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It's here, it's really here... winter!
We're lighting the lanterns and firing up the wood stove every morning, the dogs won't go outside til the sun's up, the donks are furred up, and the oaks have finally turned winter brown. Yesterday it started sleeting around midday, then rain, then sleet, then a mix... and finally as the sun moved lower in the sky and the temps started to drop... snow. Which kept up much of the night and we were graced with 3" by this morning. Very auspicious after our dry as dust summer...
The front door was frozen shut... just heard the SO forcing it open.
Anybody else get snow yet?
Here's the mountains to the WNW of us... the Sangre de Cristos in their winter dress...
LOL... yeah, it'd play havoc with your garden!
But I'd much rather have the snow and cold than the heat y'all get... good thing the planet's soooo big with so many choices. =0)
we got a small small itsy bitsy tease of a snow . Just a little sprinkle .
i love snow !!! i know i m crazy but i realy love it. fun fun stuff . i love the cold weather .
i wear my Cartharts bibs all winter long and enjoy walking in the snow and cold .
the chickens are covered with plastic and have plenty of leaves and shavings to keep them warm . or i hope ?
but we are or might get some accumulating snow on thursday ! hooray !
send that snow my way Jay !
We got another whole inch last night! Woooo-hooo... OK, mini woo-hoo. =0)
I know what you mean about loving winter... I went to the library and got all sorts of interesting things to read, hoping for getting snow bound... oh well.
9" overnight... now that's a decent snow. Cold out, too. The inch we got a couple of days ago hadn't gone in the shade, so the ground is good and cold and this will probably hang on a while. Then I hear from the SO that more snow is predicted Monday... gosh, we could get snow pack! Usually we get snow, it melts away in a couple of days, no build up.
I've been thinking a lot about winter preparedness... everybody ready for the power to go out for a couple of weeks? Now that we've got a wood stove, I feel much more comfortable... water for the animals would be the next big issue. But now that my little 55 gal drums are freed up from rain water duty, I could fill them down at the creek... BRRrrrrrr! but do-able.
well if we get a power outage hmmmmm we got lots of jam , tomato juice and green beans LOLLLLL
good job on the wood stove . we were hoping to get one this year but just didn't happen :( well actually its a wood burning insert for our fireplace.
wow 9" that is alot of snow ! unless you live in Canada "eh" i guess they get 9' at a time ? LOL yikes.
we didn't get the snow that was predicted :( man this bites . *bah*
i too am also thinking of prepardness in winter times. Slow go but will happen eventually :)
what else are you thinking of ? for winter prepardness
We have our first snow called for this weekend. Last year we had snow much earlier, but I was a bit further north in VA. I just don't want it overnight on Monday when I'm traveling (hopefully traveling) back from the *possible* closing that day.
I was offered a good deal on a nice wood cookstove; now if I can just scrounge up the funds, that will make me feel more 'winter' prepared. Water would be the key issue at the new place; here I'd just have to boil the water since it runs through the corrals...phooeey, yuck...pbbbt. And I have no manual well pump at either place, so I keep bottled water in the winter just in case. We've already had a couple of power outages here, although nothing too bad.
It was MINUS 8º here this morning... it's all the way up to +10º now at 10 am.
Hey, that's great pp... all the moisture we can get, eh? We ended up with about 9" all told. A devil of a cold snap is probably coming your way; it did here.
Yeah, the water is our next big concern... in spite of what I was told, the spigot on the rain water tank has cracked in the cold; fortunately as long as it is off, it doesn't seem to leak... well, at least that was the case before this latest COLD snap. I'll have to check it today when it gets warm enough to go outside. I've figured out how to replace it without draining 1200 gal. of rainwater away... I'm going to try sticking a plastic grocery bag on a string down there, turning on the spigot, and letting the suction pull it into the opening and hopefully it will cut off the water... it sure does it everywhere else! (Beavers will be using this technique next to build water proof dams.) Then I'll replace the spigot, and yank the bag up with the string... that's the theory, anyway. We all know about theories...
We've got enough water inside for us (~15 gal), but 4 donkeys is more than I can store inside. The rain water collection will take care of them... I think. I've got to figure out a way to insulate that spigot.
As for food... we've get 50# of wheat berries at a whack, 'cause we grind our own flour, so that's stored up fresh every fall when the new crop comes in. We also have plenty of jams and jellies and tomato things. Also green beans, squash, dried apples, 6 frozen chickens and 1 frozen turkey. And several pounds of dried beans and brown rice, dried apples, peaches, green/red peppers, squash, jalapenos. With the frozen meat, if the power goes out for long, we'll be having ourselves a canning fiesta! Didn't get around to canning any meat this year... that's one of those things on the list... harharhar.
And because we're such huge pasta eaters, this weekend I'm going to try making our own pasta... if that works, we may order a bulk bag of semolina and store it in a bucket with the oxygen removed. This can be done with any dried food... beans, grain, sugar, dried milk (though I think that will keep better in the freezer... someone check me on that).
We just stocked up on dog food, and we've got a winter's worth of hay in the barn. Lots of candles... need more lamp oil. Thinking about those solar trickle chargers for household batteries for better, safer lighting... I think there's one that will recharge D batteries, and that's what our Coleman battery lantern takes. Don't forget you can use those little solar walkway lights to recharge your AA batteries... just rotate them through. Good for the radio to keep you posted.
Backwoods Home magazine is running some good specials on their back issues and several preparedness books... whether you agree with their politics or not, they've got some awfully good info.
And here's something to remember! Preparedness in your vehicle... throw in the heavy sleeping bag, light sticks, chemical hand/foot warmers, and non-cotton clothing! A couple of energy bars... whatever you think you might need if you break down betwixt and between and have to hike your happy little butt somewhere in the middle of a freezing cold dark night.
If you are on any sort of meds, don't let your quantity run down... we had to run some prescription meds (diabetes) by snow mobile up several miles to a back country cabin 'cause they allowed themselves to get snowed in, no way out and ran out of meds in two days... wilderness rescue groups are not usually used this way, but all other responders were busy.
If your whole area goes down, and you can't travel or the pharmacy is closed... emergency services will be BUSY... help them out [and help yourself] and be prepared with several days of meds on hand.
that is a good idea Jay ! i will get some more pharmacuticals this week.
My FIL is on oxygen and he can make his own with a machine that is also a generator power so if the electric goes out , he will have oxygen . I think that is how he explained ti to me LOL
my dream is to have a Clydesdale so i can use him as a snow plow and a travel assitant if we are snowed it :) i think it may work ?
i do have my food grade buckets and i need to stock them up with grain and beans . Forgot to do that last month .
kids were sick
oh and don't forget band aids and cotton balls never can tell. when they come in handy
I have one of those solar battery chargers. I put it out on the porch to keep batteries charged up. Forgot it on a hard freezing night, I found the batteries started to freeze (swelled)... not a good option on cold, cold days. Otherwise it is handy as pockets on a shirt.
Not as cold temps here normally but I keep ample kerosene to go with a kero heater and Aladdin lamps. Food, water and pet food. Matches... good old fashioned strike anywhere matches. Good books for entertainment when a companion (or I) get tired of being drubbed repeatedly at chess or scrabble or...
Here when the power went out for an extended time during the last hurricane, a friend fired up his cooking pit and cooked all the meat in the freezer. Fed all his friends and neighbors. I would opt for canning so it would be preserved for later. I do can some chicken and beef already.
Oh, hate to mush your dream, Tay, but a single Clyde probably isn't enough to do much snow plowing... it's hard, hard work for a horse... gosh, guess you'll have to get at least a pair... =0)
I've got plans for homemade horse drawn plows in my mags, if you ever get there! They're made like a 'V' pushing the snow off to both sides... but with deep snows, you've got to be out there all day and night to keep ahead of it, horses can only move a few inches at a time.
A single Clyde could pull a sleigh very nicely, though... =0)
Yeah, life kinda interfers with all my plans, too. Dang it. I planned to get those carrots mulched, I planned to get all my HT beds composted before now, I planned to have done a whole lot more than I have...
I wish I was as good at doing as I am at planning! LOL
Made my first batch of homemade pasta tonight... wow, that's a tough dough (used the real semolina). Erg, umpf, ugh... it's hard work kneading that stuff, much harder than bread dough. Much of this and I'll have very buff arms. I've hung it to dry and I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow...
good to know Jay :) yes i guess two would be more fun and better snow plowable power , Real horse power !" grunt, grun,ahrg ahrg "puff up chest . LOL
the sleigh does sound fun and that is another goal at our place too. We have a very high amish community here and they are very nice to us. :) they said they can hook me up with it all.
i sure hope your pasta turns out . made alot of it in culinary school myself. only hint i can remember is it drys very fast when kneading. ?
sorry wish i remembered more . was many years ago since i have done that .
good day to you all
Or a shot of alcohol... vodka works nicely. Or if you don't have that, rubbing alcohol, isopropyl alcohol... but probably not beer. Unless it's some of that high-test beer they're starting to make (eww... =oP)
I don't like to use WD 40 on locks around here... it contains a light oil which collects dust and hastens the wear on the mechanism. In the desert, to lube locks it's better to use graphite.
Ah, winter is really here! Thanks for all the tips on preparedness. I got out of the habit of packing emergency supplies in the car, now that the county grades the roads 4 or 5 times a year, but a week ago I had a blowout on the graded ranch road and nobody in sight so Ii had to change it myself. I have changed tires before, but this time I was giving thanks that it was not dark, not snowing, and not bitterly cold. The tire was ruined, but my good luck continued when I went back to town next day and our local tire shop happened to have a used Subaru tire exactly the same as my other 3, and in approximately the same condition. But from now on I will travel with blankets, hand warmers, battery-operated lamp, pillow to sit on when I change a tire, water, and energy bars. And a first aid kit. AND a full tank of gas! I got in the habit of only filling it when it was nearly empty, but now I top it off whenever I go to town. One time last winter I pulled up to the pump in Heber and found that my gas filler door was frozen shut! And I desperately needed gas! The water in the outside window-washing things was likewise frozen, but I had a small water bottle in the car that I used to pour water on the outside of the filler door and was able to pop it open.
As far as power outages, I am off the grid so don't have tha problem unless something catastrophic happens -- my main problem is having to scrape snow off the solar panels when we get a big snow. Only a little so far, but we expect snow all the next week.
Jay, thanks for reminding me, I need to go out to the pumphouse and make sure the spigot there hasn't frozen & pouring water all over. We have had really low temps (somewhere around 5, I am guessing). The pump is solar so only runs when the sun is shining anyway.
Hey AZ, glad to see you're back online! I've missed you!
Do you know the trick of using the vehicle floor mats to lie on whilst monkeying around under the car? Good reminder about keeping the tanks full!
How's your new GH doing? I was out in mine this morning and it was so warm and toasty, and I got another bed composted and turned... actually worked up a sweat.
Had some of my homemade pasta in my turkey soup for lunch... Mmmm-mmm. Also threw in a sliced Jerusalem artichoke... if you haven't given those a try, do! They do indeed taste like artichokes, and they're an easy tuber to grow at home. They not starchy like potatoes, being comprised of inulin, a kind of soluble fiber, so easy on the old blood sugar. Introduce them into your diet slowly... they can have the same musical effect as beans if your system isn't given a chance to get used to them. I roasted a couple for dinner last night... very tasty.
Glad to be back, jay. I hadn't thought of using the vehicle floor mats - great idea! By your GH, you mean your high tunnel? My little GH was nearly 40 (IIRC) and my big greenhouse was about 25 at 7:30 this morning. It is up to 60 now (cloudy) and I've been out there puttering around, refilling water buckets my DS forgot to fill when he was here, and adding water in every available container I can find. Night before last I lost 6 tomato seedlings in the big GH and the fig got bit, but the lettuce, chard, beets, etc. in the ground did okay. The 3 geraniums, 24 tomato seedlings and the 3 citrus in the little GH are okay -- thank goodness. Also the peas have sprouted!
Never tried Jerusalem chokes -- heard they get crazy and take over your garden in the summer, is that right? I grew regular chokes when I lived in CA, where you can grow anything. Even had an avocado tree! Sigh.
Re beans, funny you shoudl mention it, I started a pot of pinto beans this morning. Couldn find the salt pork in my freezer so threw in a couple of packets (I freeze it in 2-person packs) of roast pork. BTW, I cook beans my mother's old-fashioned way of just rinsing them and cooking them, none of this soaking time-waste. And the "musical" properties of beans seem to cook out! Of course when I was a kid and Mom taught me how to cook (by yelling instructions from her bedroom, she had TB and was not expected to live, now she is 96), I had to pick through the beans for little rocks. Can't find any rocks in the beans these days. Remember the old cowboy song, "rocks in the beans and sand in the meat"? Don't have any cottage cheese or french bread, which I love with beans, but I have lots of GH tomatoes and will make corn bread. Yum.
On another forum this morning I read that canned pumpkin is given to dogs & cats to stop flatulence -- wonder if it works for people?
I meant the big GH, only because I didn't know about the little one... or I forgot. More likely the latter. Say, how did that dead fridge---> 'root cellar' experiment ever turn out?
Yeah, I've heard the J. chokes can get kinda weed-like. Sorta like mint. Just gotta plant it where you don't really care. Or confine it somehow. But it's a native (prefers alkaline soil! and hardy clear up to N. Dakota), a great survival food, will restart itself... there's somebody out there pushing it as a solution to food security for the nation... OK, that's a little carried away. In any case, I think I'll add it to my homestead... channel the run-off from the pumphouse to it and use it as a windbreak, and neighbor barrier... I get tired of lookin' at 'em. Hmm... wonder how gophers feel about them... the 'chokes, not the neighbors. Anyway, looks like an easy replacement for potatoes in some dishes. Sure was good in the soup!
I have no idea about the pumpkin, but I would certainly be amenable to following 'chokes up with a little pumpkin pie... yup, I would indeed.
I just came in from the GH/HT, got that bed watered and covered with plastic to keep the moisture in the soil. Hot dang, I've found a new use for the clear plastic bags the stall shavings come in... open them up and they're just right for covering a bed. =0) It sure is nice being able to work in the garden in the GH all warm and toasty.
The carrots survived the deep freeze, too. I went ahead and pulled up the few that were left... there's a few more out in the front raised bed, but it's still buried under snow, so no telling how they're doing.
in winter i always keep two or three candles in my truck . In case your stranded in your auto , they will keep you warm. I also put a mason jar for the candle. Extra hats and gloves , matches and a handy dandy McGyver knife. :)
today was 24 ! brrrrr but sunny and no wind so it wasn't to bad.
chicken water freezes soooooo that is done twice a day
do eggs freeze ?
Jay I like the vodka idea LOL
Yes, eggs freeze and split... the dogs get those. You don't want to leave them because it's liable to get the chickens in the habit of eating the eggs before you get them.
I've got a donkey that eats egg shells... I don't know if he'd eat a raw egg, I've never tried. But I've got another donk who'll about take your arm off grabbing a hot dog from you...
Candles in the car would make me nervous... I'd rather go with chemical warmers and a heavy sleeping bag, space blanket. Candles are handy for starting outside fires, though.
No room?! Wow, that is a tiny car! Throw a couple of space blankets in the glove compartment or under the front seat, then. Something to retain body heat.
A little bitty survival kit... ID (a typed sheet with personal info, medical conditions, contacts in case you are found unconscious), space blankets, light sticks (to mark the vehicle for emergency services and illumination), calories, water, heat packs, whistle. They even have heat packs for the body now, to put under arms and between the upper thighs... they stick on. A box cutter/utility knife with a snap off blade, so you'll always have a sharp edge. This can be used to cut up the car seat for the insulation and cloth, and any other use a knife might be.
This kit is pretty small, easy to take with you everywhere, and can save your life.
Study the winter time deaths that occur this year and figure out how you might handle them to prevent your own... beyond not getting in those pickles in the first place. We ALL think we're smarter than that...
A great read... "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why" by Laurence Gonzales.
Now I'm going to follow my own advice and go make up one of those kits. =0)
I'd agree by saying no to the candles. Even in a mason jar, the flame can cause the glass to break or the heat when it burns down can ignite the surface underneath. The open flame can also cause oxygen deprivation in a small, enclosed space as well. Not a good thought.
You'll notice I've not included any fire-starting equipment in the kit... largely because this is really a car kit, and most times we won't need to start a fire.
Building a fire under survival conditions is a whole topic in itself. If you want to have the skills to do it, practice outside in your back yard in all kinds of weather... don't wait til you're scared, cold, and lost or hurt.
You'll need to know how to build a fire shelter, gather wood under all kinds of conditions, and start the fire.
For my money, don't waste your time on spark strike systems. There's a neat little system called Esbit that will easily catch with one match, burns for 13 minutes and if you've been able to gather anything that will burn, it will give you a fire.
Build your fire upside-down, if you can (this works well in the wood stove, too). Big logs on the bottom, finishing with tinder on top. The embers of each layer drop down onto the wood beneath and I've lit every fire this year with only one match and none of that stupid blowing on it and getting smoke back in my face.
ok exnay on the candles eh :)
well i guess i was thinking of a regular sleeping bag ? we have a truck and the kids would step over it on the back area.
I will look into them heat blankets and stuff. Will also look into that book . SOunds like good reading.
Tay, with kids I'd play games to get them familiar with the equipment, just in case you're not 'around'. Of course teach them 'Hug a Tree' 'Hug a Car' too. But they should also know what to do with the light stick, how to wrap up in the space blanket, how to use those chemical heatpacks. How to whistle for help.
And it can be a whole lot of fun practicing building fires with kids (depending on their age, of course) if you make it "Treasure Island" or something. =0) Heck, you could even pack a lunch, drive to the middle of nowhere, and see if you can start a fire with what's there... Oh, Pioneer!
Teaching young folks survival skills can give them a real sense of accomplishment, safety, and confidence. Besides save their chubby little cheeks.
Deep Survival is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The author wrote for National Geo, so it's very readable and has amazing stories and great info in it on mental preparedness. I'm going to read it again myself.
good to know Jay i would have thought of that ,sounds like fun ! :)
we have been practicing our fire escape out a window with our fire ladders. They think its cool. We have a friend who is a retired fire cheif and he helps out. Being in woods and in the way back of our 40 acres , can make a person nervous about fires. Well at least i do
woops didn't mean to hijack the thread about safety .
back to our regular programing
first snows
nothing for us yet :(
We are getting a mix of snow & rain this morning -- hear it's supposed to intensify, maybe get up to a foot of snow on the ground by tomorrow. Low tomorrow night will be 12 degrees, unusual for a snowy night!
I hear ya on fire safety -- when we converted my original little doublewide to a house (a cozy and cute little Santa Fe style), I insisted on putting an outside exit door in every room except the bathroom, plus I have fire extinguishers here & there. One of my neighbors, about 3 miles away, lost their mobile home to fire Friday night, got out with just the pajamas they were wearing -- lost their little dog. We have had several other homes lost during the past year. The Heber fire department is 45 minutes away but a trailer goes up in just a few minutes. Their attitude is don't call us, we won't come, your house will be gone before we could get there. We actually aren't taxed for fire services, but we do have emergeny medical service -- altough I doubt they could find my place. Kinda like taynors, only it's the rocky road that would deter them.
Yeah, that's pretty much how it is here... though they will come... these guys love a fire. But it's pretty pointless with a mobile home. And of course, by the time the volunteers get to the station, find your place (if they do), and get enough water hauled to put out the glowing embers... you've got half the insurance papers filled out. Provided, of course, you could get insurance.
It's cloudy and grey here today, 30º and so far no wind. It's supposed to flurry tonight, but it's the western part of the state that will be getting the bulk of the snow. Looks like they'll be flying in hay to the Navajos again. San Juan mountains may get 2-3 feet tonight. Yee-haw, glad I didn't take the family land up there. I was going to, til a neighbor said the snow the previous season topped out over the volleyball poles... er... uh... even Mammoth donkeys wouldn't leave a bump in that much snow, I'd loose 'em for sure.
Have you considered putting a keg on each donkey ala St. Bernards?
I keep insurance & other important papers in a fire safe which I can't close because it locks itself when I do, so don't know what would be left if the house burnt. Most of us have insurance although I am sure the ins. companies have no idea what the conditions really are out here! The people who lost their trailer Friday had just bought the place and moved in, I am sure they didn't have ins. He said he planned to get rid of the trailer eventually, but not that way! The trailer was pretty junky, the previous owner lost it due to the economy and deliberately trashed the place before he left.
Weather for (north)western part of NM probably includes (north)eastern part of AZ.
Kegs on the donkeys... yesterday I made a Bacardi CANNOT BE MENTIONED IN THE PRESENCE OF MINORS cake and the dogs nearly licked a hole in the batter bowl. I'm pretty sure the kegs would meet a quick end, but the donkey singing would make it easy to find them. =0)
When I got Shenanigans cut, he certainly seemed to enjoy the anesthesia. Doc said she'd never seen one get up and go staggering around so fast or happy before, that he really seemed to be enjoying the high whereas usually horses just stand and tremble. My boy was more like 'Wooooo-HOOOOO! Party time!'
Jay LOL Jail break. I could play AC/DC music to that one LOL The kids do like it. We do have fun in our woods. Come on over and may the force be with you .
AZ that is a sad situation your neighbors . I wish them luck .
well we got a snow, just a light light light dusting of the white stuff.
MMMM Caaaaaaake
Shenanigans volunteers to be the getaway vehicle if he can have some CANNOT BE MENTIONED IN THE PRESENCE OF MINORS cake... with a bubbly malt beverage chaser... I told him it was no go... not safe to drink and drive, donchaknow. He is sulking now... donkeys can sulk a powerful sulk...
Did you see the recipe for Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie I posted over on the P&L sulk thread? MMMmmmm! Made that a couple of weeks ago.
It's getting a bit breezy out there now. No outside work today. =0( Bummer, guess I'll have to stay inside, read and eat cake.
(Partial cross post) Just went outside. Everthing in the big GH looked okay except for the fig, which froze a few nights ago. We only got about 1/2 inch of snow last night but it't still on the ground and icy.
The door to the little GH is frozen shut. That's where my most tender plants are, the 3 citrus trees and the tomato seedlings (counted 38 yesterday) and the 3 older tomato plants that actually have tomatoes on them. Guess I'll have to wait until the sun hits that side and melts the icy door before I can check on them..
The door to the barn is also frozen shut. I knew it would be because it was so drippy wet yesterday. I have water pipes in there that can feeze -- I put electric tapes on the ones that go to the water tank from the well (I do have 110 AC current in the barn) but am depending on a 100-watt bulb to keep the temps above freezing above the pipes that got o the house. Having trouble figuring out the timer -- it is one of those new-fangled ones where everything seems to be backwards. The barn is also where the meters etc for the solar system are so I need access. I bought a small aluminum canopy to serve as a roof over the door about 2 years ago but it is still in the box.
We supposedly had 70 mph winds during the night, which I believe from the noise made by the deck furniture blowing back & forth all night. Just read on the internet news that the Phoenix area had a bad dose of winter winds last night, too.
Jay after i typed my response i did a "duh" LOL just to tired to go back and correct myself. Then feel asleep on couch oh my back
well a good storm is on the way to the midwest . but more Chicago then Ohio . but we may get some 50 mph winds ! yikes.
hmmmm better battan down the GH last time we had an issue of it blowing away !
Put some alcohol in a spray bottle and spray those doors where they're stuck, AZ.
It's just downright wicked out side. We got a foot of snow last night, and now the wind has kicked up something fierce, gusts up to 55 mph and it's driving the snow into drifts and scouring the ground bare in other places. So the walk to the barn is bare earth and thigh-high drifts. Bah. And then the wind swirls the snow so I can't see diddley. Hauling water to the donks is just no blamed fun today... and Trombone didn't take any, so now I worry about him.
My SO is stuck in town and I'm solo out here... don't that just beat all? At least she's safe... roads are closed, so only the most stupid or the most desperate are on them.
I'd love to have a working team of these guys... small enough to tack up, cheaper to feed, and great personalities! A lot like a donkey (only I would miss getting hit in the face with the long ears)
those are very beautiful draft horses. ! i just love them . I love all draft horses. I just think they are so unique and very regal looking. IMHO. I collect antique sleigh bells . i love the sound of them .
thanks for the link Jay :)
Okay, I'll try alcohol on the doors, maybe the cheap kind not the Jack Daniels, right? Supposed to be 8 degrees here tonight. Brrrrr. Hooked up a NEW 12-volt deep draft battery directly to the bank of 12Vdc light bulbs in the Big GH, will go out and turn them on about 8 pm to see if they'll stay on all night without zapping the battery.
The kids came out today and lined the ceiling of the Big GH with 1" bubblewrap and it looks great, I am hoping it will help lots. Was supposed to have been 12 degrees last night and the temp in the Big GH was just above freezing when I went out there at 7 am.
Snow here is mostly melted. When I went into town today I was surprised to see lots of snow. And ice. Pretty but I didn't have to shovel it. My son did, though, the snow plow left 3 or 4 feet of snow in front of his driveway.
Re fjord horses, the Type B minis I used to have were of Icelandic stock. They were about the size of a Shetland pony and were chubby -- in Iceland, they retain all they can of whatever they can find to eat, to keep them going in the cold weather. They did'nt mind the cold weather at all. I miss the little guys, they had such sweet personalities, but they needed to be trained and played with. Sold them to an Apache family with 5 children.
I didn't know Fjords came that small... the ones I've seen were around 14 HH, a nice size, small enough to harness easily, powerful enough to get some serious work done.
Or are you actually talking Icelandics, which are different? Which I also didn't know came that small. =0)
I've harnessed a Belgian (once) and it was a chore to reach that high... it was leather harness, which weighs a ton, but even nylon harness would be a trial. The collar alone was a 'umphf' hoist.
It's been a heck of a week here... after the snow got nice and drifted, and around 4 in the afternoon on Tuesday, my jack got cast in his run-in shed. As I was going to get the ropes to roll him over, he wiggled himself around and stood up... but unfortunately he'd gotten a hind hoof under the wall and when he stood he sliced open the heel very badly. Fortunately my SO had just come home from town, so I had help, but it was a rough night. The old truck was parked in front of the horse trailer and was dead beyond reviving even with a jump, so we had to roll it out of the way with all the snow piled around. Finally managed to find my tow chain, and use the good truck to pull it out of the way. By that time it was getting pretty dark, and I'm trying to find the chains for the trailer (I've never had to use them, so they're just stuck... somewhere) while SO is calling vet to tell him we're still coming, and unloading all the junk stored in the horse trailer. Found the chains, unfortunately they don't fit the new truck, but at least the trailer won't fishtail... provided we can get out the drive! Get the trailer hitched... the dang running lights are only working intermittently... get the chains on by lantern light (wind's still howling)... and pray the jack will load... can walk (I slapped a bandage on him immediately and he's just been standing tied for an hour and a half). Oh hosanna, he not only walks, he trots and drags me up to the trailer... slight pause near the jenny... through thigh-high drifts... and jumps right in. Bless you, Levi! We begin our 15 mph drive 15 miles into town in the pitch dark on icey roads with snow drifting over them. How Fun! This is certainly MY idea of a good time (how does one make this drip with sarcasm?).
We made it to the vet's by quarter to 7, the vet took the bandage off and it turns out Levi has nearly completely cut off his heel... I'm thinking that's it for the big white guy while the vet just takes a scapel and slices off the flap, rinses the foot, and re-bandages it, saying I've seen worse grow back just fine. What?! You're joking? No huge surgery, no extended hospitalization, no huge bill that spell doom? Nope... just find a box stall and keep his foot bandaged. It'll probably take a year to completely grow back out, but the prognosis is good, very good.
We even got home by 8:30 that evening. The vet bill was only $418, $150 of which was emergency and exam charges.
Finding a box stall around here is a pain, took me a day to locate one, but Levi's now ensconced in a riding school that works with at-risk and handicapped kids and he's becoming a star! He loves it, by all accounts. I'm not surprised, he's quite the ham. And I changed the bandage Sat. expecting to be majorly grossed out but it is just the one outside heel and there's a nice healthy granulation bed already down, no seepage and Levi is walking fine.
I've already got new chains for the truck. But I'm glad that that's done... it's just changing bandages every 3 days for probably 3 months... not any soaking or anything. I've got the farrier coming out to take a look at the foot Friday... he's seen more of these partial amputations than anyone and can give me the best idea of what to expect and look for, as well as whether we need to put a special shoe on the foot to prevent contraction or protect the newly healing area.
Anyhew, that's where I've been this last week... =0)
My ponies were of "icelandic stock". I didn't know Fjords were a specific variety. Mine were about 10 hands high, I think, if I remember right. Ingemarr's mother was about 6 inches taller, I don't think I saw Kollbein's mother. The breeder was "breeding down" to try to get the smallest ponies he could. Saw a TV show on Icelandic horses and before the owners turned them loose for the winter, they would blow into the horses' nostrils, then in spring when they came back the ponies could identify their owners. Funny, I used to blow into my ponies' nostrils because they liked it! Wonder if they would remember me. I used to sing to them, I'll bet they'd remember my voice (unforgettable, haha.)
Ah, Icelandics are indeed a very different breed from Fjord horses... different country of origin and more a riding animal than a draft animal. I went to an Icelandic demo a few years back that was held at the Albq. skating rink, on the ice. They showed the Icelandic's tolt, a smooth gait, rather like the slow gait of a Saddlebred. And like the slow gait, it can be taken up to some speed... they really got those ponies to flying around the rink. Smooth as ice! LOL
Thanks everyone on Levi's behalf. He's really enjoying the attention, though the folks at the stable says he's banging at the door to get out into the run, and when he's being ignored. Little attention glutton. I changed the bandage today and it still looks good.
It sure is quiet around here in the mornings now... none of the other donkeys are anywhere near as loud as Levi.
AND I managed to get all my Xmas packages mailed BEFORE Xmas... I think that may be a new first for me. LOL
Jay congrats on getting holiday packages mailed . ! a great accomplishments LOL i m one who waits until the last minute. yikes.
but this year i m donating in names of family members.
i m doing the Heifer fund. i like that site and its goals. They do a lot of good in this world.
so i m donating ducks and chickens to needy familys .
Oh my a donkey that demands attention . what next ? LOL poor thing. :)
ok blowing in noses of horses ??? i don't know on that one . LOL
we have a half dead raccoon on the base of my mail box ? yep he is slowly dying. I don't have a shot gun or i would have shot him and put him out of his misery . poor thing.
so i hope our mail carrier is careful. i may call and give a heads up on it. i m sure he may be dead by afternoon ? i hope.
Oh, sorry to hear about the raccoon... some yahoo around here gut shot a porcupine and left it wounded and I went over and crushed its head with a big rock. Ugh, but I couldn't let it suffer.
I like Heifer, too. But my family has an 'attitude' and get quite sniffy about donations made in their name. Living in McMansions and they still want more...
{rolling my eyes}
Jay I had an event horse that severed her heel like Levi. She recovered in about two months and went right back to her former activities with just an asymmetrical foot to show for her experience. The scar was a little fragile so she wore bell boots most of the time to protect it. Hers was a front heel.
I had forgotten about the extra gait Icelandics are supposed to have. Mine may or may not have demonstrated it, but I knew so little about "regular" gaits I wouldn't have known -- they were too small for me to ride.
I have 4 grown kids, their spouses, and 12 grandchildren so I just gave up this year and got gift cards for them. I just got them stuffed into envelopes and ditto all the Christmas letters, and will mail them Friday when next I go to town. And I actually went out to my storage unit and fished out some Christmas decorations to cheer this place up a little. Over the past year a great deal of other stuff got moved in there so it takes quite a bit of digging to find anything.
But I am ready to bake, make soup, read books, pay hospital bills, putter in the GH, work on the fence to keep the neighbor rancher's cows out, and so forth.
Still working on heating the GH but finally figured out how many lightbulbs I can put out there with just the one 12V deep draw battery and a set of ancient quad panels. Gave up on the 8 old 6V T105s, they are just too tired. So the answer is three each 12V 25W bulbs for 13+ hours, or 3 each 100W ac bulbs and an inverter and timer for 3+ hours. Last night I did the 25W bulbs and they were still burning this morning at 7:30, and I am sure it helped a little. It was 24 outside and 40 inside. Not bad!
Wow, that's great in the GH, AZ!
I always read your solar posts with interest; that's something I've yet to take on. I get so confused so quickly when I start reading articles and looking at diagrams, but little by little it's starting to soak in. I think I know the difference now between an inverter and a charge controller... LOL
Thanks for the 'insider' info, PorkPal... but if he heals that quickly, Levi will have to leave his new fan club much sooner than he'd like. I'll try to break it to him gently...
It's 60º and mostly sunny here today... finished my online shopping and now I've got to start getting this place put together for the next storm... clean up the dogs yard, fix up a better shelter for their doghouses, straighten the house up for possible visitors.
FIL is coming tomorrow to shoot the coon. I think its sick . It just lifts its head and is curled up in a ball. poor thing.
go figure i couldn't get any animal control or game warden out here to get it ?
wow Jay 60 !
My parents are true tree huggers so they love when i donate LOL
AZ i have no idea what you just said ? but sounds great with it being 40 in the GH.
got more cookies to make tomorrow and a fruit cake !
Yeah, I've got some cookies to make, too. =0) Now that I'm getting my life back on track.
Nobody responding to your 'coon call is probably another result of all the local budget slashing that's been going on... our road only got the plow run over it once, in one direction, after a foot of snow. Usually they go up and down and clear the whole road, but this time they only cleared one lane and never came back.
Yeah, it was 60º this afternoon, but 14º this morning... quite a range.
I'm trying to figure out what kind of 'sunroom' to build for the dogs... we're both going away over the holidays, and the woman who will be housesitting will be working, so leaving early in the morning. Right now I'm thinking a plastic lean-to against the board fence where it will get sun ASAP in the morning... but may go with quickie plastic GH and put the dog houses in it.
