Long Week

Where do I even begin to catch you all up on the events of the past week. Let's just say the past week has been a total blur. Between Mike being gone for almost the entire week, dealing with subzero temps, and then a sick child (who subsequently got me sick with the flu), means I'm run down, stressed out, and totally behind on EVERYTHING.

My son has been sick for going on six days, luckily he's getting better. But I caught the flu over the weekend. Luckily it wasn't long lasting because even with the flu, I still had to go out and do chores. Well, minimal chores anyway. I only threw hay because that's all the strenght I had left. I didn't grain anyone and didnt' haul water.

Speaking of water. The water tank in the mare/pony pen is going to be the bane of my existence this winter. We have a smaller heater and it doesn't seem to be keeping up. Ok, "seem" isnt' the right word. It's NOT keeping up. There's a small hole for the horses to drink out of and when the temps are in the 20s, there's plenty of open water but when the temps drop to subzero, that little heater only keeps a small hole open. I need to find the bigger heater but it's lost in neverneverland, i.e., somewhere in either the tack room, garage (one of two), the red shed, or the barn. But I can't seem to find it. Lets just hope that we wont' have to deal with too much more subzero temps this winter! It's keeping up but I'd like to not have just a small opening for the mares and ponies to drink out of. Call me picky I guess.

Last night was glorious to go out and do chores. It's amazing what a 10 degree shift in temps will do for everyone. No one was cranky (me included), and the horses weren't pushing everyone around. I pulled Brego and Dude's blankets off and now I'm wishing I would have pulled everyone else's blankets off. I will have to watch the weather before I go out and do chores tonight and see what's predicted. I haven't had any time to watch the weather in about four days so I have no idea what's going on or what's predicted.

Christmas is just a week away and I'm not ready in the least. With other activities, work, and trying to make up hours for work, I haven't really had much time to do anything. My brain has gotten rather scattered as of late. I know there was a bunch that I wanted to babble about but right now, I'm trying not to freak out about not having anything done and being so FAR behind on everything. I'm a little frustrated but there's really nothing I can do except plug along and make the most out of it.

I'm sure that I'll be chatty later so keep your eyes open for another post. I'll try not to go a week without posting. But it's been super crazy lately.

Freak Out Time

I know I shouldn't worry, and I know I should just relax but I'm freaking out. I shouldn't but I am. And it's really nothing to freak out over. It's simply learning how to juggle a full time job, a toddler, a husband on travel this week, and a Sanctuary with 14 horses in the middle of winter (ok, so we aren't "technically" into winter but in SD, we really are in the middle of winter).

So, the weatherman is predicting teens below zero Tuesday night and we currently have subzero temps right now with who knows what ungodly wind chills. I'm trying to figure out how to jump through all the hoops to get everyone taken care of before it gets dark and even colder. Oh what I would give for a 20 stall barn that I could just open the doors and have each horse walk in to his/her own stall without having to figure out who goes where and which is the best combination for stall neighbors, and if they have blankets on, which stall would be the best so they don't tear up the one or two remaining blankets that aren't totally destroyed. Yeah, a 20 stall barn would be nice.

We survived the 20 below temps Friday night. I rushed home from work and got everyone snuggled into their stalls immediately. It only took me just over an hour to get everyone all safe in their stalls. It was great. Compared to the three hours it took me to prep for the two days of subzero temps, having only an hours worth of chores was fantastic.

Well, I wouldn't be freaking out today if all I was dealing with was the normal subzero temps that have been hanging over us for the past week or more. But Mike left this morning for the week. So now I have to figure out how to go to the paying job, watch a toddler, and care for the horses all in an average day. Never mind the fact that we are supposed to have super cold temps come our way tomorrow into Wednesday. Thank goodness for a lenient job and a mom that knows how to calm my nerves.

So tonight, I'll rush out to do chores. Once I kick the horses out of the barn, I'll get the stalls ready for tomorrow night's teens below zero temps (never mind the wind chill), and then race to get my son and get back home before it gets too dark and it gets even colder.

I'll be juggling the single parent phase all week and nasty weather. I think by this weekend I'll be a walking set of nerves to make sure that I can get everything accomplished and keep everyone happy. So if I don't post, I'm here, just pulling my hair our rushing from one place to the next.

Come on summer, I'm ready for you already!

National Day of the Horse - December 13th

Friday December 13th is National Day of the Horse.
Here's a bit of a read for those interested in learning more....

http://rtfitchauthor.com/2013/12/09/december-13th-national-day-of-the-horse/

Deep Freeze

Baby it’s cold outside! The last couple of days have been an absolute blur and I’m running on exhaustion right now. I might have my days wrong but here’s what I’ve been so wrapped up in over the past couple of days.

Tuesday night I threw a blanket on Rabbit in preparation for the snowstorm. We hadn’t had any precipitation yet but it sure felt like there was a storm coming. The air was calm and crisp. The temps weren’t too bad and there wasn’t any snow on the ground so I was able to wrap up a few projects before heading in for the night.

Wednesday morning rolled around and I went out to do chores and was greeted with six inches of snow. I was a little surprised at the amount of snow. We were predicted to get 3-6 inches but hadn’t thought we’d be on the high side of that amount. Trudging back to the mare pen had me wore out! I was relieved that I’d put a blanket on Rabbit but had wished I’d blanketed some of the others.

By the time I’d gotten done with chores and headed back in to the house, my tracks were already being quickly covered up. I’d scooped snow away from the house door and there was already a solid third of an inch of snow on the ground. I figured that it was snowing about a half an inch an hour or so. And of course the weatherman predicted fierce winds to come in the afternoon, bringing the arctic air and making visibility hazardous.

I decided right then and there that I wasn’t going in to the paying job. If I couldn’t get home, what would happen to the horses? So instead I played hookie from work and puttered around watching the snow fall and the wind blow. I couldn’t go outside because our son was home too (supposed to be Grandma Day but we cancelled that because of the weather).

Luckily Mike kept an eye on the weather and when the wind picked up, he headed home. By that time, the roads were drifting over pretty bad (although the roads were worse in the morning than the afternoon so Mike said). When Mike got home, the snow was already drifting and blowing so it was impossible to know how much snow we accumulated. I’m guessing 6+ inches and then the drifting snow made the snow drifts even higher.

We pulled the carseat out and put it in the plow truck so Mike and Garrett could push snow while I headed out to do chores. I was so happy to go out and start chores at 4pm instead 5 or 6pm like it has been. I debated on putting the horses in the barn but figured that the temps were going to be in the double digits below zero on Thursday and Friday so I’d better hold off and get the barn ready instead.

I spent the first hour getting the barn ready and doing half of my normal chores. I filled water tanks and put straw and hay down in the stalls so that I would just have to open the doors and let the horses in on Thursday night. I spent the second hour putting blankets on horses and making sure that everyone was snug. I did a quick repair job on a couple of blankets and called it good. It’s not perfect and some blankets aren’t the right size but at least they have something to help fight off this cold. I spent the third hour getting the mares and ponies’ stalls ready in the hay shed. I hadn’t put up the temporary stall yet so had to make sure that I had that taken care of and ready to go. I was a little worried that the ponies would mangle something but so far so good.

By the time I was finished with chores Wednesday night in preparation for the deep freeze that was predicted, I had been outside for almost three hours working non-stop to get ready. I also broke into the hay in the hay barn instead. After pushing and pulling the two wheel wheelbarrow and the hay cart through the 1.5 foot snow drifts, I decided it wasn’t worth it.

But I’m sure glad I spent the extra time Wednesday night. The wind might have been chilly but if you got out of the wind, it was pretty nice. But come Thursday night, no matter what, it was COLD.

I got out to do chores immediately after getting home last night. I was out doing chores at 4:30pm. I was glad of it too. Once the sun set, the cold really set in. By 5:15, it was even COLDER! I ended up putting Jim, Dude, Rain, Ivan, Brego, Bo, and Zeke into the barn. Maverick, Chaos, and King stayed out but they had two leantos to go into and got extra hay.  I also pulled Mayhem, Rabbit, and the ponies into the hayshed stalls. That was a bit of an effort. Rabbit has a hard time seeing in the dark. I think that eye is giving her problems. She couldn’t see the grain that I had for her so I had to shine my flashlight so she could see. Mayhem was a little bit of a bugger and wouldn’t step over the little railing to get into the stall. It’s a sign that I have NOT worked with her enough and come trailer loading lessons, she’s going to be a pill. I’ll take the blame for not getting her around to loading and unloading like she should.  The ponies were happy to get in out of the wind.  (So was Rabbit and Mayhem for that matter although they were a bit confused).

By 5:30pm, everyone was tucked in for the night and I headed in. I was so relieved to be done just before it got super dark and the cold temps started to really plummet.

But with putting the horses in at night, it means morning chores take that much longer. Unfortunately, the temps are supposed to be even colder tonight so I wanted to do some additional prep work to make evening chores tonight go just as quickly.

I threw out extra hay to the big herd and then let them all out of their stalls. I think they were all itching to stretch their legs and get out of the barn. I threw out extra hay and emptied the water buckets so all I have to do tonight is put fresh water in the buckets, put their grain dishes in the correct stalls, and then lead each horse in to his rightful stall.

I still need to put hay out in the hay shed stalls but I was starting to run late and figured I’d take care of the mares and ponies right away instead of working on the big herd instead. I’m hoping the extra light will make putting those guys in the hayshed stalls a little easier.

I’m hoping to make tonight’s chores go as fast as last night. We are supposed to be even colder tonight. I am NOT looking forward to tonight’s chores. BUT, I’d rather get them over with in the daylight. I’m going to be in a bit of a pickle next week.

Mike is leaving Monday for training out of town so Garrett and I will be home alone. Trying to do chores with a toddler is impossible in the winter and then throw in the sub zero temps, I’m not sure what I am going to do. In fact, Tuesday’s low is supposed to be 20 below zero. I have NO idea how I am going to cope with getting everyone stalled AND take care of my son alone. It’s going to be a juggling act for sure!

And tonight after I get done rushing through chores, we have to jump back in the car and drive to Colton, SD. Colton is having a Festival of Trees this weekend. Last year the Sanctuary donated a tree to the silent tree auction and we are once again donating an arrangement. This time I got even more creative. Last year I took the top of a tree branch, painted it white, and hung red balls with the horses’ names from the branches. I thought it looked pretty neat. This year, I took some old barb wire that we had lying around and Mike turned it into a wreath. I added a sprig of somethingorother and some ribbon and wrote the horses’ names on the ribbon. It looked better in my head but at 10pm, working on a Christmas project that has to be done before the next day, well, anything that gets done is better than nothing!

So if you happen to be in the neighborhood and want to brave the cold, the Colton Festival of Trees is going on this weekend. I don’t know the hours but if you want to know more, I’ll get you the info.

I’ve been in “go” mode ever since I heard that we were going to be in an arctic freeze and with all the other activities and additional cold snaps coming along, I’m going to be in a frantic mode until at least next weekend. I’m sure hoping to catch a break and enjoy a little of the holidays.

I’m running out of stuff to say right now (hard to believe I know) but I’m sure to write more later today.

Storm

Six inches of snow and now blowing snow with subzero temps. The rest of the week is not going to improve. It's going to be a long week. On the bright side, most of the snow has blown into drifts so I either walk around them or plow through them. Mike and Garrett are out now plowing the driveway (which was plugged full of snow thanks to the wind).

I was considering leaving the herd out tonight and getting stalls ready for the next two nights but I may  stall them tonight. We'll see. I am going to blanket those that I can but I'm bummed I didn't get around to fixing all the blankets first. I may do some quick sewing here tonight and put different blankets on horses tomorrow. I wish the weatherman was wrong! I do not want 20+ below zero wind chills.

Winter Weather On Its Way

Oh goodie... Just read the winter weather advisory that will go into affect at 3pm today... I'll post more later today but figured I'd let you all see what we are going to be dealing with for the next 36 hours. 20 below zero wind chills do not sound like fun. Guess I better scramble tonight and get a couple temporary stalls set up in the hay shed for the ponies. Thank goodness Dad and Mike fixed the stalls in the hayshed for Mayhem and Rabbit. I think the next two days are going to be extremely long and stressful....

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
* TIMING... SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON IN SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND SPREAD TOWARD INTERSTATE 90 BY 6 PM. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES THIS EVENING. LIGHT SNOW IS THEN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.
* ACCUMULATIONS... SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF THREE TO SIX INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
* WIND AND VISIBILITY... NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE THEN EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE DAY WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL CREATE VISIBILITIES AS LOW AS ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES... ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS.
* WIND CHILL VALUES... AS COOLER AIR MOVES INTO THE REGION AND WINDS INCREASE... WIND CHILL VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL. WIND CHILL VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL FROM THE LOWER 20S THIS EVENING TO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. WIND CHILL VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO HOVER NEAR ZERO THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY... BEFORE FALLING TO NEAR 20 BELOW ZERO WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

(Sorry for the all caps. I don't know why weather people have to do that. I'm not yelling, honest. ) :-)

Interesting...

Interesting concept.....

http://offtrackthoroughbreds.com/2013/12/03/proposal-would-brand-horses-treated-with-bute/