Hair Raising Horse Experience

     Late this afternoon, we had a new adventure that we hope never to have to repeat.  Due to the large amount of rain we had on top of nearly a foot of snow, and then freezing temperatures, there was a lot of standing water that is now frozen.  So our "lake" is now a "skating rink".  It is actually a large, shallow, frozen creek that runs in from the north end of our pasture clear across and out the south end.  It had snowed more on top of that... so the ice is hardly noticeable.  In fact, you could walk on top of the snow and not realize there was ice beneath.
     Well, earlier today, that is what the horses did.  I am guessing the noble steed Zorro (even though he is a gelding) led the way.  And his lady admirer-er (Amiga) gladly followed.  And off across the snow covered ice they went.  I only know this because I could see their tracks, one after the other.  The only problem, is that with the warm sun and maybe some breeze, there was no longer continuous coverage of snow across the ice. And quite possibly the ice is even more slippery. 

Around 2:00 I went out to see what the conditions were like, and was surprised at how slippery it was in some places.  The little barn kitty "Bro" and Kaysha followed me out. The dog hit the ice at a run and slid to a stop and then when she turned to get off of it, "Bro" tried to run to get out of the dog's way and his little feet were sliding all over the place.  I knew to take it slow and steady and keep both feet on the ground....shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. I decided it was not good for the horses to be on the far side of the frozen ice stream, and thought they might be trapped there. So, I went back to the barn to get a rope and halter.  Once back across the ice I had Zorro ready to be led across towards the barn.  Amiga wouldn't even let me put the halter on her.  She senses "danger" before I can even drum up trouble.  Well, Zorro would have nothing to do with ice skating.  He did not take more than one step onto the ice before deciding to back off of it. I walked him up and down the length of the field along the frozen water....in search of the perfect place to cross.  Each attempt failed with Zorro pulling back.  When you are standing on ice trying to pull a 900 lb horse...it is difficult to make any head way.  I finally gave up and went back to the barn.  I decided to wait until feeding time thinking they would be much more willing to follow me across.     

     At 4:30, Joe and I , with halters and rope, headed across the field and ice on our mission.  Zorro and Amiga came right up to us.  You could tell they were ready to get to the barn for their evening feeding.  But once again, they did not want to step more than one foot out onto the ice.  We tried spots that were more snow covered, others that were a shorter distance and one place that was shallow with grass sticking up out of the ice most of the way. We had tried to crack the ice in that area to give better footing.

I had a little bag of guinea pig alfalfa that must be super flavorful because the horses love it.  We used it to try to coax the horses across.  Zorro was willing to "take the bate" but would still back off the ice as soon as he had 3 feet on it. At this point Joe and I decided they could not be led across the frozen tundra. So we took their halters off.  With gear and alfalfa in hand we slowly turned to head back to the barn.  At this point you could tell Zorro really wanted to join us.  So I tried coaxing him with encouraging voice and alfalfa.  He slowly picked his way out on to the snow covered ice.  But then he hit a clear spot with no snow.  I watched him start to slip, try to recover, and then go down.  All four legs were in the air as his hip hit the ice.  This caused enough force to break up the ice some and then give him a little footing to get back up.


He quickly tipped toed the rest of the way across. I tried to catch him to see if he was hurt....but he had one thing in mind...grain in the barn.  I figured at the rate he was moving, he must not be in too bad of shape.

 Now for Amiga....how to get her across?  I was hoping she would want to follow Zorro, but after seeing what he had done, she was not going to go near the ice.  We tried several more attempts at many different approaches.  Joe brought out the sledge hammer and tried cracking a less slippery walk way.  He ended up falling on the ice at one point.  He got the rubber matting that my trainer Marj had given us and laid it across a slippery place.  I tried adding snow.  But nothing worked.  We led Amiga several steps out in the cracked ice walkway, but she would then chicken out.  The sun was below the horizon and darkness was encroaching fast.  At this point, we decided to try the horse tailor.  Joe headed back to the drive for that while I left Amiga on her own and kept cracking at the ice with the sledge hammer.  Zorro was long done with dinner and came back out into the pasture (at a safe distance) and was whinnying to Amiga.  Not sure what his message was, but she really wanted to join up with him.  Joe had difficulties pulling the trailer into the field because of residual snow drifts and cinder blocks frozen in place holding gates open or closed. But he made it.
He was even able to drive across the ice.  So glad we decided to trade in the van for a 4 wheel drive vehicle.  But what a time and place to test drive the Expedition while pulling the trailer. Our next hurdle was getting Amiga to get into the trailer.  She has never been a fan of loading, and it has been 7 weeks since we last asked her to do this.  It was now dark so Amiga was even more apprehensive about stepping into the trailer.  We tried several times but she was too afraid to step up into the trailer.  I also noticed that she was kind of slipping.  So Joe moved the trailer, and I lunged Amiga while he went back to the barn for the training halter, oats, and stick and string.  This gave Amiga a chance to think about what I wanted and me a chance to collect my thoughts.  I think it may have added to Joe's building frustration however.  Once he was back with the new gear, we tried again, and this time it worked.  I don't know what did it....the lunging, the oats, the tap of the stick behind her back legs, or my praying.  But Amiga got up into the trailer!  And the rest is history.
     Back at the barn, in the stall with Amiga, petting her while she calmly ate, I reflected on all of the things I am so thankful for:  Rolo's left over alfalfa....(may he rest in peace); a "new" 4 wheel drive vehicle; the new trailer hitch just installed today; a husband who has a sense of humor, is compassionate and understanding; a loyal and trusting horse; and especially for God who has blessed me with each of these.

     Then I went into Zorro's stall and looked him over very closely.  Nothing appeared unusual.  I felt for swelling in his feet and legs. I pushed on his hips and got no reaction.  I watched him walk around. To the best of my ability I could not find anything wrong and feel he is just fine.  He seemed to reassure me with his silly antics and short attention span by walking around bored with the whole inspection, nuzzling me several times, and looking me in the eye as if to say, "I didn't do it".  Was he feeling guilty for nibbling on my sleeve just then, or for getting himself and leading his trusting amiga into danger.  Or was he feeling embarrassed about his slip on the ice.  I guess I'll never know.  But this I do know....the more I interact with these characters, the more I love them and will do what ever I can to protect and care for them.

If Ya Don't Like The Weather...

     You know what they say here in Illinois....If ya don't like the weather, wait until tomorrow.  I guess this reflects the constant fluctuations, sometimes quite large, in a short amount of time, that we get here in the mid west.  Ten days ago I thought I was in the tropics.....19 degrees with a light breeze....after -11 and 25 mph winds it felt really warm.  And then 2 days later it was above freezing, for several days in a row.  I spent too much time out in the barn Wed and Thursday....working, feeding the horses, grooming the horses, playing with the kittens, and cleaning up around the place. I had a ton of grading to get done, but was really enjoying the warm weather.  The down side of this thaw, is that now there is a bunch of slush and mud everywhere.
     The photo to the right is of a sheet of snow sliding off the corn crib roof with icicles hanging from it.  As the sheets of ice fell to the ground it would startle the horses.  I ended up throwing snow balls onto the roof to get all of these hanging daggers to fall.

      Sat it was hard to get motivated to do much of anything because of the dreary weather.  I'd rather have sunshine even if it means colder temps.  At least all our mud re-froze Friday night and it stayed under 30 degrees a good part of the day Sat. We got some freezing drizzle for a little bit.  Joe and I test drove a couple of SUVs because we really feel the need for four wheel drive and a more powerful vehicle.
Tuesday: We traded in the van and bought a Ford Expedition.  The 4-wheel drive will make it easier to get in and out of our lane when it is drifted and will be better able to pull the horse trailer. The Expedition is a 2003 with 99,890 miles on it, but is in excellent shape and has lots of “extras”.  We feel we got a very reasonable deal, including the trade in on our van.
Wednesday:  I was out at the barn for 1½  hours in 30 degree weather with a cold drizzle.  I was with the ferrier, cleaning stalls, and putting out hay.  I got really chilled, colder than during the 0 degree temps with -10 wind chill.  I think it is because of the dampness and I wasn't working as hard.  When I came in I could not get warmed back up.
Thursday:  We have had 3 days of dense fog, freezing fog, and absolutely no sun shine.  It was a constant 32 degrees all day with a non stop drizzle. Some of the rain was freezing and some was pooling on top of snow and ice. The photo to the right was taken at noon.  You can see how foggy it is. Our driveway was a mess and the paddock was down right awful.  Chuck and the horses have hardly ventured out, thus making the south stall messier than usual.  At least I could have fun enjoying myself with our two barn kittens.  They are so tame and so spoiled though.  Kaysha likes playing with them too.
Friday:   On my way to work, I think I might, quite possibly have glimpsed what I recall from past experiences to be some sun rays trying to peek through the clouds.  They weren’t quite successful, but it was a near citing....that or I was hallucinating.  On my way home from work, I was planning to start taking down the Christmas tree, but then I sat down at my computer while eating my late lunch.....continued to procrastinate while enjoying cookies with my tea, and, well, I kind of lost the motivation to do the de-decorating. :-(    I did get the Christmas tree down after dinner with Joe’s help.  Then I rewarded myself my watching "24" with him.  I still have all the other decorations to deal with, but I want to sort through and get rid of some more of it....but that is what is slowing me down....too big of a job for my unmotivated self to tackle. It is such a dreaded job.  There is no joy in it.  I would love to keep the Christmas lights up year round.
Saturday:  Yet another day of rain and no sun.  By afternoon the fog had gotten denser and I couldn't even see 50 yards out from the house. Here 
you can see how foggy it is….the horses were enjoying the warmer temperatures and running around. We did empty a truck load of wood shavings into the stalls which were in much need of new bedding. I had stripped them both down to dirt and then we put several inches of shavings in.  While working out there, I let the kittens out of the tack room for the first time.    They played hide and seek with the dog for an hour.  After we were all done with the stalls, "Sis" the girl kitten came bounding in, digs, squats, and poops....covers and bounces back out.  I knew the clean stalls would not last long. We managed to get the truck stuck in the snow and mud and with patience and persistence, we got it out.  There are some impressive ruts in the mud out there now.  We need to put more gravel down....The list of summer jobs continues to pile up.  We went to the Relay For Life Kickoff with good friends Bob and Marge.  The meal and program were good but the dancing disappointing. Joe managed to win a bin of Christmas “crap” in the silent auction.  Swell, more stuff to deal with.  Awhhhh but the $$$ goes to a good cause.  I could sell all this stuff on e-bay and donate that money too.
     Sunday:  With thunderstorms during the night and temperatures in the 40s, all of the snow, except where there were big drifts, was gone, and a big lake down the middle of our east fields has taken its place. 

     Above Amiga and Zorro can be seen enjoying the grass that was once covered by snow. 
    
     To the right you can see the creek draining water from our pastures.


                    The humidity was so high that everything in the barn was damp.  The floor was wet as were all other surfaces.  I was thinking I should get a plastic cover for the saddle rather than the towel I currently have.

     Monday:  We had a winter storm system come through around noon.  From grocery shopping after school, I drove home in white out conditions. When I got home, 5 of the chickens were roosting out in the barn.  It was blowing 25 mph with snow.  I decided they were never going to get back to the coop on their own, so I carried each of them back 2 at a time.  I saved the rooster for last, who was tough to catch, but once I had him he stayed calm and relaxed and didn’t put up a fight.

Tuesday:  I got 4 eggs, 3 were laid in different places in the barn hay.  An Americana's had laid one out in the coop.  This is the first in a long time that I have gotten an "Easter Egg".  They must have needed a break.   I really enjoyed watching the animals when I went out to the barn in the afternoon.  While the kittens and dog were playing tag in the main barn,  Flopsie (a chicken) went into the tack room and helped herself to the kitten's water....only thawed water around.  She would prefer to hang out in the barn than to go to the chicken coop for a drink.  At one point, both kittens, the chicken and dog were in the stall with the two horses and I.  I was trying to clean up manure....which piles up fast when I give the horses access to the barn during the day.  Because of continued high winds and blowing snow, I carried Flopsie back to the coop again today.
All others had found their way back there earlier in the day.

Barn Kitties Arrive

      Because the 3 WILD barn cats we adopted last summer had stopped showing up for food, we decided to get two younger, tamer cats (kittens actually) that hopefully won't wander so far off.  If they are more visible we can keep better tabs on them as well.  We rarely saw our wild cats, and then, they would just be a streak as one fled from the barn, corn crib, or other building.  I only knew they were there because the food disappeared every night and I would occasionally see one from a distance. But, after going 2 weeks without the food being touched, which first happened the day I spotted a dead cat on US 150 near or place, I decided we were without rodent control.            

   
     We picked up our two new barn kittens on a very cold Friday evening Jan.8th.  They came from a large barn with many horses and cats, west of Normal. The picture shows the two kittens we actually took.  They are looking in on their siblings whom we had first caught.  The boy is the larger one on the right. The rear end of their calico mom can be seen to the right of him. These two are approximately 10 weeks old.  I decided to assign them a Halloween birth date.

    
     The kittens have been spoiled since their arrival here.  I gave them our old comforter, seen here, which I put in the old dog create I had built 30 years ago for our first dog Greta.  We used the quilt for packing furniture in the u-haul last April. I decided it might come in handy so I had hung on to it instead of pitching it.
    
     Below you can see the  "feeding station" and Kaysha meeting the kittens for the first
time.  They get 1/3 can of cat food morning and night....along with the dry food. They are used to their momma cat bringing mice and birds daily....so I wanted to keep up their meat diet.  They are reported to be good mousers already....but I want to be sure they have plenty of nourishment through this winter. I also don’t want them running off looking for greener pastures else where.
      Their first morning on our farm, it was -7 outside when I took them some canned food.  The tack room is insulated and out of the wind, but it was still pretty doggone cold out there.  To keep their water drinkable, I use an old heated water dish that was left out here from previous owners. 
   

     Here is a picture of Britney loving on the kittens.  The boy is more playful as seen going after the catnip seal.  Can you see  Daniel’s name written in the concrete floor?

    

     The kittens naturally knew to use the litter box.  I believe this one is just sitting in the sun during this picture.  They will move from place to place just to be in the warm sun light. 

Here the boy is on top of a saddle blanket, sitting in the sun.  Notice Courtney’s new saddle above and behind him.


     I decided to make it easier for them to catch the sun’s rays, so I put a ladder with a cardboard lid on the shelf for them to sit on.
    

 
Then I made a ramp so they could get up there.  I had also felt bad about keeping them shut in the tack room, (We need to do this for 2-3 weeks so they will adopt our barn as home.)  but now they have a window to look out of and seem fairly content.  They spend quite a bit of time playing with their toys and chasing each other around.  Sometimes they get a little rough with each other. I scold them when I am around, and wonder if Momma cat had to keep them in line.

     A bin for hay is just outside this window, over 6 feet down on the ground. The horses and cows spend a lot of time there eating.  The kittens may be watching them in this photo.

      I bought the little stuffed dog seen below for just a buck at the dollar store.  It looks a little like Kaysha.  The girl kitten especially likes beating it up.  She will carry it around and even haul it up to her ladder perch.   In the picture below, she was biting, clawing and pawing at it while eating. Did she think this was her kill that she was now devouring? 

      I really like these two new additions to our farm and enjoy watching them along with all the other critters we have.  They give me a chance to rest during farm chores and are a fun distraction from doing school work.

Home From Christmas

We arrived home from a warm Florida on Sunday Jan 3rd to a cold, empty house (except for the dog and cat). There was lots of beautiful snow. It was neat to see how it had drifted around all the different buildings and trees.

The horses and cow looked content and all seemed well with the farm.  Notice the icicles in the upper left corner of the picture below.  











Our pet sitter did a great job.  There were some things I had to “fix” like moving a huge pile of stall stuff out to the manure pile.  It had been dumped right out side the stall gate on the south side of the barn. (Come to find out our pet sitter had hurt her knee and it was too difficult to push the wheel barrel through the snow....some of which had drifted quite a bit back there).  So, first I shoveled a path from the barn to the manure pile, then

I started hauling stuff.  It took several hours with many trips back and forth.   Believe it or not, it was good to be home!

Monday the 4th, I headed down our drive to face the teacher’s workshop which was long, slow and tedious.I wish they would just let us get some of our work done during institute days. They feel the need to do school improvement and team building activities....but it is frustrating for many of us who would like to get much needed classroom work done.    
Tuesday came all too soon and it seemed the classes were long, slow and boring for the students.  I always go over rules and procedures etc. because of all the new students we get at the start of a new semester. I felt the students were suffering what I had suffered through the day before.  There has got to be a more engaging way to do all of this. 
                                                       
Wed after school, with the forecast of another winter storm, we moved 12 bales of hay from the lower level of the barn out to the corn crib for the 3 make/shift hay bins.  We discovered a stash of 11 eggs on the top of the hay pile, 5 bales up. Silly Chickens! I put hay in a water bucket and placed them in it. All but 1 were frozen and cracked. I put the good one in my coat pocket and later accidentally cracked it because I had forgotten it was there and tried to squeeze through the opening into the chicken coop – the door was frozen part way shut. (Chipping it out of the snow and ice was another job). One of the eggs in the hay was a very light tan, and 2 of them were quite small.  Baby....theBarred Plymouth Rock chicken I taught to stand and walk has been hanging out at the barn every day with Flopsie, the Rhode Island Red. They have become "friends" and can be seen together around and in the barn.  None of the other chickens or turkey have left the coop.  Anyway, I think the Barred chickens from Carol’s eggs we hatched last summer may finally have started laying. The dog has been getting one of the broken eggs with her breakfast each morning.  So there is no waste.  The oyster shells mixed with sand that I got from the beach at Long Boat Key in Florida have been a hit with the fowl. I wish I had scooped up more than 2 milk jugs full.
     Wednesday night while trying to stay focused and work on school work, I kept looking out the window to check on the weather.  It was predicted to snow all night and all day Thursday, with 6-8 inches of accumulation, and then get windy. It had started coming down about 4pm!

 Thur....5:06am...   I got the call.... SNOW DAY!  With the wind and the snow falling, it was beautiful.... almost whiteout conditions.... and awesome to watch the sun rise.  Well, you couldn’t really see the sun....just brighter whiteness as it made its way up.

    I spent much of the day inside getting caught up.... which included:  laundry, school work, thank you notes, and chores around the house.  I never did get to this blog.    

I went outside and did quite a bit of scooping to make it easier to get around from barn to chicken coop to corn crib, etc. and I messed around out in the barn.... getting more hay for the horses and preparing the tack room for our new kittens which we planned to pick up Friday night.  Everything was closed around Bloomington and Normal. Joe and Courtney didn't go to work until later and  Britney's eye appointment was canceled.  Britney and I got some pictures at one point during the day.  (That is her bundled up in the picture above)  The horses had access to the barn but preferred to stay out in the snow.  Silly Horses!

  By Thursday evening it was really drifting here. The snow had stopped coming down, but was blowing sideways.  The way things were looking, I didn’t think I would have school Friday. Several area schools were closed Friday, but not Unit 5. I was glad to go and get one more school day checked off the calendar. I didn't even open up or look into the chicken coop Friday morning.  I left it closed all day Thursday too.  
The "birds" haven't come out since it started snowing Wed afternoon.   The poop is piling up.  We picked up new barn kittens Friday night.  They are very cute....but more on them in the next blog.  The horses and cow are really going through the hay fast....nothing else available to eat...under a foot or more of snow.



Couldn't operate the camera with my gloves on....and didn't want to take them off so pictures had to wait a bit. These late blog postings enable me to get pictures a bit later.

The chicken coop and pine trees caused some beautiful drifts to form.

A path from the chicken coop back to the house.


Our thermostat is at 65 during the day when we are here and 60 at night.  We used an average of 70 gal per week of propane the last 5 weeks of 2009.  Wonder if our house sitter had it turned way up...or if this place is not very heat efficient.  I suspect the latter.  I feel cool drafts from everywhere .... floor vents, electric out lets, windows and doors. :-(    More work to do around here.

Our drive keeps drifting shut and has been a problem a few different times.  We get it plowed for $50 which covers 24 hours.  He came Thur late morning and Thur night and Friday early morning but we were too cheep to pay for more.


Britney got stuck in the drive in the Toyota early Monday afternoon on her way home. I later parked my Vibe back a ways from her and then Joe arrived in the van and got the tractor to move snow and free up the 3 car pile up.  I almost got stuck late afternoon Mon on my way back out of the drive, so I parked at the end of the drive Mon night when I got home from Bible study because Joe and Britney were in St. Louis for the night and I did not want to get stuck Tue Morning on my way to school, so I hiked up the drive Mon night and back down Tue am.  

Britney's flight out of St. Louis left on time at 6am Tue.  Joe and Britney stayed at one of his friends who lives 15 min from the air port.  Britney had a long lay-over in Miami and then flew out late Tuesday night to Costa Rica.

Each night as the sun goes down and I go about my evening chores, even though it is sometimes tough with more drifted snow, frozen water, cold fingers and toes, and wind whipping my face...I praise God for his beautiful creation, thank him for his blessings and ask for his forgiveness and grace.