Pete Is Not a Roo!

A couple of weeks ago, I was convinced that Pete was a rooster.

After seeing him sitting in the nest, time after time, where we find the eggs, I'm now convinced that Pete is a hen.

No crowing. Pete, if she were truly a roo, should be crowing by now.

I had to convince Kaiya that she wouldn't be eating a baby chicken before she'd agree to eat one our farm fresh, free range, all natural eggs!

Every third egg we get seems to be a double-yoker! I love having chickens and fresh eggs everyday. And they DO taste different than store-bought. I need two more hens!

Sunday Morning

One of my favorite times of all are Sunday mornings during the summer. I've been up since about 5:30 - turn the horses out, feed the chickens, feed the cat and dogs...coffee brews, open the doors and let the damp cool air drift through the house...coffee, weather channel, laptop...the kids are all still sleeping. It's very peaceful here on Sunday mornings.

I was mowing the lawn a few weeks ago, riding the tractor in circles around the apple trees in the front yard, when I noticed that two of the three trees have little apples on them! It was exciting to see those little baby apples! Early last winter I discovered another older apple tree at the very back end of the property. I want to go investigate that tree later today, if I can get to it. Yves (my neighbor) had to come get the DR (the new belt wasn't working property) so I'm a little bummed I haven't been able to get any more trails cut. I'm hopeful Yves will get it fix and I can cut some more paths. It's time to check on the black berries, too. They should be starting to ripen.

I need farm equipment! And a truck with a plow attachment!

Pauley, Skunks Are Not Your Friends

Our little black dog, Pauley, decided to play with the skunk that had wandered into the horse pasture. I yelled and yelled for Pauley to come to me, but she ignored me. I didn't dare get any closer to her and her new "friend" for fear of being sprayed. As Pauley continued to run in circles around the skunk, the more pissed the skunk became. When it started to advance on Pauley, I ran a little closer and the skunk started to advance on me - I could actually see his teeth. I yelled for Jake, who came outside and saw what was happening, and he ran back inside to get his gun. I finally got Pauley to come to me. Less than a minute later, Jake put a .22 into the skunk's head. Bye-bye Mr. Skunk! It all happened very fast, but I'm happy that Jake reacted as quickly as he did. An aggressive skunk out during the day are signs of abnormal behavior. It may have had rabies.

So far, I have seen the following wildlife on my property: deer, turkeys, muskrats, skunks, snakes and coyote tracks. I saw a moose once as I was driving to work, but I don't think there are any moose on the islands.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

One of my neighbors, who is a poultry processor, mentioned a few weeks ago that one of my young hens may not be a hen. I did a little internet research to find the characteristics of young roosters because I was curious if my neighbor was right. There are two obvious things that lead me to think we had a rooster: the dark, oily-looking feathers and the tail, which is starting to grow. Just recently, he's also started to get a bit aggressive. He likes to peck at peoples feet. At this point, I am quite sure that he is a he.

I took this picture yesterday after my daughter decided to bring the rooster into the house. She absolutely adores her chickens. I said from the beginning that if one of the chickens turns out to be a rooster, he'd end up on the dinner table...well, Kaiya won't let that happen. And since I really wanted a couple of laying hens, we'll see if we get some baby chicks out of this guy. Well, not literally out of him, but you know what I mean. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to eat fertilized eggs, but from what I've been told, they are actually healthier for human consumption than a non-fertilized egg. Supposedly, they are lower in cholesterol.

I'm gonna cross my fingers for baby hens next spring, but I won't hold my breath!

Life and Death on the Farm

My daughter had a friend sleep over on Friday night. Her friend wanted to see the horses so we were all in the barn, petting Zazu, when we heard the chirping of a baby bird. It took us a few minutes to locate him - seems he fell from the nest and landed inside the barn wall. We could see him down there! At first I had no idea how to get him out. Kaiya made it very clear to me that she "didn't want nature to take it's course!" (Her words.) Since the barn walls are sheets of plywood that are screwed into a wood and metal frame, the space the little bird fell into was no wider than a 2x4. Hmmm...

After a quick look around the tack shed, I found an old aluminum ladle. Ah, idea! I used duct tape to secure it to the end of an old broom handle. I lowered the contraption down into the space in the wall and the little bird hopped on! I pulled him out and held him in my hand. He seemed fine. We took him into the house, made a little cat-safe hut for him and gave him some water. He was ok for a few hours, but nature did take it's course and the little baby bird died in my hand. Kaiya shed a couple of tears for him and said, "Well, baby bird. We tried!"

Kaiya recovered quickly and soon went back to her frogs - she's got about 15 of them in a homemade aquarium. She knows she has to let them go today - it's hard to catch live bugs to feed to frogs! And we can't find any worms - we haven't had any rain for a while (except last night - I think it rained for about 2 minutes) so the worms have burrowed deep.

The temperature is suppose to be back to normal today - thank God! It's been soooooo hot. But I still like it better that -10° and two feet of snow :)

The Baby Birds

Visite de la Forêt!

In this video, Shorty and I give a little tour of the woods behind the house. Check it out! It's a long video, but it's a big piece of property! Once we replace the belt on the DR, we'll be working on connecting the two horse pastures together. After the trails are created, we'll be moving the wire fence. Fun Fun! Anyone wanna come to Vermont to help? :)

Summer Vacation

Summer vacation for me starts today! Yay!! Lots to do around the property. We'll be staying in North Hero for the majority of the time. Fireworks at North Hero House on Monday, Shorty's birthday is Wednesday...

We cut the trail through the woods last night. There's a little bit left to do but we need to put the new belt on the DR.

Check out the video of the chickens eating an apple. They LOVE apples! They're so cute :-)

Life Goes On

Life is pretty much back to normal = no flooding, no snow and no wretchedly cold temps. School is out so I get to sleep in a bit instead of dragging myself out of bed at 5:30am...

Our world is incredibly green and surprisingly dry. We've had the horses out a few times but they've become quite lazy after the long cold winter and annoyingly "buddy sour". Gotta break that soon. The picture to the left is Jake riding Laney. He's very confident on a horse considering his limited experience. He's a natural, for sure. Laney is not an easy horse.

The "Chick Chicks" are getting so big! They follow us around the yard. They come when we call "chick! chick!" I found one of them roosting on Laney's back the other night. Picture this: Laney walking around the paddock with a chicken on her back. It was quite funny.

Last week the boys' bus driver, Duffy, decided to make an unscheduled stop at Kim's Snack Bar on Grande Isle. While the kids were getting their snack, Duffy passed out and started to seize. Jake called me, I told him to call 911 and find help. He handled the situation very well. Duffy died in surgery that night. The kids and I went to the funeral - I figured it was the least I could do to show respect for the man who had the lives of my boys in his hands every day. It was an emotional experience and we all cried. All the school kids called Duffy the best bus driver ever. RIP Duffy.

After the funeral, I had to ask myself: what will people say about me at my funeral? Am I living or doing anything noteworthy? Will I be missed like Duffy is? Am I good person that people will have nice things to say about?

I don't know...

Beautiful!!!

Time for Some Spring Cleaning

Coming up is a three-day weekend and it's gonna be warm ... this means it's time to do some spring cleaning. We'll start with the animals. The horses are filthy from rolling in the mud and the dogs smell like horse poop. The water trough and grain buckets need a good scrubbing and two of the stalls need some serious attention - the rubber mats need to be pulled out and cleaned and the poop scraped off the floor. The halters and leads need to be put into the washer. My neighbor, Yves, will hopefully be able to come over with his tractor and clean up the paddock - it's been too wet to do anything in the paddock or the pasture. I'm hopeful that the rain will stay away long enough to get the poop out of the paddock. It's getting pretty stinky out there.

Oh, I guess I should probably clean the house a little, too. But it's so much more fun to work outside!

My World Is Green Again

Lake Champlain hit record levels a few weeks ago, and is still passed flood stage. Route 2 off the Islands was very near impassable - the kids were sent home from school early one Thursday and all of us stayed home on Friday. The water across the road was just too high to pass through with my little car. One more reason I need a truck... The lake levels have calmed a bit but there are still many houses that are no longer lake front properties - they are in the lake. So, while the Mississippi was spilling over down south, Vermont had it's own state of emergency that wasn't reported on the news. I never see Vermont in the national news. Isn't that interesting? It's like we don't exist up here!

We had quite a thunderstorm on Friday evening. I was doing some work in barn while Kaiya was playing with her chickens when the booming started. Lots of lightening and incredible downpours. The garage flooded - again. The pump isn't working - I think it's been overwhelmed :)

It's 8am, the temp is 59, the sun is shining and there's a nice breeze. Brian, my mechanic with the awesome Island accent, is suppose to be by today to look at the tractor mower. Hopefully, it's an easy cheap fix because the lawn is getting out of control. I'm thinking about just letting the horses out into the back yard!

Silly Chicken

Woke up again to loud birds singing their very loud songs - emphasized by the open window. But the sun was shining and the sky was blue and there was not a snowflake in sight. Gonna be a good day...

6:30 am, coffee brewing, feed the cat, mud boots on, no jacket!, let the dogs out to pee, let the horses out of the barn, check on the chickens...one chicken missing. Oh geez. Kaiya and I (after a very long bout of crying for her chicken) set out in search of chicken: in the barn, in every stall. in the eves, in the paddock, in the pasture, in the yard, under the porch, in the road, across the street...only to find little chick back with her sister in the barn. Geeez!!

The boys and I passed the practical today. We are officially cleared to get a hunting license! Officer Fontaine was our practical instructor. He reminds me of my oldest brother...through and through.

Kaiya likes to put the chickens on her head. She so loves these chickens!

One Step Closer

Monday night Jake, Riley and I all passed our hunter safety exam. Yay! Part two of the exam is field day - which we'll be doing this Saturday. I've really enjoyed this class, and have a whole new respect for those that hunt and know how to handle a firearm. I'm even more impressed with those who know what to do with a deer that they've shot. I'm hoping my brother Danny (hint hint!) will come up to Vermont this fall during deer season so we can all go hunting together. The idea of learning how to stock my freezer without having to go to a grocery store...sounds like a good thing to know how to do! Jake and I wish we had a shotgun - lots of those wild turkeys are living in our backyard.

A big thanks to our instructor, Michael MacDuff! We enjoyed your class and awesome instruction. The boys and I learned some valuable things that I'm sure will be put to good use. We'll be back in a few years when Kaiya is ready to learn the fundamentals of hunter and firearm safety.

This picture is one of the chicks riding on Laney's back. Silly chicken...

Pony Rides Are for Chickens, Too

Wow, I am exhausted. The garden prep is complete and the carrots are planted. The garlic that I put into the ground last November is starting to come up. I've started a bunch of things indoors in peat pots: tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peas, bell peppers, habaneros and peperoncinis. Next weekend I'll be planting the other early spring stuff like lettuce, spinach, radishes...

Jake and I moved a bunch of horse poop from the paddock to the pasture right behind the garden. By this time next year, it'll be nicely composted.

My baby chicks aren't babies anymore. They are very tame though and well behaved :) I couldn't resist putting one of them on Zazu's head and taking a picture. Zazu is such a good sport. Not much bothers her (except Laney).

The boys and I have our hunter safety written exam tomorrow night and field day is next Saturday. Wish us luck!

A Day Off

It has been a long hard first winter for the Southern transplants. This winter was a very cold and snowy season, even by Vermont standards, with record-breaking snow totals and cold temps that didn't seem to want to let go. And actually, it snowed yesterday - just flurries with no accumulation, but still - it snowed and it's almost May. The ice out on Lake Champlain finally broke on April 11th and is now a lake again instead of a giant ice skating rink.

I decided to take this day as a vacation day from work and make it a long weekend - and a good choice of days: it's bright and sunny with a clear blue sky - forecast high of 55° - finally!! Lots to do this weekend: clean stalls, finish prepping the garden area, clean out the flower beds, bathe the horses, wash the car...and that's just today's list.

Jake and I have been walking the horses down the road, getting them ready to be be ridden again. We walked down to Henry's place to return his drill and then continued a little further when Laney noticed them: the cows. Zazu didn't care about them one bit, but Laney did not like then in the least, and freaked out when the bull took a few steps toward us. She clearly didn't recognize the fence that separated her from the cows. I thought she was going to bolt! Glad we decided to walk instead of ride. Being on the back of a horse that gets spooked isn't a whole lot of fun.

Anyone need any horse poop? Free fertilizer for your garden! Pauley, pictured above, thinks it's pretty tasty.

Ladybugs

Today's official high temp for Burlington was 72°. No wonder my bedroom is hot! I removed all of the plastic from the windows downstairs - but still need to take it off the bedroom windows.

Major thunderstorms early this morning. The horses wouldn't even leave the cover of their stalls. Lots of rain today and a bunch of rivers are spilling over their banks.

The lake is thawing - everyday there is less ice and more water.

And my house is overrun with ladybugs! A couple of ladybugs here and there are cute - but this many is creepy...where are the bats when you need them? I really shouln't say that though, after dealing with that one last summer...THAT was creepy.

The Weekend

In less than three months my yard will look like this!

I took this picture last July on the first night I stayed at the new house, a few days before heading to Carolina to fetch my spawn.

This weekend's forecast is calling for 50°+ and all I can say about that is: finally!!

Lots to do this weekend. We'll be moving the baby chicks outside. I've decided to convert the extra stall into the tack room and convert the tack room into a chicken coop. It's gonna be a lot of work, but at least I won't have to be wrapped up like a mummy! I may even brave the elements and just wear a t-shirt :)

Sunday I plan to go for a ride on Zazu. I've been itching to ride for a while. I think I may venture north and go into the state park...or ride down by Henry's place...

Oh! And I need to plant seeds. Time to start the seedlings so when June rolls around I'll have little starter plants!

Birds, Deer, Doggy Snacks and Weather

Every spring, the birds find a place to lay their eggs and continue the circle of life. This winter was very quiet with all the birds gone to warmer regions. It seemed like from one day to the next, the birds were back in full force, singing their beautiful spring songs. As I woke up this morning right before dawn, the bird songs was the first thing I noticed.

I found this birdhouse stuck in a tree, broken at the bottom. I found some wood glue, secured the bottom to the base, attached an eye hook to the top and filled the bottom with bird seed. Just a few days later I saw a little song bird poke her head out of the hole. A little gray and blue momma found her place, making a spring home out of an old birdhouse that I brought back to life. I can relate to her. Sometimes we just have to pick up the pieces of discard and make the best of it.

Sunday morning I had to take my oldest son into Burlington for a Rugby clinic, so we got up early and headed out the door. As I called the dogs in from their morning pee, I noticed Pauley dragging something from the woods into the backyard. I thought it was tree branch and dismissed it. When I got home that afternoon, I noticed the "item" that she had dragged into the yard laying just beyond the back porch. Hmmm. That wasn't a tree branch...seems the dog found the ultimate doggy snack out in the woods. It was the hind leg of a deer! Jake and I put our mud boots on and set out on a quest to find the owner of the leg. We found it. There wasn't much left of it and who knows how long it has been out there. All I could say was "ewww!"

Today's weather was interesting. Within an eight hour period, we went from sun to clouds, to snow to sun. A friend of mind told me, "If you don't like the weather in Vermont, just wait a minute - it'll change." I thought he was exaggerating...

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??

Record Snowfall (almost)

I woke up this morning to snow falling from the sky - can you believe it?? :-)

People keep telling that I've had quite a first winter in Vermont - most people say they haven't seen this much snow and low temps in years. February, after today, may end up being the snowiest February on record. I'm just glad I've experienced the harder side for my first season. If this is as bad as it gets (on average) then I can handle it. It's really not that bad.

I took this picture this morning right before I let the horses out of their stalls. They are usually very anxious to get out to the hay roll. Laney greets me with a whinny and Zazu just throws her head around in anticipation.

I didn't blanket the horses last night and I'm beginning to wonder if it really does anything for them. Certainly they can handle the cold - they are animals, after all - 2000 pound animals with lots of muscle and fat. Surely they have natural coping attributes. I'm thinking that blanketing a horse doesn't really do anything but make us humans feel better.

Rain in the forecast for tomorrow - which means more melting. Glad the sump pump is working!

Thirty-aught-six

One more snow storm under my belt - not as many inches as the weatherman predicted, but enough to be a pain in the butt down in Winooski. We live up north, about 20 miles from the Canadian border, in the middle of Lake Champlain. Our weather varies quite a bit from where I work which is 40 miles south of here. There was about 6 inches in Winooski about 1pm when we closed the office. When I got home I was anticipating the struggle to drive down the driveway, but it seemed only a few inches had fallen - either that or it had all blown away...


The boys and I start our Hunter Safety Course, combination rifle and bow, on March 7th. We are so excited! The deer that live at the back of the horse pasture better watch out next November...the freezer in the garage is empty.

Success!

The ice from the pump in the blue barrel is out - see the pile to the left of the barrel? Pick ax, sledge hammer, rubber mallet and 50 lbs of rock salt later...

And the little sump pump to the right of the barrel ended my evening with a garage floor mostly clear of standing water.

I am tired. What a day...

Oh, That White Stuff is Gonna Melt Soon!

Thursday and Friday warmed up just enough to turn my garage into wading pond...there's about a foot of water that's creating quite a bit of havoc downstairs! Jake and I tried to break up the 6" layer of ice that's blocking the float on the pump, but we gave up and poured a 50lb bag of rock salt on top of the ice. Hopefully the salt won't damage the pump as long as I get it working today. My main priority for this lovely cold windy Sunday is to get that pump working - it's the only thing that keeps the garage from flooding. And then I have to figure out how to get the water out of the garage. There is a small portable pump on the shelf - I'll have to figure out how it works. It can't be too difficult. These are the times I wish I had someone to call for help with these man-chores. But then I end up figuring things out, sometimes on my own and sometimes with a quick call to my brother, and I end up with this huge sense of accomplishment. I've also gone down 2 pants sizes with all of this physical work I do with the horses!

Life is good.

Thank God for Rain!

Rain next week...you know what that means...above freezing temperatures!

Notice the snow in the video blowing around like sand in a hot desert...

More Snow

The weather people predicted 5-8" of snow for last night - which it may well have been just that - except I live in North Hero in the middle of Lake Champlain and when the wind blows (as it usually does) we either end up with no snow or we get the drifts. This time, we got the drift. There's at least 18" of new snow around the property, up to 2 feet in some places. The trail that Jake and I dug out from the porch to the barn is completely filled in (see my video from yesterday). Actually, the front porch is buried. The horses are standing in snow this morning that passes their knees. Me and the boys will be digging out today!

Brian will be by sometime, I'm sure. He's so cool. I don't have to call him - he just makes his rounds after each snow and plows as needed. We'll be staying home today until he comes by - we're officially snowed-in.

There's snow in the forecast for the next seven days straight. But I'm not complaining. Vermont has a reputation for having cold, snowy winters and it's living up to it's rep. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to move here. Like the locals say: summer in Vermont totally makes up for the winters!

Saturday 6:30am

No Deer, I'll Take Summer

I thought I saw a deer leaving my front yard - hopping the way they do - bounding out and across the road for the Hutchin's place on the north side of North End Road. So I grabbed the camera, my hat, my jacket, my gloves, my boots...I didn't find the deer but I found this...


Just west of my driveway, toward Henry's house where the cows live.



I found some tall water reeds - you can see them just to the right - and fell knee deep in snow trying to take their portraits. Never did find the deer. I'm over the snow. The novelty value has worn thin! Summer Breeze! Where are you? How I love you...

Levi

Thank God it's warmed up a little bit these past few days. It's not "warm" - don't get me wrong, but the 20's are certainly easier than the -20's.

This is Levi. He's a 3 year old Thoroughbred and is a beautiful animal. I've invited the owner over to the farm to check out our place. We'll see what happens.

This weekend is all about mucking and grooming and enjoying the "not so cold" weather as Jake likes to say. He gets irritated with the weather guy who says it'll be warmer....Jake is of the opinion that the weather guy should say it won't be as cold. He's a funny kid who, as of the night before last, according to our measurements, is almost 5'10". Taking after Uncle Danny! :-)

Did I Tell You ...

...that it's figgin cold here in Vermont?? The temperature measured miserable below zero this morning, but lucky for me, my garage is heated so I didn't have any problems starting the car this morning. I remember the news guy saying that we should keep our gas tanks at no less than a half a tank. Ha! I am so used to running the car down to fumes that this is a whole new concept for me. But I did as the news guy instructed and have been making sure to keep gas in the tank.

As I let the horses out of their stalls the morning, I was amazed by the amount of frosty whiteness on their muzzles. Poor things!

I'm really happy these arctic cold snaps don't last too long. Cuz I still don't have any snow boots.

Jake and I cleaned two of the three stalls today, and it was quite a challenge because the poop was frozen to the barn floors. But, we got it done. I pulled Zazu's blanket off of her to dry it out- forecast is -10° tonight - and when I went outside to put the horses in their stalls, wouldn't you know that Zazu was rolling in the snow - in her newly dried blanket. Ah Zazu. No time now to dry it again. I brushed off as much of the snow as I could and put both horses in their stalls. I gave them extra hay tonight due to the cold and said goodnight.

Took this picture today, about a half mile down the road from my house. The lake is frozen. Lake Champlain is said to be the "sixth great lake". I didn't believe that this huge body of water would actually freeze until I saw it happen. Amazing. I love nature.

Cold

The low this weekend is suppose to drop into a double digit negative - as low as -20°.

The arctic chill is upon us.

I need long underwear.

I'm gonna appreciate this Spring like no other in my life!

This picture is from last Spring, March 25th, North Carolina.

Brrrrrr.

Fun on Frozen Lake Champlain

Getting Colder

I spend a lot of my weekend time outside in the barn, tending to the horses and stalls. This weekend was no different than the others. Yesterday was windy and snowing but I managed to at least muck the stalls - at least it was "inside" out of the biting wind.

Today was sunny but still very cold and the wind was still blowing. I pulled the blankets off the horses, washed them and put them back on. Filled up the water trough - this is such a pain in the butt this time of year. See the open garage door in the background? The water trough is right in front of the barn - you can see it just under Zazu's neck. I have to pull the hose out of the garage and drag it all the way to the trough. It's a pain. And since I turned on the trough heater, the water doesn't last through the week, so I have to do this during the week, as well - at night, sometimes in the wind. It's the worst part of taking care of the horses right now. But still worth the trouble. I love my horses!

Tonight's temp is suppose to drop to 5° below zero so it was time to kick on the heater in the basement/garage. I plugged it in and turned it on - why isn't it working? Took me a while but I finally figured out that the heater would probably work more efficiently if I opened the valve to the fuel - duh! Times like these I wish - for just a split second - that I had a man around. But I figured it out so that feeling soon passed!

Time to make one last trip to the barn to give my girls an apple treat.

Forecast: Cold and More Cold

Just went outside to say goodnight to Laney and Zazu and give them an apple treat. I am out of grain (grain=candy for horses) - they are so sad they didn't get grain this week! It's a trek to the only places that sell horsey stuff - but tomorrow is Saturday so I will have time to go to Tractor Supply. They will be happy girls tomorrow.

While I was outside it started to flurry. More snow. Lots of stuff to do this weekend: stall mucking, horse grooming, car washing.


Forecast: Currently 21
Tonight's low: 4
Tomorrow snow!

I Love That Accent!!

I have a new goal. I will acquire an all-wheel drive car with snow tires. Maybe an SUV with studded snow tires. Or an extended cab truck. Maybe a big-ass V8, 4-wheel drive with studded snow tires and a plow attachment. Extended cab, of course.

A helicopter would be cool.

This picture is the view from the car as we drove home this afternoon, looking out over Lake Champlain. Not much to see as the snowflakes were heavy and the wind was blowing.

Halfway home, my car started to sputter as the engine light started to flash. Lucky for me, I was within a mile of my mechanic (I'm infatuated with his accent, just so you know). I attempted to pull into the parking lot and got stuck in the snow. Back and forth, rev and rev - I finally give up, turn off the engine and stomp through the snow (I seriously need to buy some snow boots). Brian, my accent boy, greets me as I walk into the lobby (actually I think he and the other boys were watching me try to get my car out of the snow bank). I tell him that I have two problems: 1) I'm stuck in the snow and 2) the car just started running bad and the engine light is flashing. Brian takes my keys and pulls my car up to the door - what?? Wait. How'd he do that?? When he walks into the lobby I tell him he's a show-off - he laughs and tells me I need to learn to drive. Ha! He suggests that I drive my car out onto the frozen lake, hit the gas, then the breaks and see what happens. He's nuts.

Brian goes back outside to look at the car. I told Jake that he'll come back in and tell me that it's miss-firing and I need a new spark plug or wire...which is exactly what happened. Except Brian also said that it could be a dying cylinder...no!!!

Oh, and Brian has the vehicle I want. He'll be here tomorrow morning to plow the driveway...

Babe

Dreaming of Spring - Already

Winter has only just begun and I'm already dreaming about Spring. There are so many things I have planned.

The property I live on has a huge manicured front and back yard. Lots of places around the front porch to grow flowers. The barn and paddock are to the left of the driveway, and pasture 1 is behind the paddock and back yard. Pasture 2 is located to the right of the front yard and has a small pond. The rest of the property is woodsy, with big old trees perfect for tree houses, and wild blackberry bushes that produce a ton of berries. A few months ago I discovered a couple of apple trees at the very back end of the woods. There is a riding lawn mower in the garage that needs a new belt and we'll need that to keep the trails in woods trimmed and accessible.

The garden area sits between the backyard and pasture 1, with the clothes line around the perimeter. Not only does the clothes line save on electricity, it's a great barrier between the garden and the deer. They don't like the hanging clothes and stay away. I planted garlic in the fall and will plant everything possible that will grow this far north. This past summer I canned some tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. That was awesome! I love being self-sufficient and living off of the land.

I plan to get a few more animals. I'd like to have another cat to help with the mice population - I've found them in the house, in the garage, and in the barn. Definitely need a barn cat! I want another horse, a young one that I can train. I also plan to get a couple of chickens this Spring because farm fresh eggs are so good! It's amazing how different they taste compared to store-bought eggs. I haven't decided whether or not I want to just buy a chicken coop or try to build one. I'm sure my oldest son will help if I decide to build one. How hard could it be?

As I write this, it is snowing, cold and gloomy. The horses were pissed because their hay roll was almost gone, so I had to ask Henry down the street to bring me another one. The big rolls last about two weeks. I know the horses are missing their pasture grass.

Time to go muck stalls. And dream of Spring!

Thoroughbred Head

Do you now how hard it is to take a Thoroughbred's portrait? I need a wide angle lens to capture the full length of Zazu's head. What happened to her ears?

Loving Vermont

Vermont is like no other state I've ever been in - figuratively and literally. I continue to be amazed by the beauty of the landscape, the ever-changing weather and the people.

My commute to work is about an hour. The kids and I hit the door about 7am, Kaiya's bus picks her up at the end of the driveway about 7:05, I drop off the boys at the corner market by 7:15. I usually pull into the parking garage in Winooski about 8am. It's a long drive, but the beauty of the sun rising over Lake Champlain, or the snow drifting down from the sky, or watching the lake freeze little by little everyday, makes it all worth it.

The people. I have never in my life experienced such considerate people.

This is Laney! I had her halter on for a few days so she has "halter face". Her leg is healing fine.


Jake heard coyotes howling last night. He wants to shoot them. I can't argue...I think they are the cause of the horses breaking the fence at night.

Snowy Pasture

I see snowflakes drift across the road like sand blows from the dunes and over the highway in the California desert. Remember that short warm-up...short and sweet. The snow was back today, flurries at first as I drove to Winooski, light snow by mid-day. Headed home around 6pm after the boys' activity was canceled. Forty-five minute ride turned into two hours. A combination of slick roads, blinding snowflakes, a white road and a Vermont newbie with no "winters"...I really really want an all-wheel drive SUV.


It was nice to see the green grass the past few days, but we're back to the beautiful white pastures. I love the snow. I love weather. I must tell you about the ice fishers on frozen Lake Champlain! Crazy...

Muddy!

I worked my butt off today trying to get rid of the water in front of the barn. My arms hurt. Took a few pictures while the sun was out :)

Mud Season Introduction

January 1st brings us above normal temperatures, rain and...mud! I haven't experienced Spring or Mud Season here in New England yet, but I think I just got my first glimpse into the future.

The definition of Mud Season, as described by Wikipedia:

A term used to denote a time period in late Winter and early Spring. The name comes from dirt paths such as roads and hiking trails which become muddy from melting snow and rain. When the muddy paths and roads are traveled over by wheels, they develop. It is regarded in some northeastern states within the as both a curse and a blessing because, although it is generally a messy time of year, it is an interlude between the standard tourist seasons of summer, fall, and winter.

Mud season occurs only in places where the ground freezes deeply in winter, is covered by snow, and thaws in spring. Dirt roads and paths become muddy because the deeply frozen ground thaws from the surface down as the air temperature warms above freezing. The snow melts but the frozen lower layers of ground prevent water from percolating into the soil so the surface layers of soil become saturated with water and turn to mud.

The warmer temps brought us rain last night that melted a foot of snow. The pasture and paddock are muddy swamps. I can only imagine what it'll be like in the Spring. I was reading on this horse blog what might be a possible solution to the mud issue in the paddock. I guess I have a few months to figure it out. I'm sure our current warm-up won't last. I just hope the standing water in front of the paddock has a chance to dry up before the temp drops below freezing again or I'll have to get ice skates for the horses!