I'd be fine with tape but I think the rope would be best of all so they horses can actually see it.

We need to divide the big pasture and it'll most likely be temporary but I would love to have electric fencing to ensure the horses stay in the correct part of the pasture.

I'm not sure what electric fencing is running right now at TSC. I've been sort of ignoring it but know that we'll be hitting our full stride for fencing in another couple of weeks. We are playing catch up on other things. But fencing is always a task that needs to be worked on.

Junior with Lace in the background

Pieces to a Puzzle

I have pictures to share but of course technology is besting my abilities at the moment. Some days I wonder if all this technology is worth it, but then I look and see who reads this blog and I think maybe it is!

For the past couple of years, we’ve been hauling horses to my parent’s place for a month at a time to eat down their pasture. It’s not big and really can only hold two horses for a month and then needs a rest. We used to have four horses on it and had to scramble to find different pastures that would work. But this current method seems to work.

Lush grass, no competition, except for one herd mate and everyone seems to improve when I haul them up. I’ve been hauling Junior up every time because he seems to need it the most.

So  last night I hooked up the trailer and took Junior and Lace up to Madison. I would have preferred to take up Bo because he needs more weight but he has no ground manners. So instead he’s in a pasture by himself. I was hoping to keep everyone off that pasture but not to be the case.

Junior and Lace loaded like champs and hauled beautifully, just like these old warriors do. Lace did surprise me by turning around and unloaded. I think that was the first time in years she’s done that. Normally she backs out of trailers but using a stock trailer is different than a slant load. I don’t think she was comfortable unloading off the trailer but she did just fine.

We unloaded the horses and I never did see them lift their heads. Junior had been losing weight ever since I moved them from their winter pen to the spring pen. I hadn’t been able to get out and grain him on a daily basis and was a little worried after Bo started getting ulcers. But with the lush grass, I’m sure Junior will perk up quickly.

I’ll keep them at that location for two weeks and then bring them home. We’ll let the pasture rest for a little bit and then decide if we haul them up again or take someone else up. I’m sure no matter what it’ll be Junior that goes up, it’s a question of who else should go up.

With the ponies in with the mares, and now Lace and Junior gone, I had thought maybe I would haul Rabbit up as well so I wouldn’t have to throw as much hay. But Rabbit has told me that she’s ready to go so I want to keep her final days/weeks as normal as possible. But I did end up pulling her out of that pen and putting her in with Bo. She has line of sight access to all the horses. She’s also with Bo so she’s not alone. I’m hoping Bo will improve with another horse in the pasture. With Rabbit out of the pen, that leaves Mayhem and the ponies. I’m trying this arrangement for a multitude of reasons. Mayhem has never really been by herself. When I weaned her, I put her in with the ponies. Otherwise she’s always been with some mares. But we’ll be saying goodbye to Rabbit soon and Mayhem needs ot figure out how to handle things on her own instead of relying on her mother. So we’ll see.

I had convinced myself that I would put Rabbit down last week but then I got sick. So I had convinced myself it would be this week. But as I was walking her to the pasture, she acted chipper and not very sore. Her eyes were bright and her breathing was much improved. So now I don’t know what to do. She’s feeling decent but she’s been on soft ground and with moving more, she actually gets around ok. I’m just afraid I’m making a rash decision. The farrier is supposed to come out tomorrow so maybe I’ll ask her opinion as well. When the weight loss is visible, it’s easy to know when to say goodbye but when it’s pain management, it’s so much harder. I don’t want her to suffer and I’d rather she goes when she’s feeling good, can see, can breathe, and isn’t in a lot of pain.  I’m going to see how she’s doing tonight and go from there. I had actually thought that I would give her two weeks and the put her down before Memorial Weekend, simply to put a final date on it. But I just don’t know. I don’t know what to do.

I am anxious to get the herd out on pasture but definitely need to divide the pasture so we can rotate this year. We did it one other year and it really seemed to help. But I need to find the time. We normally let the horses out over memorial weekend but I don’t think that will be the case this time. Going to have to play it by ear. So many pieces to the puzzle.

Not So Chipper

I was able to sneak an hour in Saturday to move corral panels around and get the big herd on pasture. I have lost corral panels. They’ve been confiscated for other more important tasks but it sure is frustrating. I hate being short corral panels. That being said, I had to cut the “lawn pasture” down by quite a bit. Add to it that Mike decided to mow the lawn the previous weekend and the horses don’t really have that much to eat. I’m a bit frustrated. Everything that was supposed to be for the horses got mowed before I could get the horses on it. So now the grass is too short and the horses are going to burn the lawn down and it wont’ come back and we’ll be dealing with weeds.

It’s been a bit of a frustrating past few days. But the horses ARE out on the lawn, even if it’s only for a little while. I have to keep a hawks eye on them, otherwise they start eating the round bales that were delivered last week. Those are supposed to last us until this fall and I DON’T want them eating at them right now. Dude was using one as a scratching post. So there goes my idea that I could turn them out for awhile and turn my back on them.

With letting the horses out, I ran out of corral panels and had to dump the ponies in with the mares. No one is happy with this situation, including me. They need a new bale but I don’t want the ponies to have a free for all so I’m not sure what to do. I opened a new bale for the ponies last week so I don’t want all these bales sitting around half eaten and not being used.

Sorry, I’m frustrated and sort of at a loss. I’m sure I’m making more of it than need be. Lack of sleep makes everything more difficult.

I think Bo has heaves. Now that he’s back on pasture, he’s doing better. I had the vet leave out some Dexomethsomethingorother. It’s supposed to help with breathing. I haven’t had time to pick it up yet.

I am hauling Lace and Junior to Madison tonight. That only gives them two weeks to graze and they haven’t had time to adjust so not really happy about it but Junior desperately needs to be on grass. He hasn’t been getting his nightly grain like he needs to.

I had thought about taking Rabbit with but don’t want to turn her world upside down the last two weeks she’s going to be around. But she’ll be with two of her three herd. But I don’t know. She’d be better off in Madison eating grass but it’s a different world and I won’t get to spend any time with her.

But if I keep her at home, then I’m not sure what to do with feeding hay. This lack of corral panels and getting horses adjusted to grass is no fun. I put horses on the lawn so that I can catch them and get them to go back in. They apparently have all learned to come in for the most part but they arent’ ready to be on the pasture where I would have to track them down. I still need to divide the pasture before I put them out. I learned my lesson last year by not dividing. We divided the pasture two years ago and it worked perfectly. So I NEED to do it again this year.

I still need to spray but I think I have Mikes’ approval and support to finally get to it. I just need a half an hour each night to attack the little buggers and kill off all the weeds. Tonight would be perfect at spraying but I have to move horses instead. And of course the rest of the week it’s supposed to rain and then have the temperatures drop.

Crazy how the first Monday in May we had a snow storm, the second Monday in May we were in the 80s (and I was wrapped up in a blanket with the flu), and the third Monday is gorgeous but I’ll be on the road hauling horses around. I only wish I would have taken care of moving horses earlier.

 

Sorry, sort of worn out and drained as of late. Desperately need to get stuff done but cant’ seem to find the time. When I start a project, I’m met with obstacles that I cant’ get over (including raccoons growling at me). So we’ll see how this week progresses. Hopefully when I post again, I’ll be a bit more chipper.

Happy Friday

Happy Friday

What I Need

I need to get Junior on grass. I may give up the idea and simply haul Junior and Bo to Madison and see how it goes. Not the right combination and not the right time frame but I’m down to very few choices. I had Bo in the big pen but he was weezing really bad. I’m not sure if he has heaves now or what. I pulled him and put him on pasture so we’ll see. If he improves, I’ll consider him to have heaves. If not, I’ll be calling the vet because he was breathing worse than Rabbit when her allergies flare up.

Speaking of Rabbit, it’s time. I need to call and get an appointment made for next week. The allergies are making it difficult for her to breath and her eye is all weepy. Add to that her shoulder pain, it’s more than time. I just have to make the call. But when I do, I have to be alone so I can bawl my eyes out afterwards. I seem to be more emotional as of late.

On the bright side, Lightening (my personal horse) seems to really want to connect with me. He watches where I am going and always seems to have an eye out for me when I’m outside. Maverick is the only other one that would do something similar but not nearly so. Lightening will watch me like a hawk.  It’s different but I think with some time, we could become great riding partners.

I have been stressing over a fundraiser idea I want to do this summer. It would be small because that’s the capacity I have right now. But I’m not sure if I can get it off the ground, even for as small as it is. So frustrating. The days are getting longer and yet I don’t  seem to be getting anything accomplished. I think I’m just worn out as of late. Lets hope that once the horses have a taste for grass, that my life will feel less stressful.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a throwback to Rabbit. We'll soon be saying goodbye to her, which chokes me up. 

We would love to have her final expenses paid, as it's always hard to say goodbye and a second whammy when the bill comes in. You can send checks to

Borderlands Horse Sanctuary

PO Box 35

Humboldt, SD 57035

or you can paypal any amount to www.paypal,me/Borderlands

Any amount will help.

Ramblings from a Recovering Flu Victim

Well, the flu bug took me out for a couple of days. I’m not back at full swing but I’m getting there. Being a one woman show, sort of puts the brakes on when you’re the only one man handling everything. Luckily I wasn’t on my death bed and was able to wander out to do minimal chores. I put Bo in with the big herd Sunday night when I started going down hill. I just had that feeling that something was wrong.

Sunday evening we got our last load of hay delivered. Hopefully this will hold us over until fall or even into the first bit of winter but I doubt it. We’ll see how things progress at the Sanctuary this week and weekend. My plans for this weekend were squashed like a big fat juicy bug.  So no go there. But that means I can maybe get the horses out on the lawn to start getting used to grass. I need to get two up to Madison pronto to graze for a little bit.  I may just haul Bo up and see if he improves. I want someone else up there but I don’t want to rush Junior.

I had planned on calling the vet right away Monday morning to make that awful appointment for Rabbit and to have that done Thursday morning but that damn flu bug changed everything. Two days out of commission from the paying job means I have to bust my butt at both the paying job and the Sanctuary to get caught back up. Rabbit is in no different pain than she has been so even a week more doesn’t mean anything. Now that the weather is nice, I can start looking at when would be the best time. I hate playing God.

I know that there’s more to share but I’m drawing a blank. I’m apparently using all of my brain power to stay upright and focused. I’m sure to write more later….after there’s more semblance of life (and minus the oncoming headache).

Wishlist Wednesday

This Wishlist Wednesday, we wish for fenceposts, both wooden and t-posts. We need to divide the large pasture so that we can make it last longer now that we have 11 mouths on it rather than 10 or less. We've tried fertilizing but we've been hit with droughts and not taking care of the pastures so need to do some pasture managment until we can really figure out how to improve the land.

Once the pasture is divided, we'll also start replacing the original fenceline, as it's 80 years old and the wood fence posts are rotting off every year. We are also going to replace the barbed wire and put in much better, and definitely horse safe fencing but we would love to have some help in taking care of this huge tasks.

You can send money to Borderlands Horse Sanctuary

PO Box 35

Humboldt, SD 57035

or send through paypal at www.paypal.me/Borderlands

No amount is too large or too small for a fencing project. Even five dollars buys a t-post.

Chores and Grumpy

I hate doing chores in the dark. It apparently doesn't matter if it's spring, summer, fall, or winter, but I seem to always be doing chores in the dark. It's a little frustrating. Last night we had to put hay in. We are down to one bale so need to make arrangements to pick up another load. At this point, it doesn't matter if it's a big or little load, but we need more hay .


I had thought about putting hay in the night before and just pushing the excess out of the way to let them rummage through it but it was dark and I was ready to be done. I should have done it the night before.


It rained off and on throughout Wednesday and everything was a mess. At least Mike had time to scoop up some of the "muck" into a pile. I wish we could get it out of the drylot and onto a field but that requires phone calls and coordinating and apparently if *I* am not the one pushing for it and making phone calls, it doesn't happen. The problem is, the people I need to call, can't hear my voice very well on the phone. It's the wrong pitch and I have to scream into the phone. I'm such an introvert as it is, that even picking up the phone to make a call is exhausting, let alone screaming into the phone for a conversation...it's all too much. So we'll see. I'm beginning to think we'll never get the lot cleaned out like it should. The place will simply smell like a feedlot from now on (sorry, I seem to be grumpy today).


I need to start setting up corral panels so I can get horses out on the lawn and used to the grass. I had such high hopes of getting Junior and Lace on grass so they could go to Madison for the month. I havent' done anything yet. And I can't just throw halters on and let them wander. Junior is not the wandering type. So maybe this weekend I'll be able to put some corral panels up at least so I can get Junior and Lace adjusted. Everything seems to be behind this year and taking much longer than I expected.


I think I'll go take my grumpy self offline for a bit. It's a beautiful day.

May Day Storm

These spring storms are almost more dangerous than early winter storms. I'd rather have a spring storm because the snow won't last but it's so much harder on all the animals.


So yesterday morning we woke to snow on the ground. I'm guessing 2-3 inches of wet, heavy snow. And oddly enough, it kept snowing but the temps were so warm that what hit the ground never lasted. The kids and I played hookie yesterday and stayed home where we could just hang out and avoid crazy drivers (even when there's only two cars on the road, the other person is crazy...speaking from experience as I almost got t-boned by a truck this morning).


I figured we'd better get out and get some fresh air right away in the morning. While we were out, we watched the heavy snow fall off the power lines and make a terrible racket. I thought we were going to lose our power lines and power pole but we didn't. I figured we'd better go play somewhere else. While I was out, I  made a couple quick videos but I can't go live and can't upload on my phone. Go figure.


But after playing in the rapidly melting snow, we went in only to discover that we didn't have electricity. Mike had sent a picture earlier that morning to show power lines down north of us. Having lived on well water, I was grateful to have rural water and not have to worry about water. It was warm enough to not have to worry about the automatic waterer. What a relief to know that everything on the Sanctuary can run without electricity when it gets this warm.


We hung out for the entire day with no power. By 7pm, we figured we'd better pull out the generator and warm up the house because we didn't figure we'd get electricity back until sometime Tuesday morning. It's nice to know that in a pinch, we can manage the Sanctuary on our own even if there are problems. If it was super cold, we would have been running the generator  to make sure the tank heaters worked on all the tanks/automatic waterer.


I left blankets on through the morning because it was off and on raining/snowing and I didn't want anyone chilled. I didn't think it was going to continue snowing as much as it did in the morning but it didn't amount to anything. When Mike got home, I went out to pull blankets as it was getting warm out and all of the snow we did have was starting to melt really fast.


By 9:30pm, the power was back on and life returned to normal. I sort of enjoyed a lazy day with no power. It meant I couldn't work on anything and I could just hang out and "be". It felt kind of nice. No pressure to get anything done or to work on some project (Sanctuary or paying job related). I think that's why I like our family weekend getaways. No responsibility except to take care of the kids. Everything else is all taken care of and I love it.


The only problem with all that relaxing is that I lost my momentum. It's so easy to slip into the same routine and not focus on my goals and progress.


When I went out to do chores this morning, I noticed the field behind was had water standing in it. There's a little creek that runs in the field and it drains into our pasture. I didn't check our pasture but I'm betting the bottom half is completely covered in water. We need to do some fencing so that the horses stay off the bottom of that pasture when we finally get them out on grass. I need to start getting them used to grass ASAP. I also need to haul Junior, and probably Lace, up to Madison and also make that awful call about Rabbit. Bo is still coughing and I'm not sure his ulcers are cured yet. I'm sort of waiting for the vet bill to decide what to do  next. I wish I could simply get him on pasture with the rest of the herd and see how he does. So much stress to keep everyone happy and healthy.


Here's to the second day of May. I hope the end of May is less "interesting" than the first part of May!

May 1st Snow

It's May 1st. Hard to believe when I look out the window. It certainly doesn't LOOK like May 1st. In fact, it looks more like February.


We've been dealing with rain since yesterday morning. Saturday night I started blanketing horses in preparation for this storm. I hadnt' really paid much attention to the weather until someone said something about snow. Snow?!?! In May? It's not unheard of but still, a few snowflakes. Nope, 2-4 inches.


I have learned from past experience that this time of year is actually much worse than when we are dealing with a polar vortex in the middle of winter. Once the horses get wet, they get chilled and can't get warm. I don't want to deal with any more sick horses. Bo is the only sick one right now and he's still sick, even after two weeks of omeprazal and the cough is still there. So I don't have the energy to deal with more sick horses.


So on went the blankets Saturday night. I sort of thought maybe I was over reacting. But I woke up Sunday morning to a bit of rain and snow. Yup, glad I put blankets on most, the others wouldn't let me. So I went out to do chores in the morning Sunday and put blankets on a couple of more (the only two that would let me). By the time I got back in, I was back to thinking I was over reacting again. I can't win! But at least the chill is off of them.


But by 4pm, I was glad I had put blankets on everyone that I could. We are down a few blankets. Winters are tough and we lost a couple. I swear the Sanctuary horses have a death wish for blankets. Anyway, it started raining, and raining, and raining. I figured I'd better get out to do chores. I was soaked after just a short time but figured the rain would let off and it would be back to the way it was, thinking I was over reacting.


An hour later I get a message from work saying that I didn't have to come in because the weather was going to be bad. What?!?! They didnt' cancel work but they said we could stay home. Oh man! That means it really IS going to be bad.


So back out I went to put everyone into stalls that I could squeeze in. We don't have enough stalls or enough blankets. What I would give for a 20 horse stall where I didn't have to lead them in, to just open the doors and have them walk into their own stalls would be wonderful!


I wont' go into details on who went where and all that. You can see in the videos I posted on Facebook. I think I was overly tired by the time I finally got done (hence the odd videos). I apparently was much more stressed out this weekend than I had though (family stuff).


By the time I went to bed last night, the rain hadn't let up. It was raining steady (and hard) all that time. When I went to bed, I took a peek and sure enough the rain had switched to snow. I sure was glad to have horses in. Everyone was cold and shivering when I put them in last night.


This morning I woke to ankle deep snow. I'm guessing that's about 2-3 inches. But it's still snowing. I put Bo back into his pasture even though I KNOW he wanted to go back with the rest of the herd. But he let out a huge cough, which tells me he is no better today than he was when I hauled him to the vet. Of course I was hoping that his cough would go away but this weather certainly doesn't help with it.


I let the mares and Junior out and they were unimpressed with being out in the snow. Yes, it's still snowing. 12 hours later and it's still going. The trees are starting to really sag.


I'm going to stay safe and warm in the house and let all the crazy people go to work today. Who doesn't need a day off from the paying job?


Happy May Day Everyone!!