Winter Storm Warning for Grand Isle, VT

Again. April Fool's Day snow storm. But I don't think Tom is pulling one over on us...

My baby chicks are fat, happy, healthy and getting big! I feel bad that they are stuck in their "crib" but with the coming snow, it's not time to put them outside yet.

The horses rolled in the mud today. I'm thinking they know the snow is coming.

It's been a long week and I'm kinda hoping the weather guy is wrong about the down-graded snow totals. I hope we get hammered and have snow-day all around!

We Need a Pony

Shorty, as you see in this picture, lost her other front tooth yesterday. She spent all afternoon singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...". She thought that was pretty funny.

My daughter is such an awesome little person. She always helps me with chores around the house - her favorite thing to do is clean the windows. We were making banana muffins yesterday and I told her what a great kid I think she is...of course, she asked "Why?" I gave her a list of reasons, the last one being that she's not a brat. She skipped away while responding, "Well, mostly I'm not a brat. Sometimes I am to my brothers". I looked at her and laughed and she smiled and said, "Well, it's true!"

Shorty and Riley have taken a sudden interest in the horses. They've both made comments about wanting to ride but they also comment about how big the horses are. And they're right - the horses are big, especially Zazu who is a typical Thoroughbred standing at 16.2h (5'5" at the withers). Zazu is one of the sweetest, well-mannered horses I've ever known, but her size can be intimidating. Laney, even for her older age, is too spirited for the younger kids. Jake handled Laney well last summer, especially for a beginner (she only threw him off once!) but I don't trust her for Riley and Shorty. I'm looking for a smaller, well-mannered horse for them. A paint or Welsh - or even a smaller Quarter Horse. We'll see what we can find this spring!

First Full Day of Spring

The first full day of spring up here in Northern Vermont brought us a couple of inches of snow...after a week of 40° days. Most of the snow that had fallen since January, including the two feet from March 7th, had melted and by Sunday morning, we could see our entire front and back yard - of the green variety! I hadn't seen grass in months and it was a welcome sight. But today winter tried to push it's ugly, cold head back into our lives, dropping just enough snow to make driving difficult and revert the yard back to white. Just a little spring tease...

Kaiya and I picked out some baby chicks a few weeks ago. They are so incredibly cute and have interesting personalities. We bought them at Tractor Supply and they are suppose to be females, although the store said there's no guarantee. I'm really hoping that these little guys - er, girls - will grow up to be nice little red hens.

The boys and I had our third hunter safety class tonight. We're all enjoying it! Who knew there was so much to learn. I'm very glad that we're all taking the course. "Is the muzzle pointed in a safe direction? Is the action open? Is the gun loaded? Is your finger on the trigger? Is the safety on? Thank you."

And thank you, Mother Nature, for the spring tease. Not nice! :-)

My Piano Boy

Why I Need a Truck with a Plow Attachment

Winter Storm Warning for Grand Isle, VT

Here we go again...

Issued by The National Weather Service
Burlington, VT
2:15 pm EST, Sat., Mar. 5, 2011

... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM SUNDAY TO 7 AM EST MONDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM SUNDAY TO 7 AM EST MONDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* LOCATIONS... CENTRAL AND NORTHERN CHAMPLAIN VALLEY AS WELL AS PARTS OF NORTHERN VERMONT.

* HAZARD TYPES... HEAVY SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS... SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 8 TO 16 INCHES... ALONG WITH A TRACE OF ICE ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE.

Is It Over Yet?

Seriously. Is winter over yet? Will it be over soon?

Well, the horses are shedding so I take that as a positive sign that spring is near. I spent Sunday afternoon grooming both horses, with Riley helping. He has started to ask me if he can help with the horses, a request that warms my heart! I combed out their tails and mane while Riley did the brushing - and the horse hair was flying! This is the first significant shedding I have seen.


Unfortunately, the forecast is calling for below zero temps for the next few nights, and the 10-day forecast looks like a yo-yo on drugs.

I took this close-up picture of Zazu's eye a few weeks ago after I found my Canon's battery charger. If you look close, you can see me and Laney :-)

I'm planning the garden...when will this frozen tundra thaw??