We NEED to get an automatic waterer set up in the pasture next to the barn. I want to turn that into not only the winter pasture but also a pen setting so I can move the ponies over there this winter as well. But it's already the first of September and I'm not sure how to swing getting everything lined up and done. I always think that we can do it ourselves because it's so expensive and we don't have the money to pay someone else. But we don't have the time either it seems.
We spent the long weekend running around and enjoying the last little bit of summer before going back to school (school already started but for me Labor Day has always signaled back to reality and the end of summer). So we did a bunch of running and it was super hot both Saturday and Sunday. We'd get home late from all of our fun and I'd head out to do chores. The pasture with Diavlo and Mayhem has the 100 gallon tank and I was making sure that there was water but it wasn't topped off.
I went out yesterday morning after Mayhem whinnied at me and realized the tank was low. So I filled it just enough to what should have made the day. When we stopped in again for a quick minute, I checked the tank and it was below that level again. So I'm not sure if they drank that much (normally they don't), or if it has a crack in it. If it has a crack, I'm going to be mad. I searched all around for leaks but didn't so maybe they just drank a ton of water because it had gotten so hot. I feel sort of like a horse mom failure for this one. But it's a definite reminder that we need to put an auto water in rather than deal with a 100 gallon tank.
With how I'm seeing the winter unfold, life is going to get a bit chaotic. There's some personal stuff going on, outside of the whole pandemic and kids going to school/daycare and that stuff is pulling me away from the horses. But family is my number one priority so it has to be this way. But if it continues, it means my mind wont' be thinking sanctuary work and it'll be focused on other stuff. But that also means that I need to make my chores as minimal as possible this winter if we need to make a quick run somewhere. It's the unknowns that boggle my mind and make it hard to plan, since I'm a planner.
But just having the auto water would make life easier and much less stressful at times, especially for the winter months as the farmers almanac is calling for more cold and snow this winter. But that's typical of South Dakota but it's 2020 and the Black Hills saw snow yesterday. In all the years we used to go to the Black Hills for Labor Day (and even after that), there has NEVER been snow this time of year. But it IS 2020 and I want to be prepared for anything. And that means we NEED to get an auto water purchased, the lines buried, and everything installed before the snow starts to fly here.
Anyone want to help in any fashion? We need funds to purchase the auto water which is $500 (at least the last time we bought one). I have no idea how much it'll cost to bury the lines but we can rent a mini excavator for a couple hundred for the weekend. But the plumbing will have to be hired out. It'll all cost money but will be 1000% better than me lugging buckets and hoses all winter!
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Thursday, September 3, 2020
Fall Arriving
By next Tuesday, we will be dealing with fall. Currently, we are enjoying beautiful weather albeit a little windy (but that's to be expected). It's beautiful with sun and temps that aren't searing. It makes life so much easier on the animals.
Come Tuesday, we are dealing with the potential for not even getting to 60 degrees and the rest of the week will be in the 60s. While it means I can hide in hoodies and fat pants again, it does mean that the horses will need more to maintain their weight.
The pastures are all but done. I am trying to keep them at the bottom portion of the pasture to save the two top portions that may be able to come back next year. Fingers crossed that it can survive this lack of rain. With one rain shower last week, we are close to a month without rain.
We don't have our hay lined up yet but I'm assured that we will get it. I won't even consider the "If not" idea. We need to fundraise for our hay but I'm out of ideas for what we can do. In person fundraising is out of the question and my online ideas are either the same as everyone else or boring. I know everyone is tapped out so I hate to ask for funds.
At this point, we've been asked to take in 20 horses since the beginning of the year. It's far less than last year thank goodness. And I'm sure it's a far cry from other rescues/sanctuaries that get inundated. But for each no, I am heartbroken. These horses need a soft place to land and I can't say yes without jeopardizing our herd. It's been a year since we said yes to the herd of four. We are down to only Diavlo (although Pepper went to a new home and is enjoying a new career). We will continue on as we have but worry for all those that don't have a voice.
This weekend is Labor Day weekend so you will most likely not see me online or posting much. I hope to return on Tuesday with some fun ideas. It's been something I've been mulling over and can hopefully bring some cheer to others.
The horses and I wish you a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine!
Come Tuesday, we are dealing with the potential for not even getting to 60 degrees and the rest of the week will be in the 60s. While it means I can hide in hoodies and fat pants again, it does mean that the horses will need more to maintain their weight.
The pastures are all but done. I am trying to keep them at the bottom portion of the pasture to save the two top portions that may be able to come back next year. Fingers crossed that it can survive this lack of rain. With one rain shower last week, we are close to a month without rain.
We don't have our hay lined up yet but I'm assured that we will get it. I won't even consider the "If not" idea. We need to fundraise for our hay but I'm out of ideas for what we can do. In person fundraising is out of the question and my online ideas are either the same as everyone else or boring. I know everyone is tapped out so I hate to ask for funds.
At this point, we've been asked to take in 20 horses since the beginning of the year. It's far less than last year thank goodness. And I'm sure it's a far cry from other rescues/sanctuaries that get inundated. But for each no, I am heartbroken. These horses need a soft place to land and I can't say yes without jeopardizing our herd. It's been a year since we said yes to the herd of four. We are down to only Diavlo (although Pepper went to a new home and is enjoying a new career). We will continue on as we have but worry for all those that don't have a voice.
This weekend is Labor Day weekend so you will most likely not see me online or posting much. I hope to return on Tuesday with some fun ideas. It's been something I've been mulling over and can hopefully bring some cheer to others.
The horses and I wish you a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine!
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Summer Heat
The summer heat has returned. June came in not like a lion but definitely like someone left the oven on. It's going to go out the same way, hot, hot, hot. I worry for the horses when it gets this hot but they all have shade and fresh water available. It's almost easier to deal with the colder temps. I can put out more food, wrap them in snug blankets, and put them in the barn to keep the worst of the cold away but when it's hot like this, there's not much I can do.
The flies are terrible. Thanks to two very generous donations, we are able to purchase two additional sets of Shoo Fly leggings and one of those two also stopped out with a used pair that we put to use immediately. Diavlo wasn't impressed at first but that was only after about two minutes figuring out what they were all about and then you could tell he relaxed. I wish we could have enough to put all four on everyone. Slowly but surely, we will hopefully get enough (if they don't destroy them before that). The face flies haven't arrived so we haven't put on fly masks just yet but the time is quickly approaching. I learned a trick for keeping masks on so we'll see if it actually works or not. I've been slowly gathering fly masks as well but I'm not sure everyone has one. I put one on Diavlo and he took it off within an hour. Mayhem on the other hand left hers on. We may play musical fly masks to see which ones fit and which ones stay on who. And figure out how many we still need to purchase to make sure everyone gets a mask.
It's been a fairly quiet week otherwise. We are working on some home improvements that will in the long run make the Sanctuary look nicer as well. Small improvements will hopefully make the place look nicer and less unkempt as it has been for awhile. The joys of life getting in the way of progress.
I need to start looking at some late summer projects. There's so much that we need to get done and so little time. Even though I'm working from home at the paying job, there's less time because of my work schedule. We arent' running at all because of covid but juggling schedules gets a bit exhausting and I'm worried that not all of our projects will get done before the snow flies. I won't even go into the inability to look into grants, fundraising, or figuring out how to get our name out there more so we can do something online.
I have come to the realization that I am going to be too old to haul water in the winter. And I'm tired of hauling water all winter long (either in buckets or dragging a hose out). I want to install an auto water in the mare pasture. The mares (and usually a gelding) stay in the pasture near the barn all winter long because it's the easiest way for me to get water to them AND it's fairly protected. I'm also going to have to suck it up and buy a lean to or shed of some sort with my personal money and get it put up. I've never liked not having a shelter in that pasture/pen so I'm going to fix it this year. I need to do some additional fencing to make it so I can keep them there even in the spring instead of moving them to the drylot pen which isn't nearly as convenient or protected.. But by putting in an auto water, we need to bury lines (i.e., rent a backhoe), come up with the money for the auto water ($500), and get everything in working order before everything freezes (pray to the water gods that there are no leaks).
Sounds stupid to be worried about winter already, but it's already the last day of June and the days are getting shorter. In a week we will start to hear the kattydids and that will send me into a panic because I'm not prepared for winter. It's usually this time of year that I finally recover from the previous winter and now I have to start thinking about the upcoming winter. And with how 2020 has been, I want to have everything in order so we are prepared for whatever craziness comes our way.
So anyone have a backhoe we could rent/borrow, likes to do plumbing, or wants to help donate towards the new auto water that will make life so much easier and better for everyone both winter and summer? Let me know at borderlandshorsesanctuary@yahoo.com. We'd love the help.
We are also doing a cleanup day July 11th. So if you happen to be in the area, stop on out. We have way too many projects so come out and I'll put you to work on whatever projects you think are fun. Lets hope it's not too stinky hot.
The flies are terrible. Thanks to two very generous donations, we are able to purchase two additional sets of Shoo Fly leggings and one of those two also stopped out with a used pair that we put to use immediately. Diavlo wasn't impressed at first but that was only after about two minutes figuring out what they were all about and then you could tell he relaxed. I wish we could have enough to put all four on everyone. Slowly but surely, we will hopefully get enough (if they don't destroy them before that). The face flies haven't arrived so we haven't put on fly masks just yet but the time is quickly approaching. I learned a trick for keeping masks on so we'll see if it actually works or not. I've been slowly gathering fly masks as well but I'm not sure everyone has one. I put one on Diavlo and he took it off within an hour. Mayhem on the other hand left hers on. We may play musical fly masks to see which ones fit and which ones stay on who. And figure out how many we still need to purchase to make sure everyone gets a mask.
It's been a fairly quiet week otherwise. We are working on some home improvements that will in the long run make the Sanctuary look nicer as well. Small improvements will hopefully make the place look nicer and less unkempt as it has been for awhile. The joys of life getting in the way of progress.
I need to start looking at some late summer projects. There's so much that we need to get done and so little time. Even though I'm working from home at the paying job, there's less time because of my work schedule. We arent' running at all because of covid but juggling schedules gets a bit exhausting and I'm worried that not all of our projects will get done before the snow flies. I won't even go into the inability to look into grants, fundraising, or figuring out how to get our name out there more so we can do something online.
I have come to the realization that I am going to be too old to haul water in the winter. And I'm tired of hauling water all winter long (either in buckets or dragging a hose out). I want to install an auto water in the mare pasture. The mares (and usually a gelding) stay in the pasture near the barn all winter long because it's the easiest way for me to get water to them AND it's fairly protected. I'm also going to have to suck it up and buy a lean to or shed of some sort with my personal money and get it put up. I've never liked not having a shelter in that pasture/pen so I'm going to fix it this year. I need to do some additional fencing to make it so I can keep them there even in the spring instead of moving them to the drylot pen which isn't nearly as convenient or protected.. But by putting in an auto water, we need to bury lines (i.e., rent a backhoe), come up with the money for the auto water ($500), and get everything in working order before everything freezes (pray to the water gods that there are no leaks).
Sounds stupid to be worried about winter already, but it's already the last day of June and the days are getting shorter. In a week we will start to hear the kattydids and that will send me into a panic because I'm not prepared for winter. It's usually this time of year that I finally recover from the previous winter and now I have to start thinking about the upcoming winter. And with how 2020 has been, I want to have everything in order so we are prepared for whatever craziness comes our way.
So anyone have a backhoe we could rent/borrow, likes to do plumbing, or wants to help donate towards the new auto water that will make life so much easier and better for everyone both winter and summer? Let me know at borderlandshorsesanctuary@yahoo.com. We'd love the help.
We are also doing a cleanup day July 11th. So if you happen to be in the area, stop on out. We have way too many projects so come out and I'll put you to work on whatever projects you think are fun. Lets hope it's not too stinky hot.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Storms
After a few weeks of beautiful weather (or maybe it was only a week, they all seem to blur together), we are headed into another heat wave and potential for storms tonight. Those that know me, know that I hate storms. I'm not sure if it's age or the two tornadoes that barely missed us, or what.
I always worry more with storms coming. Summer storms can be so unpredictable that I can't protect the horses as well. It's the Type A personality trying to control Mother Nature. It's an effort in futility. What I would give for nice, soft, straight down rains instead of gully washers and flash floods. I worry more about hail and wind damage these days. I still need to get up on the barn roof and repair a few sheets of tin that are damaged.
With the warmer temperatures, it seems like the flies have come out in full force. I swear these are August flies rather than June flies. I'm just waiting for the katydids to start singing and then I'll really be in a tail spin. When they start singing, we'll be half way through summer and there's still SO much that needs to get gone before the snow flies. It always seems that we are preparing for winter the entire time we have summer, which makes it a bit precarious in always focusing on winter.
Oh for a constant 70 degrees, sunshine, and a light breeze! But we live in SD so we'll be keeping an eye to the sky to make sure we are prepared for any upcoming storms.
I always worry more with storms coming. Summer storms can be so unpredictable that I can't protect the horses as well. It's the Type A personality trying to control Mother Nature. It's an effort in futility. What I would give for nice, soft, straight down rains instead of gully washers and flash floods. I worry more about hail and wind damage these days. I still need to get up on the barn roof and repair a few sheets of tin that are damaged.
With the warmer temperatures, it seems like the flies have come out in full force. I swear these are August flies rather than June flies. I'm just waiting for the katydids to start singing and then I'll really be in a tail spin. When they start singing, we'll be half way through summer and there's still SO much that needs to get gone before the snow flies. It always seems that we are preparing for winter the entire time we have summer, which makes it a bit precarious in always focusing on winter.
Oh for a constant 70 degrees, sunshine, and a light breeze! But we live in SD so we'll be keeping an eye to the sky to make sure we are prepared for any upcoming storms.
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Calming Rain
After three or four straight days of 90+ degree weather and 25+ mph wind, we finally have a break from the weather and are enjoying rain, cooler temps, and no wind. I know we had rain a few weeks back but with 90 degree weather, the grass was starting to burn and dry up. We had an extreme drought eight years ago and we barely survived. If we were to have a drought now, I'm not sure my sanity could handle it.
After everyone else went to bed last night, I finally got out to do chores in the dark. It was still windy but the temps were manageable. In fact, I pulled a chair out into the driveway and just sat looking at the stars for a bit after everything was done. Every once in a while I'd see a flash in the sky of lightening. After I went in for the night, I checked my phone to see how close the storm was. Oddly, it was miles and miles and miles away. It's amazing how far you can see some days/nights when looking up at the sky.
It's going to remain quiet for the remainder of the week. We are still coming to terms and preparing ourselves mentally to let Jessie go. I think my worrying for Diavlo's depression is overtaking my sorrow for losing Jessie. Hopefully Diavlo will bond with Mayhem. If not, I may shake it up a bit and put him in with the big herd. But if he bonds severely with Chaos, we'll have problems because Chaos is one that we take out of the herd and take to different places.
I do hope that the rain predicted for tomorrow holds off until after we lay Jessie to rest. The plan is to bury her next to Ransom and the others. It's hard enough juggling the vet's schedule and the excavator's schedule. Now we have to throw in the weather's decision to go from 90+ degrees and gusty to severe thunderstorms. I guess it is what it is and we'll take the weather as it comes.
It is refreshing though to finally have the windows open and listen to the rain. There's something about listening to rain that is calming, which is something I desperately need at the moment.
After everyone else went to bed last night, I finally got out to do chores in the dark. It was still windy but the temps were manageable. In fact, I pulled a chair out into the driveway and just sat looking at the stars for a bit after everything was done. Every once in a while I'd see a flash in the sky of lightening. After I went in for the night, I checked my phone to see how close the storm was. Oddly, it was miles and miles and miles away. It's amazing how far you can see some days/nights when looking up at the sky.
It's going to remain quiet for the remainder of the week. We are still coming to terms and preparing ourselves mentally to let Jessie go. I think my worrying for Diavlo's depression is overtaking my sorrow for losing Jessie. Hopefully Diavlo will bond with Mayhem. If not, I may shake it up a bit and put him in with the big herd. But if he bonds severely with Chaos, we'll have problems because Chaos is one that we take out of the herd and take to different places.
I do hope that the rain predicted for tomorrow holds off until after we lay Jessie to rest. The plan is to bury her next to Ransom and the others. It's hard enough juggling the vet's schedule and the excavator's schedule. Now we have to throw in the weather's decision to go from 90+ degrees and gusty to severe thunderstorms. I guess it is what it is and we'll take the weather as it comes.
It is refreshing though to finally have the windows open and listen to the rain. There's something about listening to rain that is calming, which is something I desperately need at the moment.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Weather
The weatherman had been talking about storms and rain for a week now but it took until last night to get any bit of rain. I was actually starting to worry. I can't remember the last time we had any rain. I should have paid more attention to Mayhem. When there's drastic weather changes, she doesn't feel good and she didnt' feel good the night before last. Some days I'm on auto pilot that I don't always pay attention like I should.
We've had 90+ degree weather and lots of wind Sunday and Monday. I'd keep watching the sky waiting for the storms and nothing. I hate storms so I'm always a bit antsy. We were supposed to have storms the week before and with the hot weather I was sure we were going to get a nasty storm. I always get spooked with storms. Guess it comes with age. So Sunday and Monday we'd been dealing with extreme heat. It's not 90 in June usually! Monday night there was a line of thunderstorms that I thought were moving in. I sat out and watched them but we didnt' get anything. When I woke in the morning, they were still where they had been the night before. Odd that it would stall out like that.
On Tuesday the temps fluxuated so drastically it was hard to keep up. It was actually decent out in the morning in the mid 70s and no one was sweltering like before. Mid morning the temps dropped and that should have been an indication that the storms were finally moving but again I was on auto pilot. I left our place in the afternoon and it was mid 70s, I saw 80 just north of the Sanctuary and by the time I reached Madison 30 minutes (30 miles) later, it was 67 and it never got any warmer.
Then the storms rolled in early evening and we got our much needed rain. Of course I didn't get out of Madison in time and had to drive in the rain. I must have missed the majority of the downpour because I saw standing water in fields as we drove home. There wasn't standing water when we drove by in the afternoon. I havent' looked at the numbers yet. With all the tiling going on, I expect our pasture to be flooded again. I'm so mad about that but that's for another post. I have my idea on how to fix at least one of the issues.
The rest of the week isn't supposed to be too hot. It's actually a little chilly at this moment but I'll take it after 90s. I'm too fat for it to be this hot. And it's so hard to keep the horses comfortable when it's 90. We also have August flies rather than June flies. I call them August flies because they are mean and bite and they know the end is near. This time they are here early. They aren't the face flies that swarm the horses's head but they are the ones that go after the legs and bite hard. I dug around and found my shoo fly boots but I don't have enough to go all the way around. I wish I could buy a pair for each horse but at $45 for a set of four, it's not possible when you have 14 horses. I try to buy one or two pairs a year and then at least get the leggings on the fronts so there's a little less stomping going on. Sadly, they wear out faster than I can afford to replace them AND buy enough to get everyone covered. And we didn't have the horse expo this spring so no chance of buying them already. If I remember right our local Fleet Farm might have them but I haven't been in a store since mid March. Mike goes in and does all our shopping while I stay home and watch the kids. It's a struggle since I'm the one who keeps track of what all we need. But a trip in to Fleet Farm might be in order to buy fly leggings for the horses. It would be relief for a few more horses and I could rest a little easier.
We have a working/cleanup day this Sunday and already have a few volunteers willing to come out. We are going to do some vaccinations and deworming and then I'll let them get the grooming brushes out and take care of all the witches knots that seem to be taking hold of the horses' manes lately. I'm sure the horses will love all the attention. Lets hope it's not 90 degrees on Sunday so we can get a few things done.
We've had 90+ degree weather and lots of wind Sunday and Monday. I'd keep watching the sky waiting for the storms and nothing. I hate storms so I'm always a bit antsy. We were supposed to have storms the week before and with the hot weather I was sure we were going to get a nasty storm. I always get spooked with storms. Guess it comes with age. So Sunday and Monday we'd been dealing with extreme heat. It's not 90 in June usually! Monday night there was a line of thunderstorms that I thought were moving in. I sat out and watched them but we didnt' get anything. When I woke in the morning, they were still where they had been the night before. Odd that it would stall out like that.
On Tuesday the temps fluxuated so drastically it was hard to keep up. It was actually decent out in the morning in the mid 70s and no one was sweltering like before. Mid morning the temps dropped and that should have been an indication that the storms were finally moving but again I was on auto pilot. I left our place in the afternoon and it was mid 70s, I saw 80 just north of the Sanctuary and by the time I reached Madison 30 minutes (30 miles) later, it was 67 and it never got any warmer.
Then the storms rolled in early evening and we got our much needed rain. Of course I didn't get out of Madison in time and had to drive in the rain. I must have missed the majority of the downpour because I saw standing water in fields as we drove home. There wasn't standing water when we drove by in the afternoon. I havent' looked at the numbers yet. With all the tiling going on, I expect our pasture to be flooded again. I'm so mad about that but that's for another post. I have my idea on how to fix at least one of the issues.
The rest of the week isn't supposed to be too hot. It's actually a little chilly at this moment but I'll take it after 90s. I'm too fat for it to be this hot. And it's so hard to keep the horses comfortable when it's 90. We also have August flies rather than June flies. I call them August flies because they are mean and bite and they know the end is near. This time they are here early. They aren't the face flies that swarm the horses's head but they are the ones that go after the legs and bite hard. I dug around and found my shoo fly boots but I don't have enough to go all the way around. I wish I could buy a pair for each horse but at $45 for a set of four, it's not possible when you have 14 horses. I try to buy one or two pairs a year and then at least get the leggings on the fronts so there's a little less stomping going on. Sadly, they wear out faster than I can afford to replace them AND buy enough to get everyone covered. And we didn't have the horse expo this spring so no chance of buying them already. If I remember right our local Fleet Farm might have them but I haven't been in a store since mid March. Mike goes in and does all our shopping while I stay home and watch the kids. It's a struggle since I'm the one who keeps track of what all we need. But a trip in to Fleet Farm might be in order to buy fly leggings for the horses. It would be relief for a few more horses and I could rest a little easier.
We have a working/cleanup day this Sunday and already have a few volunteers willing to come out. We are going to do some vaccinations and deworming and then I'll let them get the grooming brushes out and take care of all the witches knots that seem to be taking hold of the horses' manes lately. I'm sure the horses will love all the attention. Lets hope it's not 90 degrees on Sunday so we can get a few things done.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
So It Begins
And so it begins...
Winter that is. I'm hoping that the snows hold off and if we do get any snow, it'll melt. Snow in October makes for a super long winter and I'm just not ready.
We don't have our winter supply of hay home yet. We were trying to find a time to get it home. Our schedule is so insane with kids, school activities, horse activities, and life in general that we'd been putting it off. In years past, we wouldn't even bring hay home until October or November.
It's a good thing we have leftover hay from last year. We now can't get to our hay. With the flooding in Madison that happened last month, the road to where the hay is, is now under water (from both directions). So now we wait for the water to go down (it won't), or wait for the water to freeze.
We do have access to other hay, which is what we will probably have to do in a little while.
For now, we have about 10 bales. I'd hoped to put hay out last night but it got too late. So we'll be doing it tonight come hell or high water. Our pastures are done so we need to be putting hay out. I guess I shouldn't complain. It's October 10th and we'll just be putting hay out. We should probably have put hay out last weekend instead.
But with the bad weather, I had SO hoped to get it done last night before it rained and I'd get soaked. Not going to be the case. Hopefully the kids can either entertain themselves or we can put my youngest in the carseat and have him ride along in the tractor. We'll see how it goes. Simply too much to do and not enough time to get it all done.
Everything is coming to a screeching halt with this fast approaching storm. Fingers crossed we won't get too much snow, the weather warms up, and we have another month of fall to wrap up projects.
Winter that is. I'm hoping that the snows hold off and if we do get any snow, it'll melt. Snow in October makes for a super long winter and I'm just not ready.
We don't have our winter supply of hay home yet. We were trying to find a time to get it home. Our schedule is so insane with kids, school activities, horse activities, and life in general that we'd been putting it off. In years past, we wouldn't even bring hay home until October or November.
It's a good thing we have leftover hay from last year. We now can't get to our hay. With the flooding in Madison that happened last month, the road to where the hay is, is now under water (from both directions). So now we wait for the water to go down (it won't), or wait for the water to freeze.
We do have access to other hay, which is what we will probably have to do in a little while.
For now, we have about 10 bales. I'd hoped to put hay out last night but it got too late. So we'll be doing it tonight come hell or high water. Our pastures are done so we need to be putting hay out. I guess I shouldn't complain. It's October 10th and we'll just be putting hay out. We should probably have put hay out last weekend instead.
But with the bad weather, I had SO hoped to get it done last night before it rained and I'd get soaked. Not going to be the case. Hopefully the kids can either entertain themselves or we can put my youngest in the carseat and have him ride along in the tractor. We'll see how it goes. Simply too much to do and not enough time to get it all done.
Everything is coming to a screeching halt with this fast approaching storm. Fingers crossed we won't get too much snow, the weather warms up, and we have another month of fall to wrap up projects.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Goodbye Fall
Well the storm is on track to drop rain and snow starting Thursday. So glad I stayed home yesterday to paint the house. So much more that needs to be done but I guess I'll just have to wait until spring.
I hate such drastic temperature drops. I'm always worried about colic.
I hate such drastic temperature drops. I'm always worried about colic.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Winter is Coming
We aren't in a polar vortex so in reality this graph isn't all that scary but...
it makes me sad. So very, very sad.
I'm not ready for winter. It's only the first of October. I can't handle winter yet. I think everyone is still recovering from the last winter. We had spring and summer but it was such an odd spring and summer that it feels like it was just a month ago that we were dealing with winter.
We've had two major floods, local tornados, colder temps, and now we are headed back into winter by the end of the month. This weather could very well break me.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
25 Degrees
We have had a 25 degree change from yesterday morning to this morning. I don't know the overall temperature shift but it's pretty prominent. Yesterday was oddly hot and humid for the last day of September with temps starting at 74 degrees. I was shocked when I stepped outside to do chores. 74 degrees at 6am is crazy and usually only happens once in the summer (not in the fall). Had I known, I would have opened every window in the house! I love fresh air!
Fast forward to this morning, I struggled to get out of bed with a thunderstorm rolling in but it being so dark I had no motivation. It wasn't like a normal thunderstorm where I could see it rolling in. I woke to rain on the roof and rumbling thunder (a hard motivation to get up and get moving when snuggled under a warm blanket). When I did run out to let the big herd out to pasture, it was 49 degrees. Hello October! The rain, the clouds, the dark mornings and early nights are normal for this time of year so yesterday was a bit of a shock. My only regret is that I didn't take the day off the paying job to get a few outside projects worked on while the weather was warm.
I forgot what it was like to do chores in the dark (both morning and night). Now that the pastures are close to being done, I need to start supplementing with grain for the hard keepers. Some aren't exactly hard keepers but they aren't the ones that get fat on air. So now we are graining Lace, Jim, and Jesse. I want to start graining Dude but he hasnt' figured out what I'm asking of him just yet so he doesn't stand at the door waiting his turn to get in.
I set up corral panels to let Lace in to grain her. She gets annoyed because the ponies try to bother her. Jim has the entire barn to enjoy his mash. We'll be moving the ponies shortly but I want them to get the most of their lawn time as possible. The less I have to throw hay to them, the better! Then there's Jesse. Because I'm still getting used to her, I can't take as many liberties as I would with others. I can't feed her in the pen with Ransom and Diavlo because they push her out. So that means I have to halter her and lead her out, making sure the other two don't try to escape (darn boys). I can't grain her in the stall in the hay shed because she will freak out (or so I'm guessing). The geldings are very insecure without Jesse there with them. They aren't happy that she's on the other side of the fence in full view of them. But Jesse is quickly figuring out the grain thing. I halter her, lead her out, and I stand patiently while she devours her grain mash.
She's much too thin for my liking. I really dont' know if she'll make it this winter but I have to try before making the decision to put her down. This could very well be a simple lack of extra nutrition and bad teeth. She didn't lift her head the entire time she was eating. Usually the others always life their head and spill their grain (some do it on purpose to make eating last longer). But not Jesse. She didn't lift her head until she had the feeder almost licked clean. That tells me she's hungry and of course she loves her food. We are starting her off slow with the grain. I suspect she's not had grain before, just treats. Because I don't know the condition of her teeth, we are soaking everything. She's on one scoop of Purina Senior at the moment but after she adjusts, I want to increase that amount and possibly mix in a few other grains to help generate more weight gain. We'll see. Every horse is different for gaining weight. Jesse was more than happy to go back to her pen after she was done eating but I think she would have been content to eat her grain longer. But doing chores in the dark with kids that need to go to bed limited the amount of time she could stand around and lick the entire dish clean.
Jesse needs a sponsor. She needs teeth done, farrier work, and massive amounts of grain, besides a new blanket. I'm not sure she's ever had a blanket but it's definitely needed if she's going to survive this winter. She lost weight after coming to the Sanctuary. She's in a pen and that's not to her liking. She needs to be on pasture but I'm not yet ready to split her herd up and put her in with Lace and Mayhem. I'd rather not stress out Lace yet. So we are keeping a close eye on Jesse and will have to figure something out if she continues to lose weight because of stress.
Tomorrow we are supposed to try loading the last mare to get her home. If not, I'll be walking her this weekend to get her home. So stressful. Hopefully with the other mare home, Jesse will calm down.
Fast forward to this morning, I struggled to get out of bed with a thunderstorm rolling in but it being so dark I had no motivation. It wasn't like a normal thunderstorm where I could see it rolling in. I woke to rain on the roof and rumbling thunder (a hard motivation to get up and get moving when snuggled under a warm blanket). When I did run out to let the big herd out to pasture, it was 49 degrees. Hello October! The rain, the clouds, the dark mornings and early nights are normal for this time of year so yesterday was a bit of a shock. My only regret is that I didn't take the day off the paying job to get a few outside projects worked on while the weather was warm.
I forgot what it was like to do chores in the dark (both morning and night). Now that the pastures are close to being done, I need to start supplementing with grain for the hard keepers. Some aren't exactly hard keepers but they aren't the ones that get fat on air. So now we are graining Lace, Jim, and Jesse. I want to start graining Dude but he hasnt' figured out what I'm asking of him just yet so he doesn't stand at the door waiting his turn to get in.
I set up corral panels to let Lace in to grain her. She gets annoyed because the ponies try to bother her. Jim has the entire barn to enjoy his mash. We'll be moving the ponies shortly but I want them to get the most of their lawn time as possible. The less I have to throw hay to them, the better! Then there's Jesse. Because I'm still getting used to her, I can't take as many liberties as I would with others. I can't feed her in the pen with Ransom and Diavlo because they push her out. So that means I have to halter her and lead her out, making sure the other two don't try to escape (darn boys). I can't grain her in the stall in the hay shed because she will freak out (or so I'm guessing). The geldings are very insecure without Jesse there with them. They aren't happy that she's on the other side of the fence in full view of them. But Jesse is quickly figuring out the grain thing. I halter her, lead her out, and I stand patiently while she devours her grain mash.
She's much too thin for my liking. I really dont' know if she'll make it this winter but I have to try before making the decision to put her down. This could very well be a simple lack of extra nutrition and bad teeth. She didn't lift her head the entire time she was eating. Usually the others always life their head and spill their grain (some do it on purpose to make eating last longer). But not Jesse. She didn't lift her head until she had the feeder almost licked clean. That tells me she's hungry and of course she loves her food. We are starting her off slow with the grain. I suspect she's not had grain before, just treats. Because I don't know the condition of her teeth, we are soaking everything. She's on one scoop of Purina Senior at the moment but after she adjusts, I want to increase that amount and possibly mix in a few other grains to help generate more weight gain. We'll see. Every horse is different for gaining weight. Jesse was more than happy to go back to her pen after she was done eating but I think she would have been content to eat her grain longer. But doing chores in the dark with kids that need to go to bed limited the amount of time she could stand around and lick the entire dish clean.
Jesse needs a sponsor. She needs teeth done, farrier work, and massive amounts of grain, besides a new blanket. I'm not sure she's ever had a blanket but it's definitely needed if she's going to survive this winter. She lost weight after coming to the Sanctuary. She's in a pen and that's not to her liking. She needs to be on pasture but I'm not yet ready to split her herd up and put her in with Lace and Mayhem. I'd rather not stress out Lace yet. So we are keeping a close eye on Jesse and will have to figure something out if she continues to lose weight because of stress.
Tomorrow we are supposed to try loading the last mare to get her home. If not, I'll be walking her this weekend to get her home. So stressful. Hopefully with the other mare home, Jesse will calm down.
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Crazy Weather
The past 24-36 hours have been crazy concerning weather. Tuesday night found us hunkered down in our basement because there was a potential tornado in the area. Of course it was nighttime and everything would be rain wrapped and impossible to see. After barely missing a tornado a few years ago, we don't take that chance any more. I think being a parent has changed our perspective.
But after the aftermath of the tornadoes (there's no talk of the one near us because there were three in Sioux Falls; the only talk was some rumblings that there was some damage in the country), there was rain and lots of it.
Yesterday morning I took my normal route out of the Sanctuary and had to deal with the gravel road being flooded. I figured the rest of my normal route might have problems too so opted for a different route. The road to the paying job had water on it but still passible. This morning, the road is closed. We received lots of rain last night. The worst part, is that Madison (30 miles north of Humboldt), received 11 inches of rain. The entire town is flooded as far as I know. Luckily my parents (and the summer pasture, which we didnt' use) are out of town and away from any creeks.
Driving was more interesting, trying to find a route that wasn't closed do to construction and a route that wasn't flooded or potentially flooded.
We ran to Canistota last night to check on the Fabulous Four we are taking in. I've been checking on them for a week every few days. There's flooding over there as well. In fact, there's a no travel advised warning issued from Humboldt west to somewhere near Chamberlain. And of course the Fabulous Four are not far from us but in the no traveled advised. I've been trying to figure out when we can get them but our schedules are so insane, it's a bit tricky. We can't just drop everything. I don't have enough vacation hours, we have childrens' activities, and now there's bad weather.
Our herd faired well through everything. The big herd is in a part of the pasture that is at the top of the hill so there's no worry about them getting into any water. I suspect our pasture will flood but so far the water isn't nearly as bad as it was this March. I'm glad we waited until September to let the herd onto this part of the pasture. It is going to make having the fence contractor look at our pasture a bit more difficult.
I think we finally have someone lined up to come out and give us an estimate on fencing. Sadly, I'm throwing in two additional projects so not sure how much that will cost. It's putting wooded fence posts in only. As much as I would LOVE to have all new fencing, the wood panels are more important. And because outside of the $5,000 we won through South Dakota Gives, all fencing will come out of our personal pocket rather than through donations to the Sanctuary. Donations to the Sanctuary will be solely to help feed and vet the horses.
My mind is running in about a million directions and I can't focus. There's too much going on and there's going to be very little going on at the Sanctuary other than day-to-day chores and trying to survive for the next few weeks until the weather calms down and hopefully our schedules slow down (hahaha, schedules slowing down when kids are in school, wishful thinking).
But after the aftermath of the tornadoes (there's no talk of the one near us because there were three in Sioux Falls; the only talk was some rumblings that there was some damage in the country), there was rain and lots of it.
Yesterday morning I took my normal route out of the Sanctuary and had to deal with the gravel road being flooded. I figured the rest of my normal route might have problems too so opted for a different route. The road to the paying job had water on it but still passible. This morning, the road is closed. We received lots of rain last night. The worst part, is that Madison (30 miles north of Humboldt), received 11 inches of rain. The entire town is flooded as far as I know. Luckily my parents (and the summer pasture, which we didnt' use) are out of town and away from any creeks.
Driving was more interesting, trying to find a route that wasn't closed do to construction and a route that wasn't flooded or potentially flooded.
We ran to Canistota last night to check on the Fabulous Four we are taking in. I've been checking on them for a week every few days. There's flooding over there as well. In fact, there's a no travel advised warning issued from Humboldt west to somewhere near Chamberlain. And of course the Fabulous Four are not far from us but in the no traveled advised. I've been trying to figure out when we can get them but our schedules are so insane, it's a bit tricky. We can't just drop everything. I don't have enough vacation hours, we have childrens' activities, and now there's bad weather.
Our herd faired well through everything. The big herd is in a part of the pasture that is at the top of the hill so there's no worry about them getting into any water. I suspect our pasture will flood but so far the water isn't nearly as bad as it was this March. I'm glad we waited until September to let the herd onto this part of the pasture. It is going to make having the fence contractor look at our pasture a bit more difficult.
I think we finally have someone lined up to come out and give us an estimate on fencing. Sadly, I'm throwing in two additional projects so not sure how much that will cost. It's putting wooded fence posts in only. As much as I would LOVE to have all new fencing, the wood panels are more important. And because outside of the $5,000 we won through South Dakota Gives, all fencing will come out of our personal pocket rather than through donations to the Sanctuary. Donations to the Sanctuary will be solely to help feed and vet the horses.
My mind is running in about a million directions and I can't focus. There's too much going on and there's going to be very little going on at the Sanctuary other than day-to-day chores and trying to survive for the next few weeks until the weather calms down and hopefully our schedules slow down (hahaha, schedules slowing down when kids are in school, wishful thinking).
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Another Snow Storm
Thunder, lightening, rain, sleet, snow, snow thunder, snow sleet. We've had it all. The ice is just now falling off the trees as the sun shines down on everything. We missed the worst of the storm with only getting six inches of snow but we had a day's worth of ice on everything.
We only lost power for 24 hours. There's others who are still without, including our summer retreat location. It's expected that it will be a couple more days before power is restored to that location.
Spring storms are always the hardest. The only bright side to a spring storms is that it won't last long and that usually we won't be left with much of the storm after about a week. Everything will be melted away so we'll only be left with mud instead of snow for another 3 months.
But it's now been a month since the last spring storm that dumped a foot of snow, and then a week later dropped 3 inches in just a few short hours, flooding everything in sight. We've been here 13 years and have never seen that type of flooding before. This storm, one month later wasn't as bad but they were predicting it's ferocity. I think it was pretty bad just not in our area. The last I read, the count from the electric company was 400 poles needing to be replaced and that's after two days of work replacing poles and getting power back to many individuals and communities.
Spring storms mean wet and cold. We knew the bad weather was going to come so Tuesday night I went ahead and blanketed all the hard keepers and only left a few unblanketed. Wednesday when the winds picked up, I stalled the mares. They were happy to get out except My Girl was uncomfortable. Not in the uncomfortable not feeling well but nervous uncomfortable. She has been trying to tell me something for the last couple of days but I can't figure it out. Poor girl is new to our routines, new horses, new stall, new hay, new grain, new water, new blanket (well new to her), new everything. Then throw in a spring storm and it really does mess with them. Hopefully she'll come around. She's very sweet and understanding but I know she's having a hard time adjusting.
I ended up leaving the mares stalled all day Thursday because the weather was so bad. But they were happy to get out Friday morning. I'd stalled all the horses Wednesday night that I could. We have a small barn and it's not exactly the greatest but it works for what little we stall horses. It's really just a few boards slapped together to keep the horses separated. It's been working for the past 13 years but I'd really love to have a different set up. But we are a humble sort and will take what we can get. But the horses were happy to get out of the pelting sleet. I did find blankets for Maverick and Chaos. They were happy to wear something but who knows how long they will survive. Those blankets never last long on horses near Maverick. He likes to destroy everything.
I didn't stall them Thursday night, which was a good move on my part because I became fairly ill and couldn't crawl off the couch. I am only getting back to my normal self. I'm not sure what bug it was but it was enough to knock me off my feet for a solid 24 hours. The problem is, even sick, chores still need to be done. I'd let the mares out and fed the ponies but by the end of the day, had to beg Mike to care for the ponies.
But today the sun is out, melting the snow and the ice off of everything. Hopefully we won't flood too bad. We are lucky in that our basement is not finished and we have a couple of holes from previous jobs in the basement so no need for a sump pump. The roads are completely shot. We live on gravel and with all the moisture, it's getting pretty tricky staying in the middle of the road.
We rescheduled our farrier visit yet again because of weather. I had scheduled a farrier appointment last month but that's when we got 3 inches in just a few hours so we rescheduled to today. But with all the snow, we figured it would be safer to wait until the end of the month. My highest priority is to make sure that no one gets hurt. I don't want my farrier out on the roads when it's not nice out. There will be no plows on our gravel because it will tear the road up even more. Same goes for our place. We aren't pulling the plow out because it will tear up the yard. I'm just hoping it'll dry out enough that we can get the big round bales of hay into the horse pens by the end of the week because they will be out coming Friday or so.
We are to get more rain Wednesday and Thursday so I'm not sure how that will affect everyone. It's definitely been a trying winter/spring. I know I'm at my wits ends. I feel bad that I lost it on someone the other day asking for us to take in their horses. We are at capacity. We've now been asked to take in 14 horses in the last 4 months. If we were to have taken in all 14, we would have doubled our numbers. It maybe 14 doesn't seem like a lot to many, who have more than that in their personal herd. But I'm the only one doing everything and I'm feeling stressed. I'm feeling the stress because I have to say no. I do crunch numbers every time to see if we can bring in a horse but usually the answer is no so I'm feeling stressed. Saying no means there's negativity in our direction. No means we cant' help. At this point, we can't even offer assistance because we ourselves need help. To add to the insult, I have been trying to make up time from the paying job, what with all the time I've had to take off due to weather. I have no vacation time built up thanks to the furlough and medical stuff. So any time away from the paying job, I have to figure out how to make that time up, which means less time working on Sanctuary stuff. It's starting to really stress me out. I could really use some help, any help. There's always researching for grants that needs to be done, looking at ways to connect with others, etc. It's all stuff that needs to be done online so if you're interested, I would be more than happy to point you in the direction we need to go and set you on your adventure of helping us out. I'm a one woman show, stretched too thin and could really use some help. Anyone want to step up and help?
We only lost power for 24 hours. There's others who are still without, including our summer retreat location. It's expected that it will be a couple more days before power is restored to that location.
Spring storms are always the hardest. The only bright side to a spring storms is that it won't last long and that usually we won't be left with much of the storm after about a week. Everything will be melted away so we'll only be left with mud instead of snow for another 3 months.
But it's now been a month since the last spring storm that dumped a foot of snow, and then a week later dropped 3 inches in just a few short hours, flooding everything in sight. We've been here 13 years and have never seen that type of flooding before. This storm, one month later wasn't as bad but they were predicting it's ferocity. I think it was pretty bad just not in our area. The last I read, the count from the electric company was 400 poles needing to be replaced and that's after two days of work replacing poles and getting power back to many individuals and communities.
Spring storms mean wet and cold. We knew the bad weather was going to come so Tuesday night I went ahead and blanketed all the hard keepers and only left a few unblanketed. Wednesday when the winds picked up, I stalled the mares. They were happy to get out except My Girl was uncomfortable. Not in the uncomfortable not feeling well but nervous uncomfortable. She has been trying to tell me something for the last couple of days but I can't figure it out. Poor girl is new to our routines, new horses, new stall, new hay, new grain, new water, new blanket (well new to her), new everything. Then throw in a spring storm and it really does mess with them. Hopefully she'll come around. She's very sweet and understanding but I know she's having a hard time adjusting.
I ended up leaving the mares stalled all day Thursday because the weather was so bad. But they were happy to get out Friday morning. I'd stalled all the horses Wednesday night that I could. We have a small barn and it's not exactly the greatest but it works for what little we stall horses. It's really just a few boards slapped together to keep the horses separated. It's been working for the past 13 years but I'd really love to have a different set up. But we are a humble sort and will take what we can get. But the horses were happy to get out of the pelting sleet. I did find blankets for Maverick and Chaos. They were happy to wear something but who knows how long they will survive. Those blankets never last long on horses near Maverick. He likes to destroy everything.
I didn't stall them Thursday night, which was a good move on my part because I became fairly ill and couldn't crawl off the couch. I am only getting back to my normal self. I'm not sure what bug it was but it was enough to knock me off my feet for a solid 24 hours. The problem is, even sick, chores still need to be done. I'd let the mares out and fed the ponies but by the end of the day, had to beg Mike to care for the ponies.
But today the sun is out, melting the snow and the ice off of everything. Hopefully we won't flood too bad. We are lucky in that our basement is not finished and we have a couple of holes from previous jobs in the basement so no need for a sump pump. The roads are completely shot. We live on gravel and with all the moisture, it's getting pretty tricky staying in the middle of the road.
We rescheduled our farrier visit yet again because of weather. I had scheduled a farrier appointment last month but that's when we got 3 inches in just a few hours so we rescheduled to today. But with all the snow, we figured it would be safer to wait until the end of the month. My highest priority is to make sure that no one gets hurt. I don't want my farrier out on the roads when it's not nice out. There will be no plows on our gravel because it will tear the road up even more. Same goes for our place. We aren't pulling the plow out because it will tear up the yard. I'm just hoping it'll dry out enough that we can get the big round bales of hay into the horse pens by the end of the week because they will be out coming Friday or so.
We are to get more rain Wednesday and Thursday so I'm not sure how that will affect everyone. It's definitely been a trying winter/spring. I know I'm at my wits ends. I feel bad that I lost it on someone the other day asking for us to take in their horses. We are at capacity. We've now been asked to take in 14 horses in the last 4 months. If we were to have taken in all 14, we would have doubled our numbers. It maybe 14 doesn't seem like a lot to many, who have more than that in their personal herd. But I'm the only one doing everything and I'm feeling stressed. I'm feeling the stress because I have to say no. I do crunch numbers every time to see if we can bring in a horse but usually the answer is no so I'm feeling stressed. Saying no means there's negativity in our direction. No means we cant' help. At this point, we can't even offer assistance because we ourselves need help. To add to the insult, I have been trying to make up time from the paying job, what with all the time I've had to take off due to weather. I have no vacation time built up thanks to the furlough and medical stuff. So any time away from the paying job, I have to figure out how to make that time up, which means less time working on Sanctuary stuff. It's starting to really stress me out. I could really use some help, any help. There's always researching for grants that needs to be done, looking at ways to connect with others, etc. It's all stuff that needs to be done online so if you're interested, I would be more than happy to point you in the direction we need to go and set you on your adventure of helping us out. I'm a one woman show, stretched too thin and could really use some help. Anyone want to step up and help?
Monday, April 8, 2019
Upcoming Storm
I need to post our three "holidays" we celebrated over the weekend! Sadly, no time in front of a computer this weekend. We seem to always be on the go these days.
But we are gearing up for another major winter storm. The local weathermen are finally talking a lot more about it. I've already heard that this storm will be more detrimental than last months storm where we had a foot of snow, then 3 inches of rain, and then massive flooding due to all the snow/rain and then the melting.
Now they are talking close to a foot of snow, and possibly 2.5 to 4 inches of rain. They don't have the numbers exact but it's going to be a doozy of a storm. I expect everything will be flooded again. We just got the drylot cleaned up this weekend so now I can actually muck out stalls in preparation for stalling them again this week. Sounds like we will have 50+ mph wind gusts so that's going to make life interested. We aren't in the winter storm watch but I expect as we get closer, we will.
So for now, we are taking every day as it comes and will see where it takes us. I'm so focused on getting through each day, that I have no possibility of planning anything in the future. I can't even say I'm So Over Spring and Mud! Because I'm just focusing on one day at a time.
I pulled the mares out of their winter pasture and into their pen but that pen is a muddy mess. Poor Lace is really having a hard time. Her big knee is giving her problems and her dropped fetlock is dropping even more. I'm not sure if it's the constant sucking mud or normal deterioration. I pulled her out last night to wander. She didn't go far from Mayhem and My Girl but you could tell she was happy to grab a few blades of grass and get out of the mud. The only other option is for her to stand on concrete and I doubt that concrete is any better for her knee and dropped fetlock. At least in the mud, she can find a less muddy spot and lay down. I'm afraid that this will be her last summer. She no longer walks without a pronounced limp. I was hoping that it was just the mud but I don't think so. We are keeping a close eye on her. The mares will probably spend some time hanging out in their stalls during this next storm to keep them out of the cold, wet weather and the mud.
My only fear is that we will get all this rain now and we wont' get anything later. I wish I would have been better about keeping track of the fog.
But we are gearing up for another major winter storm. The local weathermen are finally talking a lot more about it. I've already heard that this storm will be more detrimental than last months storm where we had a foot of snow, then 3 inches of rain, and then massive flooding due to all the snow/rain and then the melting.
Now they are talking close to a foot of snow, and possibly 2.5 to 4 inches of rain. They don't have the numbers exact but it's going to be a doozy of a storm. I expect everything will be flooded again. We just got the drylot cleaned up this weekend so now I can actually muck out stalls in preparation for stalling them again this week. Sounds like we will have 50+ mph wind gusts so that's going to make life interested. We aren't in the winter storm watch but I expect as we get closer, we will.
So for now, we are taking every day as it comes and will see where it takes us. I'm so focused on getting through each day, that I have no possibility of planning anything in the future. I can't even say I'm So Over Spring and Mud! Because I'm just focusing on one day at a time.
I pulled the mares out of their winter pasture and into their pen but that pen is a muddy mess. Poor Lace is really having a hard time. Her big knee is giving her problems and her dropped fetlock is dropping even more. I'm not sure if it's the constant sucking mud or normal deterioration. I pulled her out last night to wander. She didn't go far from Mayhem and My Girl but you could tell she was happy to grab a few blades of grass and get out of the mud. The only other option is for her to stand on concrete and I doubt that concrete is any better for her knee and dropped fetlock. At least in the mud, she can find a less muddy spot and lay down. I'm afraid that this will be her last summer. She no longer walks without a pronounced limp. I was hoping that it was just the mud but I don't think so. We are keeping a close eye on her. The mares will probably spend some time hanging out in their stalls during this next storm to keep them out of the cold, wet weather and the mud.
My only fear is that we will get all this rain now and we wont' get anything later. I wish I would have been better about keeping track of the fog.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
Flooding and Another Snow Storm
It's been said that the storm we are in is the equivalent to a hurricane, category 2. At this point, I can see why. The winds we are used to. It's the amount of flooding that is beyond comprehension. Yesterday afternoon, to get to pavement, Mike had to cross water four times. That was all to the north of us. Today I went out to do chores and looked at the south. The entire pasture is now flooded (at least the bottom portion) and it's flooding over the road.
In the 13 years we have lived here, I have never seen this amount of water in both pastures. It has a lot to do with the tiling that the local farmers have done. Sadly, we were never informed and could never put a halt to it. So now we are the ones stuck with the flooded land. I wont' even begin to discuss this topic because it makes me see red.
But we are flooding at the Sanctuary. If the road to the north has water running over it, we are officially a large island. I guess that's ok because we are all safe and snug at the Sanctuary. I went out last night after the first wave of rain storms rolled through to put blankets on. I didn't put blankets on earlier knowing that we'd get rain. And boy did we ever. We had 1.5 inches of rain in less than 12 hours. It started raining around 6-7am and it didn't stop raining until 9pm. And for most of the day, it was a hard rain, what one would almost consider a downpour.
The rain finally stopped long enough for me to put blankets on everyone, feed the ponies, and head back in (not before falling on the ice once). I'm glad that I got in when I did. I had spent almost three hours doing chores and discovering our barn is completely flooded. It normally floods but not to that extent. I had hoped that I could put horses in this afternoon but with a half an inch of water standing everywhere in the barn, there's no point. About a half an hour after I got in from chores, the lightning and thunder started and more rain fell. I'm ready for thunderstorms but not those mixed with sleet and snow.
On the bright side, I did hear geese while out doing chores. Apparently no one told them that we were in a severe storm. But it's another sign of spring!
I finally got out to do chores this morning and I'm glad I didnt' wait any longer. Less than a half an hour later, the freezing rain started. And that's were the radar shows us right now. Freezing rain, which will turn into snow later this afternoon. And the wind picked up. So we'll have "flash blizzards" whatever that's called. It's apparently a new term.
So as we continue to prepare for the Tri-State Horse Expo and our annual Light the Night tomorrow night, we'll also be praying for everyone to stay safe and dry and that those who are dealing with the blizzard and flooding survive with their health, pets, and livestock.
In the 13 years we have lived here, I have never seen this amount of water in both pastures. It has a lot to do with the tiling that the local farmers have done. Sadly, we were never informed and could never put a halt to it. So now we are the ones stuck with the flooded land. I wont' even begin to discuss this topic because it makes me see red.
But we are flooding at the Sanctuary. If the road to the north has water running over it, we are officially a large island. I guess that's ok because we are all safe and snug at the Sanctuary. I went out last night after the first wave of rain storms rolled through to put blankets on. I didn't put blankets on earlier knowing that we'd get rain. And boy did we ever. We had 1.5 inches of rain in less than 12 hours. It started raining around 6-7am and it didn't stop raining until 9pm. And for most of the day, it was a hard rain, what one would almost consider a downpour.
The rain finally stopped long enough for me to put blankets on everyone, feed the ponies, and head back in (not before falling on the ice once). I'm glad that I got in when I did. I had spent almost three hours doing chores and discovering our barn is completely flooded. It normally floods but not to that extent. I had hoped that I could put horses in this afternoon but with a half an inch of water standing everywhere in the barn, there's no point. About a half an hour after I got in from chores, the lightning and thunder started and more rain fell. I'm ready for thunderstorms but not those mixed with sleet and snow.
On the bright side, I did hear geese while out doing chores. Apparently no one told them that we were in a severe storm. But it's another sign of spring!
I finally got out to do chores this morning and I'm glad I didnt' wait any longer. Less than a half an hour later, the freezing rain started. And that's were the radar shows us right now. Freezing rain, which will turn into snow later this afternoon. And the wind picked up. So we'll have "flash blizzards" whatever that's called. It's apparently a new term.
So as we continue to prepare for the Tri-State Horse Expo and our annual Light the Night tomorrow night, we'll also be praying for everyone to stay safe and dry and that those who are dealing with the blizzard and flooding survive with their health, pets, and livestock.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Hurricane Florence
Our hearts go out to those in the path of #HurricaneFlorence.
For those that know me, they know that I hate storms (of any kind). I freak out over the smallest storms and as I get older, the freak outs get worse. Of course having two tornadoes in the past five years (one that barely missed the Sanctuary this summer), I am a bit more intimidated by Mother Nature's fury.
I pray that all can escape unharmed and that no one (two legged or four legged) is left behind to try and withstand the forces of nature.
I wish that we were closer to offer a safe landing for those that need to escape. Unfortunately, all we can do is offer up prayers that all will stay safe during this stressful time. You are in our thoughts and prayers as the #HurricaneFlorence nears.
For those that know me, they know that I hate storms (of any kind). I freak out over the smallest storms and as I get older, the freak outs get worse. Of course having two tornadoes in the past five years (one that barely missed the Sanctuary this summer), I am a bit more intimidated by Mother Nature's fury.
I pray that all can escape unharmed and that no one (two legged or four legged) is left behind to try and withstand the forces of nature.
I wish that we were closer to offer a safe landing for those that need to escape. Unfortunately, all we can do is offer up prayers that all will stay safe during this stressful time. You are in our thoughts and prayers as the #HurricaneFlorence nears.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Tornado
Nothing like walking out of the house with your kids in the car, looking up into the sky and spotting this....
It scared the holy bajeezus out of me! I've never seen one form. If my kids hadn't been in the car, I probably would have stayed to watch and see what and where it went. It was reported to have been on the ground for 7 minutes. I think I watched it form before it hit the ground. But with kids in the car, I decided to bolt.
In the almost 13 years we have lived here, this is only the second tornado I've seen. The first one I didn't see and didn't realize it was a tornado until afterwards. That was in 2013. We sustained damage to outbuildings that are yet to be repaired because there's been no time.
Luckily there haven't been any reports of damage from this tornado but I had no idea that we would even have severe weather yesterday.
I'll take a good old fashioned blizzard over a tornado any day. I can prepare and plan for a blizzard even if it lasts for a week. I can't plan for a tornado!
It scared the holy bajeezus out of me! I've never seen one form. If my kids hadn't been in the car, I probably would have stayed to watch and see what and where it went. It was reported to have been on the ground for 7 minutes. I think I watched it form before it hit the ground. But with kids in the car, I decided to bolt.
In the almost 13 years we have lived here, this is only the second tornado I've seen. The first one I didn't see and didn't realize it was a tornado until afterwards. That was in 2013. We sustained damage to outbuildings that are yet to be repaired because there's been no time.
Luckily there haven't been any reports of damage from this tornado but I had no idea that we would even have severe weather yesterday.
I'll take a good old fashioned blizzard over a tornado any day. I can prepare and plan for a blizzard even if it lasts for a week. I can't plan for a tornado!
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Shoo Fly Leggings
During the Tri State Horse Expo I bought Shoo Fly Leggings knowing that others have really loved them. We have too many for me to buy enough for the entire herd and to go all the way around all four legs of everyone but figured I'd buy two sets to see if they worked.
Junior and Lace weren't sure at first but they started loving them right away as the flies are terrible. We are in the first of June and the flies and heat are typical for July weather. That worries me but I guess that's for another post.
I put the other set on King and Dude. I debated on who to put the other set on but figured with King being ouchy footed and Dude having hip problems, they would be the best candidates to try them out. Otherwise, we might try Brego and Zeke. But for now Dude and King are sporting theirs. King wouldn't move and Dude was high stepping. I guess he's never had boots on before!
I'll leave you with just a few pictures from last night.
Junior and Lace weren't sure at first but they started loving them right away as the flies are terrible. We are in the first of June and the flies and heat are typical for July weather. That worries me but I guess that's for another post.
I put the other set on King and Dude. I debated on who to put the other set on but figured with King being ouchy footed and Dude having hip problems, they would be the best candidates to try them out. Otherwise, we might try Brego and Zeke. But for now Dude and King are sporting theirs. King wouldn't move and Dude was high stepping. I guess he's never had boots on before!
I'll leave you with just a few pictures from last night.
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| King refusing to move after the Shoo Fly Leggings were put on. |
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| Dude didn't seem impressed but I bet he'll be today! |
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| I'm sure they were having a conversation about what tortures I put them through |
Monday, April 16, 2018
April Blizzard
Well, we survived the blizzard, not without a couple of scares but we survived. Everyone is fine and healthy but we are going to have to look at a few of our buildings a little closer.
It started raining Friday. Luckily I'd put blankets on everyone I could so they wouldn't be miserable. I'd rather have soggy blankets than wet and cold horses. I had thought the blizzard was going to hit around 7pm but it never did. I went ahead and put horses in knowing that the blizzard was coming and wanted to make sure everyone was protected.
The mares and Junior's pen get the worst of the east wind and it was coming directly out of the east. It was so strong that it raised the roof of the hay barn slightly. Just enough to scare the bajezees out of me. I wasn't sure if the building would last through the storm or not but it did. I ended up leaving the mares and Junior in their stalls from Friday night until Sunday morning because the winds and snow were so fierce.
I'd let the big herd out of the barn Saturday morning so they could stretch their legs. They were not impressed. Within a half an hour they were coated in snow and looking at me to put them back in. Luckily they have two runin sheds they can get into so I wasn't worried. But I did put them back in Saturday night.
I'm glad the storm is over but now they are talking about another storm Tuesday night into Wednesday. So much for spring. Mike was actually supposed to leave Friday to head to the Black Hills but his plans were cancelled when they talked about how bad this storm was going to be. I'm glad because we might not have gotten that much snow, but there were drifts up to my hips in front of the barn.
I know there's more to tell but I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things.
The following pics were taken Sunday after the storm had passed. I think everyone was ready for some nicer weather.
It started raining Friday. Luckily I'd put blankets on everyone I could so they wouldn't be miserable. I'd rather have soggy blankets than wet and cold horses. I had thought the blizzard was going to hit around 7pm but it never did. I went ahead and put horses in knowing that the blizzard was coming and wanted to make sure everyone was protected.
The mares and Junior's pen get the worst of the east wind and it was coming directly out of the east. It was so strong that it raised the roof of the hay barn slightly. Just enough to scare the bajezees out of me. I wasn't sure if the building would last through the storm or not but it did. I ended up leaving the mares and Junior in their stalls from Friday night until Sunday morning because the winds and snow were so fierce.
I'd let the big herd out of the barn Saturday morning so they could stretch their legs. They were not impressed. Within a half an hour they were coated in snow and looking at me to put them back in. Luckily they have two runin sheds they can get into so I wasn't worried. But I did put them back in Saturday night.
I'm glad the storm is over but now they are talking about another storm Tuesday night into Wednesday. So much for spring. Mike was actually supposed to leave Friday to head to the Black Hills but his plans were cancelled when they talked about how bad this storm was going to be. I'm glad because we might not have gotten that much snow, but there were drifts up to my hips in front of the barn.
I know there's more to tell but I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things.
The following pics were taken Sunday after the storm had passed. I think everyone was ready for some nicer weather.
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| Brego and Zeke |
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| Dude and Brego |
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| Jim and Maverick |
Friday, April 13, 2018
Friday the 13th Storm
I wonder if this storm will go down as the Friday the 13th storm?
I woke this morning to thunder, lightening, and wind. I checked my phone and our local weather station said that there were over 500 lightening strikes. Yep, I do believe they were right. I debated on running out to do chores but figured I'd best not. But I did make the mistake of letting Farley out. He hates storms and disappeared before I could even think. I went to look for him but that's when the skies opened up and it started hailing.
I knew it was going to be a wicked storm when I looked out first thing before turning on any lights and seeing Zeke prancing around tossing his head. All the horses can feel this storm rolling in. Luckily Farley remerged after the storm. But during this round, we received lots of pea sized hail. In fact, the ground now looks like snow even though it's hail.
I do believe we are in for one heck of a storm. West river they already closed interstate. Funny thing is, I'm working from home today so no stress. But I was planning on working from home at the paying job to see Mike, Dad, and my nephew off to go hunting in the Black Hills (they were planning on leaving today). That all changed when they switched our forecast to a blizzard warning for tonight (for us and today for west river).
They are comparing this storm with the one from 2013, Storm Atlas that killed thousands of livestock. I can't imagine the devastation. Now is NOT the time to have these kinds of storms. With the calves coming, I'm sure that it's going to be tough on farmers. Luckily our horses are tucked into their blankets and they will be stalled later. I wish we had bigger stalls and better barns for them to go into but beggars can't be choosers.
I'm guessing that Lace, Mayhem, and Junior will be stuck in their stalls starting tonight and wont' get out until either Saturday night or Sunday morning. The wind is predicted to be out of the east, which means their pen gets the brunt of all wind. We have trees but its' not enough to keep the wind out. Junior has lost weight recently so I'm more protective of him. I think it's my fault that he's lost the weight as well. I havent' been as diligent about his nightly feeding since I moved him. The nights sneak up on me and usually by the end of the day I'm shot and don't feel well. He takes hours to eat.
Last night we did put in an extra bale in the big herd to be pre-emptive. If we are to get a foot of snow, when it melts, its' going to make a muddy mess and make it almost impossible to get hay in or tear up the yard too much. So instead we sacrificed the remaining part of the bale and put a new one in. Of course the horses attached that like they were starving (they. are. not.). I also got everyone into blankets that has a blanket. This season has been hard on blankets. Everything is starting to show its wear and tear. But I'd rather have dry horses and ruined blankets. We also topped out the water in the mares' pen so I wouldn't have to lug hoses around in the snow and mud. By the time we were done with all those chores it was after 10pm. Of course we didnt' get out until after the kids had gone to bed. Life of running a sanctuary isn't exactly all glamor and glitz. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
I had wanted to get stalls prepped and ready to go for tonight but that didn't happen. By 10pm I was done in and could barely stand. My back has been bothering me and after throwing the hay net onto the bale and all the blankets I wasn't able to throw straw and hay around to get everything ready. I may sneak out at noon to get some of that done, at least the mares' and Junior's stalls.
These kinds of storms definitely have me rattled. Of course I get rattled over any kind of storm but storms in general make me nervous.
I woke this morning to thunder, lightening, and wind. I checked my phone and our local weather station said that there were over 500 lightening strikes. Yep, I do believe they were right. I debated on running out to do chores but figured I'd best not. But I did make the mistake of letting Farley out. He hates storms and disappeared before I could even think. I went to look for him but that's when the skies opened up and it started hailing.
I knew it was going to be a wicked storm when I looked out first thing before turning on any lights and seeing Zeke prancing around tossing his head. All the horses can feel this storm rolling in. Luckily Farley remerged after the storm. But during this round, we received lots of pea sized hail. In fact, the ground now looks like snow even though it's hail.
I do believe we are in for one heck of a storm. West river they already closed interstate. Funny thing is, I'm working from home today so no stress. But I was planning on working from home at the paying job to see Mike, Dad, and my nephew off to go hunting in the Black Hills (they were planning on leaving today). That all changed when they switched our forecast to a blizzard warning for tonight (for us and today for west river).
They are comparing this storm with the one from 2013, Storm Atlas that killed thousands of livestock. I can't imagine the devastation. Now is NOT the time to have these kinds of storms. With the calves coming, I'm sure that it's going to be tough on farmers. Luckily our horses are tucked into their blankets and they will be stalled later. I wish we had bigger stalls and better barns for them to go into but beggars can't be choosers.
I'm guessing that Lace, Mayhem, and Junior will be stuck in their stalls starting tonight and wont' get out until either Saturday night or Sunday morning. The wind is predicted to be out of the east, which means their pen gets the brunt of all wind. We have trees but its' not enough to keep the wind out. Junior has lost weight recently so I'm more protective of him. I think it's my fault that he's lost the weight as well. I havent' been as diligent about his nightly feeding since I moved him. The nights sneak up on me and usually by the end of the day I'm shot and don't feel well. He takes hours to eat.
Last night we did put in an extra bale in the big herd to be pre-emptive. If we are to get a foot of snow, when it melts, its' going to make a muddy mess and make it almost impossible to get hay in or tear up the yard too much. So instead we sacrificed the remaining part of the bale and put a new one in. Of course the horses attached that like they were starving (they. are. not.). I also got everyone into blankets that has a blanket. This season has been hard on blankets. Everything is starting to show its wear and tear. But I'd rather have dry horses and ruined blankets. We also topped out the water in the mares' pen so I wouldn't have to lug hoses around in the snow and mud. By the time we were done with all those chores it was after 10pm. Of course we didnt' get out until after the kids had gone to bed. Life of running a sanctuary isn't exactly all glamor and glitz. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
I had wanted to get stalls prepped and ready to go for tonight but that didn't happen. By 10pm I was done in and could barely stand. My back has been bothering me and after throwing the hay net onto the bale and all the blankets I wasn't able to throw straw and hay around to get everything ready. I may sneak out at noon to get some of that done, at least the mares' and Junior's stalls.
These kinds of storms definitely have me rattled. Of course I get rattled over any kind of storm but storms in general make me nervous.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
March Blizzard
We are finally getting over our March blizzard. I'd stayed home from the paying job Monday knowing full well that bad weather was on its way. I'd woken at midnight to thunder. We normally don't get thunder in March. We normally don't get rain in march either. We normally get snow.
So when I woke up at 5:30 and headed out at 6am to do chores and was faced with a full on rain storm, I knew we were in for trouble as the weatherman was calling for it to switch to freezing rain and then snow.
I'd had the good sense to blanket everyone that I could Sunday. Although I did question myself Sunday afternoon as it was in the 40s but with a biting wind. But I was sure glad when Monday morning rolled around and everyone was snug in their blankets, even if they were wet (but still dry on the inside).
At one point I couldn't tell if we were getting sleet or hail but by 11am we were getting snow. And I was sure glad I was home because the winds had picked up as well! The wind was so bad that it was actually coming straight out of the west. Normally it's north west so we are a bit more protected but not Monday. The wind blew the snow so much, that it blew right into the barn and now I have a snowdrift IN my barn.
I went out at noon to let horses into the barn. I figured, even if they had to stand in their stall for 24 hours, that they might not mind. The first horse at the door was Jim and his blanket was actually frozen in place. He was snug but the outer edges were a sheet of ice. I ended up letting Jim, Rain, Brego, and Dude into the barn and left the others out. I also put in Mayhem, Lace, and Junior into their stalls in the hay shed.
When I went back out to do my actual chores, I put Zeke and Lightening into the barn as well. Of course Brego and Dude broke one of the stalls so I need to figure out how to fix it. We don't have nice stalls and if you watch any of our videos in the barn, you can tell. They were all supposed to be somewhat temporary but the temporary stalls have turned permanent. I'd love to have something different but until there's time and money available, they will simply have to work.
The wind was so bad that by noon, there was no travel advised everywhere and by nightfall there was no travel on all the roads. That continued into the morning. I let the horses out of the barn and they were more than ready to get out and stretch their legs. I also put Junior, Mayhem, and Lace back in their stalls but I don't think they were nearly as excited. Their stalls are slightly bigger but they all seem to go with the flow a little bit better than the bigger gelding herd.
By the afternoon everything was back to normal. I had planned on pulling blankets last night but the temps were still too chilly to do anything with the blankets. We'll see how the temps wand weather go. We are supposed to get another storm this weekend so we'll see.
We do have robins. Those first few are always here way too early but it is a nice sight to see and I love to hear them. It makes it feel as thought spring is right around the corner and any winter storms we get now will all be gone in a matter of days.
What little snow we did get has already melted to some degree. Although the bottom of the pasture is now flooded with all the rain. It floods every year but with all the rain we received Monday, I expect the pasture to flood and to even back up into the field that surrounds us.
I'm ok with the snow and the rain as long as the horses are happy and dry. The more moisture we get, the less likely we'll be in another drought. I barely survived the first drought in 2012 and the dry conditions last year so a full on drought this year would be detrimental to us. I say, bring on the March snowstorms!
So when I woke up at 5:30 and headed out at 6am to do chores and was faced with a full on rain storm, I knew we were in for trouble as the weatherman was calling for it to switch to freezing rain and then snow.
I'd had the good sense to blanket everyone that I could Sunday. Although I did question myself Sunday afternoon as it was in the 40s but with a biting wind. But I was sure glad when Monday morning rolled around and everyone was snug in their blankets, even if they were wet (but still dry on the inside).
At one point I couldn't tell if we were getting sleet or hail but by 11am we were getting snow. And I was sure glad I was home because the winds had picked up as well! The wind was so bad that it was actually coming straight out of the west. Normally it's north west so we are a bit more protected but not Monday. The wind blew the snow so much, that it blew right into the barn and now I have a snowdrift IN my barn.
I went out at noon to let horses into the barn. I figured, even if they had to stand in their stall for 24 hours, that they might not mind. The first horse at the door was Jim and his blanket was actually frozen in place. He was snug but the outer edges were a sheet of ice. I ended up letting Jim, Rain, Brego, and Dude into the barn and left the others out. I also put in Mayhem, Lace, and Junior into their stalls in the hay shed.
When I went back out to do my actual chores, I put Zeke and Lightening into the barn as well. Of course Brego and Dude broke one of the stalls so I need to figure out how to fix it. We don't have nice stalls and if you watch any of our videos in the barn, you can tell. They were all supposed to be somewhat temporary but the temporary stalls have turned permanent. I'd love to have something different but until there's time and money available, they will simply have to work.
The wind was so bad that by noon, there was no travel advised everywhere and by nightfall there was no travel on all the roads. That continued into the morning. I let the horses out of the barn and they were more than ready to get out and stretch their legs. I also put Junior, Mayhem, and Lace back in their stalls but I don't think they were nearly as excited. Their stalls are slightly bigger but they all seem to go with the flow a little bit better than the bigger gelding herd.
By the afternoon everything was back to normal. I had planned on pulling blankets last night but the temps were still too chilly to do anything with the blankets. We'll see how the temps wand weather go. We are supposed to get another storm this weekend so we'll see.
We do have robins. Those first few are always here way too early but it is a nice sight to see and I love to hear them. It makes it feel as thought spring is right around the corner and any winter storms we get now will all be gone in a matter of days.
What little snow we did get has already melted to some degree. Although the bottom of the pasture is now flooded with all the rain. It floods every year but with all the rain we received Monday, I expect the pasture to flood and to even back up into the field that surrounds us.
I'm ok with the snow and the rain as long as the horses are happy and dry. The more moisture we get, the less likely we'll be in another drought. I barely survived the first drought in 2012 and the dry conditions last year so a full on drought this year would be detrimental to us. I say, bring on the March snowstorms!
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