I woke up to 8 degrees this morning. This is just plain uncalled for and I do not care to participate.
I knew it was going to be cold but nobody said anything about any single digets up here on the mountain. Of course if they did, I wasn't listening because I've been very busy holidays being what they are and all. So I went out to feed dressed up better than Nanook of the North, and my face was frozen after walking just 5 feet out the door. The barn doors were frozen shut and I couldn't get in. Not a problem, I have de-icer. Ok that's a problem because its inside my truck which is also frozen shut. I scram back to the house to see if there is any de-icer somewhere in the back cabinets of the mud room to find out I'm locked outside. Yup, the back door latch froze shut just that fast and I couldn't get in the house. Nobody's home but the dogs. I finally figured out the front door would be open since Dan's the last one out, so I got in easily that way. Whew! :Cold-Scared :Cold-Scared :Cold-Scared
Found some de-icer spray thank heavens and I sprayed the doors on the sliding door hinge thingy and that helped me get the a-jar just a little, enough to drag my fat rear in there. But the ground was so frozen up that the doors were sagging and dragging on the ground and wouldn't hardly slide. I get inside and low and behold had to praise the hus at times like this for insullating the barn. It was a whopping 34 degrees in there, felt like the Bahamas after being outside.
All the minis were fine, jumping for joy because they knew breakfast was on the way. But Sonny, my 25 year old Florida bred quarter horse was a mess. He doesn't grow much hair, never does, and managed to compeltely destroy his Big D blanket. He wrecked it last year and I spent a good while on repairs only to have him completely demolish it last night. He was cold, shivvering, so I fixed him a warm beet pulp, shoved hay in front of him, dumped 4 bales of shavings in his stall in addition to the ones I had in there, went digging for his stable sheets and double upped on them while I tried to mend his blanket fast with the help of duck tape and hay string and two way clips. Once he started eating he was fine, just grumpy.
So here I am on the internet 3 days before Christmas searching for warm blankets in a size 80. Not a good time to be desperate. Has to be cut back at the wither, scoop neck in the front, wide closed front, for the bulldozer chest, wide belly band, burgandy all in a size 80. That was a joke because there were slim pickins out there. Not sure what I ended up ordering, but I know it didn't fit all my criteria. I just knew I needed it right now and as long as it was an 80, I took it. Man, I hope I didn't order pink by accident.
The two mares (Holly and Angel) in the run in outside had their water frozen and by the time I filled up another bucket and brought it out to them, it was already freezing over on top within minutes so I said heck with this and brought them in the isleway so they could have their breakfast and some water and hay in there while I managed to do a nice grooming on them. What a couple of ungrateful dummies. Soon as I attemped to leave and shut the barn doors, both mares began to pitch a fit and want back outside in the run in. I insisted they stay put for now because I was worried if they hadn't had enough water to drink they would colic and die. They could relax in the barn, be nice and cleaned up and presentable, eat, drink, and be merry; so I thought. :arg!
I left the barn to go wash dishes and do some laundry, and returned in an hour to find the isleway re-arranged and decorated, horsey style. They drug some of the santa stockings down off the stalls, mashed them to pieces, knocked over my chairs, drug a roll of ribbon all over the place, pooped and peed everywhere in the isle, and tore open a bale of shavings. Didn't realize that one of them, not sure if it was Holly or Angel had succeeded in letting Merry Beth out of her stall and Merry Beth was was in heat, trying to get a free unscheduled breeding, by Dick or Nick, she didn't care who I guess. Meanwhile, Sonny was bashing his door down, bent the hinges on it and knocked a top board down, because Holly was standing in front of it making faces at him and tormenting him. Had to drag out the power tools to fix that. Needless to say, Merry Beth went back into her stall, and Holly and Angel were escorted quickly back out to their run in where I happily catered to their water all day long.
I didn't get anything done today I was supposed to do and I'm worn out.
I knew it was going to be cold but nobody said anything about any single digets up here on the mountain. Of course if they did, I wasn't listening because I've been very busy holidays being what they are and all. So I went out to feed dressed up better than Nanook of the North, and my face was frozen after walking just 5 feet out the door. The barn doors were frozen shut and I couldn't get in. Not a problem, I have de-icer. Ok that's a problem because its inside my truck which is also frozen shut. I scram back to the house to see if there is any de-icer somewhere in the back cabinets of the mud room to find out I'm locked outside. Yup, the back door latch froze shut just that fast and I couldn't get in the house. Nobody's home but the dogs. I finally figured out the front door would be open since Dan's the last one out, so I got in easily that way. Whew! :Cold-Scared :Cold-Scared :Cold-Scared
Found some de-icer spray thank heavens and I sprayed the doors on the sliding door hinge thingy and that helped me get the a-jar just a little, enough to drag my fat rear in there. But the ground was so frozen up that the doors were sagging and dragging on the ground and wouldn't hardly slide. I get inside and low and behold had to praise the hus at times like this for insullating the barn. It was a whopping 34 degrees in there, felt like the Bahamas after being outside.
All the minis were fine, jumping for joy because they knew breakfast was on the way. But Sonny, my 25 year old Florida bred quarter horse was a mess. He doesn't grow much hair, never does, and managed to compeltely destroy his Big D blanket. He wrecked it last year and I spent a good while on repairs only to have him completely demolish it last night. He was cold, shivvering, so I fixed him a warm beet pulp, shoved hay in front of him, dumped 4 bales of shavings in his stall in addition to the ones I had in there, went digging for his stable sheets and double upped on them while I tried to mend his blanket fast with the help of duck tape and hay string and two way clips. Once he started eating he was fine, just grumpy.
So here I am on the internet 3 days before Christmas searching for warm blankets in a size 80. Not a good time to be desperate. Has to be cut back at the wither, scoop neck in the front, wide closed front, for the bulldozer chest, wide belly band, burgandy all in a size 80. That was a joke because there were slim pickins out there. Not sure what I ended up ordering, but I know it didn't fit all my criteria. I just knew I needed it right now and as long as it was an 80, I took it. Man, I hope I didn't order pink by accident.
The two mares (Holly and Angel) in the run in outside had their water frozen and by the time I filled up another bucket and brought it out to them, it was already freezing over on top within minutes so I said heck with this and brought them in the isleway so they could have their breakfast and some water and hay in there while I managed to do a nice grooming on them. What a couple of ungrateful dummies. Soon as I attemped to leave and shut the barn doors, both mares began to pitch a fit and want back outside in the run in. I insisted they stay put for now because I was worried if they hadn't had enough water to drink they would colic and die. They could relax in the barn, be nice and cleaned up and presentable, eat, drink, and be merry; so I thought. :arg!
I left the barn to go wash dishes and do some laundry, and returned in an hour to find the isleway re-arranged and decorated, horsey style. They drug some of the santa stockings down off the stalls, mashed them to pieces, knocked over my chairs, drug a roll of ribbon all over the place, pooped and peed everywhere in the isle, and tore open a bale of shavings. Didn't realize that one of them, not sure if it was Holly or Angel had succeeded in letting Merry Beth out of her stall and Merry Beth was was in heat, trying to get a free unscheduled breeding, by Dick or Nick, she didn't care who I guess. Meanwhile, Sonny was bashing his door down, bent the hinges on it and knocked a top board down, because Holly was standing in front of it making faces at him and tormenting him. Had to drag out the power tools to fix that. Needless to say, Merry Beth went back into her stall, and Holly and Angel were escorted quickly back out to their run in where I happily catered to their water all day long.
I didn't get anything done today I was supposed to do and I'm worn out.
