February 22, 2010 A Lull In The Storm

Winter view between blizzard and warm melting days

of February.  No colors of summer flowers only

red crab apples the birds have yet to remove.

This is part of my upper gardens

A Lull In The Storm......   What is nice about storms is they only last for awhile.  You know,  the storm has to pass by.  In life situations and in real weather.  You can say this is only temporary.  With a sigh you can look out and know that what is a full raging blizzard will be dulled by tomorrows change of wind. 
Here in Wisconsin we had a forcast of a snow storm but it stayed South.  I kept the horses in so they would not get wet and chilled.  Being 32 yr, 30 yr, 20 yr, and 10 years it is hard for them to stay warm when they are wet and the North wind blows.
A couple days ago I was busy in the house and did not notice that it was sleeting type snow falling.  All four horses were out in it all afternoon.  I ended up rubbing them down with towels after I put them in for the night.  Hawk the 30 year Morgan sneezed out some snotty stuff at me this morning.  He is not sick, but gets a cough sometimes so I have to watch him.  I put an herb type powder called Cough, a horse medication into his feed and in a week he is back to his old self.   Today it is snowing lightely, but enough to get them wet. Dick my husband helps with barn chores and cringes when I make decision to keep my giant pets inside for the day.  Bedding is not cheep and one day in means almost a whole bed change in their stalls. That could cost $20.00 for the day.  These snow flurry days are worse than a outright storm.  Other horse people would think I am nuts to be so particular with my horses, but big vet bills have given me wisdom to prevent than to deal with a full blown illness.

                                          Moose in the lull of the storm.....

Refa patiently waits to go outside

Life's storms are similar.....I can deal with the biggys a lot better than the tid bits of aggravations that may fall into my otherwise sunny joy filled day....Why is that?  The small stuff is like a fly pestering my horse into tearing down the hill likity split and flying into the stall, on a summer day.  The cool, dark stall is flyless.  He finds relief.  I could have prepared for that pesky fly by spraying him with horse spray, but how was I to know the day was going to be hot and muggy?  Afterthought ....did not bother to watch the weather man.  Just like the other day, I did not know that it was suppose to snow.  Today they are in their stalls and it is hardly snowing.  Better safe than sorry.....
                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                Hawk wishing he was outside racing around in the snow        

Ginger holding out in the lull

Feb. 24, 2010.....another snowy day..... another $20 to freshen their stalls. Like that pesky fly winter hangs on while I pull out all the reserve patience for the day.

 Another fly in the annointment.....we found coon poop in our hay room.  Lots of it, so several coons must have slipped into the barn over night.  We will have to set a live trap tonight.  If they are dumb enough to crawl into it, we will deliver them to a wildlife refuge about ten miles from here.
Several years ago we live trapped a coon, and thought we did it a favor by taking it to this refuge.  Little did we know that she had a family of little ones high up in a hollow of our big Oak tree.  The next two days after that we heard the cries of the almost grown up coons as they hung out the hollow yelling for their mother.  The third day brought silence.  They must have decided to come down and face the challenges of what ever their world was going to dish out for the summer.  There was a lot of available food for them from the neighbors along the road who feed the birds, and outside cats.  One even feeds the coons on her deck.
These coons that gave us a visit last night, could well have been the same little ones from years ago, who found their way through our cat door in the barn last night.......