The Water Flows Once More

Persistance (and a blow torch) pays off......the water in our barn is flowing again! Hallelujia! Actually, I am a little late with this posting -- John got the water going last Wednesday. Anyone with animals knows that when the water supply in the barn is frozen in the winter it is a MAJOR problem. Hauling gallons and gallons out to the barn from the house is not easy or fun in this weather. So getting the water running again was the trill of the week for us. We even had a mini-celebration!!! Just shows how easily we are entertained!

The Winter Riders!!

On Sunday we bundled up and went out for a ride. Here we are looking more like bandits than horseback riders! We could not get any of our usual riding buddies to go with us (wimps!!) so we just rode the trails near our house and the abandoned railroad line. The Girls were really glad to be out of their pasture. Divna was such a beautiful sight when I went out to halter them for tacking -- she came running from the far end of the pasture and the fresh, white, fluffy snow became clouds around her front hooves and legs. It was something to see....

I love winter riding. To me, it is better than summer. In the summer it is too hot -- too hard on the horses, too many bugs, too much overgrowth along the sides of the trail, the branches hang too low with the weight of the leaves. In the winter, the horses seem more comfortable. And dressed properly, it is more comfortable for me, too.

On this ride, our dark horses stood out beautifully against the white snow. We saw deer, and the fading daylight pastels with the bare, snow flecked trees made for a visually gorgeous ride.

On Sunday, however, we probably pushed our luck. It was a bit too cold yet for two people who had recently been sick. We left too late in the day, and it was too dark by the time we got home. But it was great to be out on the trail again, and as they say, "all is well that ends well," and though a bit chilled, it was still a good ride.

Heat Wave! We are above Zero Degrees!

The temps have finally risen above zero here! John was sick the first week of January, then we had all the ice and below zero temps, and then I was sick, so we have not been able to ride. Now that the temps are up a bit (a whole +20 degrees!) we are going to get to hit the trails. We planned to go yesterday, but the water in our barn had frozen overnight -- strange, because it was actually colder the night before.....So John spent most of the day trying to thaw it out (unsuccessfully). And the Comcast technician had to come out to take care of a minor problem. His work went well, until he tried to back out of our driveway.......most people have a problem navigating our slightly uphill, curving driveway, and the Comcast van was no match. He ended up in a snowbank up against a tree. We had to pull him out. They should give those guys special trucks for rural work. Anyway, I think he got a kick out of our goats -- he was here for the weekly Saturday walk to the newspaper box with the goats. He was surprised that they followed us around like that -- to quote Jack Palance's character in the movie City Slickers, "....city folk....."

So we are going to ride today no matter what, even though the water problem is not yet solved. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. It is going to be a barn day -- cleaning stalls, working on the water, hanging ou with the animals, and doing some riding. It is going to be a good day!

Winter Photos

I have had the flu for a few days, so instead of text, here are some recent photos.............

Happy New Year 2009

We welcomed he new year in the best way possible -- with a trail ride. The ice was gone, there was just a dusting of snow, and it was January 1, 2009, so we took "The Girls" out on the trails in Otis. As always, it was great just being outside, riding, and taking in all of what winter in Northwest Indiana has to offer. We rode through the same trails we have ridden so many times in the past, but as always, every ride is different. Same trail -- Different ride. Zora and Divna were anxious to get out of the pasture. The weather and holiday social schedules kept us from riding very much these past 3 weeks or so. We could tell from the moment we went out to halter them that they were on the same page as us. Usually, the haltering process is sort of a dance -- the horses run around, jumping, kicking and playing. Then they finally settle down and allow us to halter them and take them into the barn for tacking up. Not this time! They both stood still, welcoming the haltering, wanting to be on the trail again. We rode some of the old, familiar trail, and also deviated a bit.....we went around the new apartments being built near Purdue North Central. It was a great combination of old and new; familiar and unexplored......we could tell The Girls loved it, too. I cannot think of a better way to begin a new year.