Wind Chill Advisory

I've been a little incomuminicado lately thanks to the sheer amount of work the paying job has me buried under. I'm hoping that soon I can recover and breath but until then I'm struggling to get anything done. It's so frustrating but I guess that's part of work.


We had beautiful weather for about a week and then another cold snap hit us. I never realized how much easier it is getting everything done in warmer temperatures. And when I say warmer, even 5 degrees above zero is warm lately.


The cold snap was supposed to set in late last week. I was able to blanket everyone, including Zeke. I didn't go so far as to stall anyone because it didn't seem all that bad.


We had a bit of a stressful weekend trying to help a neighbor with his colicy horse. I hate colic. After dealing with Ivan's colic and losing him so suddenly, it was a little bit surreal. And frustrating but that's all I'll say about it.


By Monday we were into bone chilling temperatures. And silly me, I waited until Monday night to put in hay because I wanted the hay to last a little longer. I should have sacrificed the good hay and went ahead and put the hay in. Over half the herd was in the barn for the night because it was almost 10 below with a wind chill of almost 30 below. And wouldn't you know, I'm out there putting on haynets and securing them with twine. I'd been out in that kind of weather before but for some reason Monday night's "adventure" was bad. I think I came close to frost bite. What I cant' figure out is that the time before, I almost froze my hand to metal a couple of times but this time around I think hypothermia was setting in....or maybe it was just exhaustion. Either way, by Monday night, I was done in.


Luckily the weather is getting significantly better. Unfortunately, it's another 50 degree swing in temperature. And I believe that type of temperature shift is what caused the neighbor's horse to colic. I've always worried about major temperature changes and our seniors. Can they handle the temp change, will there be any effects on them? It worries me. The older horses can't always handle such sudden shifts in temperature.


By the end of the wee we'll be in the 40s! And to think we were 10 below on Monday with a 30 below wind chill advisory! That's South Dakota for you.


I know there's more to write but I need to get back to the paying job before I get more buried. It's so hard to focus on moving forward when you're barely keeping your head above the water. Anyone want to help with fundraiser ideas?