I was curiously wondering this morning what I was going to write about. Not much going on. Aspey is doing fine. Dogs are doing fine. Girls are doing fine. Hubby brought me out to dinner last night as it was just the two of us at home. (Everyone keeps telling me I'm going to do the 'empty nest' syndrome thing. Nope. Not gonna miss all those hormones in my house! I kinda like being able to do what I want, when I want. No more diapers. Naps. The only 'restrictions' I have left, really, is my youngest has her permit, not her junior operator license. So when her sisters or Dad aren't available to drive her, she asks Mom. Works for me. )
Don't get me wrong. My 'nest' will never be empty. I have 4 dogs, 4 cats, 2 parakeets and 3 horses of my own. And Lacey and Aspey. And 2 barn cats. Always someone who needs something looked after. They aren't ever going to fly away from home.
This morning, after sleeping in, yawn, until 9:45, I got up and shuffled around the house and got dressed in many layers. (Ok. I'm going to digress - Have you ever seen the Christmas movie about the kid who wants the Red Ryder BB Gun and everyone tells him he's going to shoot his eye out? Remember the little brother, Randy, who is dressed up in his red snowsuit and his arms flail around like a windmill? That's what I feel like when I go outside with all my gear on in this cold weather!)
It looks like Alaska tundra out there. The snow blowing so hard it's creating white outs while it's screaming across the top of the bumps in the crusty ice/snow underneath. It's damn cold.
Went out to let the horses out. Did my usual routine. Hay from the barn to the pasture. Spread the hay around the pasture. Go in the barn, unplug the fence. Bring Aspey her morning allotment of grain. Took the blanket off Aspey I put on last night as she was shaking and cold. Went in the barn to let the horses out. Smokey first. (Ok, another digression. Lacey has hysterics if she doesn't get to go out first. Then she has hysterics that she is let out first. Makes it much easier to let Smokey out first - he's dominant between the two - than to have her freak out half way out the door and try to figure out how to back up through the door and gate to her stall. Sigh.) Then Lacey. Then to let Buddy out. Buddy loves to check out every stall on his way out. To make sure no one left something worth munching on behind. Then to Elias. Who wasn't moving.
I opened his door. He is usually standing, quietly waiting, but ready to go out. Not this morning. Hello! His left front leg is twice the size of his right front leg and he's leaning with his butt against the wall, trying to keep his weight off his front end.
Holy COW! How'd it get that BIG! OMG. Ok, ok, breathe. He wasn't cast in his stall. There are no marks on his walls or on his body that lead me to believe he got hung up in something. The only thing attached to the wall is his grain bucket and it's still where it belongs. (That, just for my peace of mind, is outta there. I replaced the hung on the wall at a low height bucket for a black rubber bucket that sits on the floor.) Threw Elias a flake of hay and went inside to call my second favorite human. The Vet. He must have missed me in the two days since he's seen me.
Don't get me wrong. My 'nest' will never be empty. I have 4 dogs, 4 cats, 2 parakeets and 3 horses of my own. And Lacey and Aspey. And 2 barn cats. Always someone who needs something looked after. They aren't ever going to fly away from home.
This morning, after sleeping in, yawn, until 9:45, I got up and shuffled around the house and got dressed in many layers. (Ok. I'm going to digress - Have you ever seen the Christmas movie about the kid who wants the Red Ryder BB Gun and everyone tells him he's going to shoot his eye out? Remember the little brother, Randy, who is dressed up in his red snowsuit and his arms flail around like a windmill? That's what I feel like when I go outside with all my gear on in this cold weather!)
It looks like Alaska tundra out there. The snow blowing so hard it's creating white outs while it's screaming across the top of the bumps in the crusty ice/snow underneath. It's damn cold.
Went out to let the horses out. Did my usual routine. Hay from the barn to the pasture. Spread the hay around the pasture. Go in the barn, unplug the fence. Bring Aspey her morning allotment of grain. Took the blanket off Aspey I put on last night as she was shaking and cold. Went in the barn to let the horses out. Smokey first. (Ok, another digression. Lacey has hysterics if she doesn't get to go out first. Then she has hysterics that she is let out first. Makes it much easier to let Smokey out first - he's dominant between the two - than to have her freak out half way out the door and try to figure out how to back up through the door and gate to her stall. Sigh.) Then Lacey. Then to let Buddy out. Buddy loves to check out every stall on his way out. To make sure no one left something worth munching on behind. Then to Elias. Who wasn't moving.
I opened his door. He is usually standing, quietly waiting, but ready to go out. Not this morning. Hello! His left front leg is twice the size of his right front leg and he's leaning with his butt against the wall, trying to keep his weight off his front end.
Holy COW! How'd it get that BIG! OMG. Ok, ok, breathe. He wasn't cast in his stall. There are no marks on his walls or on his body that lead me to believe he got hung up in something. The only thing attached to the wall is his grain bucket and it's still where it belongs. (That, just for my peace of mind, is outta there. I replaced the hung on the wall at a low height bucket for a black rubber bucket that sits on the floor.) Threw Elias a flake of hay and went inside to call my second favorite human. The Vet. He must have missed me in the two days since he's seen me.
So, when I was thinking I was done with the Vet for a few days, weeks or months, instead, I was inviting him back to my barn, again. Sigh. Haven't got the bill from the last visit yet. Sigh.
Call the Vet's answering service. Wait for the vet to call me back. Wait for the vet to show up. Find extra clothes to put on as I'm not going to be back inside for a while. SIGH.
Vet comes. I get my gear on and go outside. The good news is that it's nothing serious. The bad news is that it does need immediate attention. Seems when the last stitches came out, an infection decided to visit. So, shot of antibiotics. Shot of bute (horse tylenol). Instructions are to walk him for 10 minutes out in the cold. (Could be worse. If it weren't so cold, I would have to keep cold water running on his leg for 20 minutes. Guess the cold is good for something today.)
So, since the sweet, beautiful, twitchy mare took down the part of the fence that separates the paddock from the pasture, the first order of business is putting up fence. In 12 degree F. weather. With the wind whipping my hair in my eyes. And my fingers not working inside gloves. Dropping insulators. Trying to wrap tape. Trying not to freeze my fingers off.
Get the fence fixed. Turn it back on. Get a halter and lead rope on Elias
It's actually nicer in here - it's still cold but at least I'm out of the blowing wind. Spread a whole bag of shavings in the stall. Empty the 20 gallon ice/poop filled water bucket (good aim-NOT). Refill with lukewarm water. A few flakes of hay in the other corner. Grain with bute (horse tylenol) and antibiotics.
Convince Gimp, er, Elias, to come back into the barn. Gimp between the stalls. Gimp through the barn, gimp down to his stall. Gimp into his stall.
Go undo part of the fence so Smokey, Lacey and Buddy can get at the water. Close up the barn. Plug the fence back in. Shut all the doors. Turn around, go back into the barn because I can't remember if I locked the latch on the back door. Shut all the doors. Then go into the house to hug the wood stove and see just how hot you can get before you have to move back.
It's now 4 pm. The weather is now 10.3 F. Without the wind chill factor. I've been outside for about 5 hours. Have a cup of cocoa so I can warm up the insides, too. Turned on the oven to make a pizza as I haven't had anything to eat yet today.
Now that hubby is home and the girls aren't home - guess they abandoned US in the new year, it's almost time to go back outside to finish cleaning the rest of the stalls and take Gimp, er, Elias, for another walk. Then to let everyone else back in. Feed them their grain and hay for supper.
Next time I wonder what I'm going to write, if I think things are going too smoothly, I will remind myself to read this entry and not worry about what to write.
Sigh. I so love my horses. I still hate WINTER and SNOW. I truly do NOT want to know how many more days until spring. Sigh. Vet will be back tomorrow to check on Elias. I really do like my vet. Was he saying he hadn't bought his plane ticket yet or not?
Cold, cold. Brrrr. I'm still cold from before. Here I go again. Trying to steel myself to go back out into the dark night. Cold. 2.8 degrees. F. 6:40 pm. Wind still whipping around. Even though I have on three layers, I can still feel the cold seeping in.
My hubby just informed me, with a laugh, that there are only 79 more days until spring. ARGH! Bleck. Sigh.
I love my horses. I love my horses. I love my horses. I HATE COLD. I HATE WINTER.
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