Summer Goose, Winter Goose, CAT! And The Never Ending Winter Battle Against Poopcicles.

Summer goose:




Winter goose:



Yes, they are plastic. My ex mother in law gave them to me a few years ago when they moved.


Summer rooster:



Winter rooster:



NOT plastic. He is now officially "free range" which means he can act on his desire to kill us at any time he chooses. Honestly I swear! He has been plotting to kill us since he first figured out he could crow. I think it is because we called him "Elizabeth" for the first 6 months of his life.

And CAT! This is Socks, the road kill kitty, one of our barn cats:



Stalking me.



Distracted by the ponies. I assured him that though they may be small they are still too big for him to eat.

So, today it was a balmy 18F outside. The world was wrapped in fog when I woke, but by chore time the fog had lifted and left behind a thick fluffy coating of frost on everything.



Even the ends of the ponies hair had a clinging layer of frost.



The nice thing about the ponies is that they are very considerate. Thoughtful. Helpful even. Instead of just going doody where ever they happen to be when they get the urge they almost always make the effort to go in to the run in area in the barn to go in what I fondly call "Poo Corner". Now this would be great if they did this and I could just clean up the droppings from the pile but they also insist on urinating ON the manure. So by the time I get out there in the morning the bottom layer is frozen to roughly the consistency of hardened steel. Something about the mix of tiny turds and urine produces the hardest substance known to mankind: the miniature equine poopcicle.

Well, for the last few weeks I have been struggling to drag my wheelbarrow out to the pile to dump what few road apples I could claw up with my Miracle Fork. Today I decided the effort wasn't worth it, so I opted to use the Big Blue Sled I found out in the barn when we moved back here. I have a section of pasture I will be reseeding in the spring. The soil is pretty sandy and blah there so I have been trying to spread any manure out there to mix in to the soil before I reseed. I managed to get some out there, and was spreading it just the other side of the fence from the rooster.

He eyed me with a haughty disdain mixed with hatred and homicidal desire, but stayed on the other side of the fence until I went back to the barn. As I walked away he chattered at me angrily then ducked under the fence to pick through the droppings for treats. After seeing the things that bird eats I am not sure I ever want to eat chicken again. He is like a garbage disposal with a razor sharp beak and spurs that would make a cowboy envious.

At any rate, my Miracle Fork is just not up to the challenge of prying those poopcicles off of the dirt floor in the barn and it is making me insane. I can not STAND turds in my barn!!!!! The farrier is coming out Tuesday and there is a frozen pile of poo in my run in! Dear heavens! People can see my house with it's couch covered in cat hair and piles of books next to the couch but a POOP in my BARN! PERISH THE THOUGHT!!!!

I can't wait until spring. I never thought there would be a time in my life when the thought of thawing feces would make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sometimes... sometimes I worry about myself.


:-D

Yesterday's chores...

Horses keep warm in the winter from the heat generated by their digestion and by the insulation of their hair coat. It seems that the tiny horses have just as much hair as the big one only it is crammed onto their smaller bodies. Mine look like Tribbles most of the winter, hehe.

So when it is very windy and cold I try to feed them several small meals throughout the day. Yesterday we were going to be gone all day so instead I spread their food over many places so they would have to graze about to get it all. This took some planning because the wind was horrid and I had to find places to put it where it wouldn't blow away.

I decided to snap a picture of the ponies munching because Mary has such stubby legs and her standing in the snow had me cracking up:



The heavy winds from yesterday have rearranged the snow into windswept low spots and twisting drifts. I did my morning chores early because the wind chill is -12f and I wanted all the critters to have something in their bellies to help keep them warm.

My new saddle is supposed to arrive today, and the roads are just awful. :-(

Tsu (my husband) plowed but the winds have drifted the drive over and our poor tractor is just over whelmed by this snow. It has turf tires on it and just can't get enough grip to move the snow well. We need chains for it.

Yesterday we were out in that awful weather. Tsu and his dad needed to go to see his uncle and they had to drive for hours round trip. Last time the had to go I went with them but this time I opted to hang out with my Mother In Law, Karen, instead. It's been a while since we had a chance to just hang out like that and we talked our throats raw, hehe.

I got a surprise gift of a .50 calibur muzzle loading rifle. I'm giddy with delight. Now I just have to learn how to load it and shoot it.


Happy holidays all! Once the holidays are over I will be filling everyone in on some of my plans for this blog, including give aways and contests, among other things!

Today's REAL Blog Post... I can has a SNOW DAY!??!

Today, in pictures!


Morning chores:

OH, HAI! I is bundled up, yes!



These dimwits have a 12ft x 24ft run in area in the barn and where were they?



OMG! Teh pones look liek they are sugar donuts! NOM NOM NOM!!!!





I am tricksy, I put their hay in the barn so they will stay out of the snow and wind while they eat:





OK! Done nao! Time for me to go back in teh cozy house! BAI BAI!!!