Hard Work

I had to post this picture from a few years ago. THIS is winter..not what we have now. No sleigh rides this year so far. I know it can change very quickly..and hopefully we can get out and have some fun this year. This lovely team belong to our neighor..fantastic horses.

As I mentioned in my last post we don't have much snow but we do have lots of ice covering our pastures and the small paddocks. Poor horses are so frustrated with not getting out. So yesterday my wonderful friend that boards her horses with us came and we spread the good stuff ..lol..from there stalls on the ice. Shoot me..I was in bed by 6pm.last night .lol..lol..but we got it done. Boy was I sore and feeling my age!!! But seeing the horses out today made it al worth it. Sure enough today we were able to put the horses out in rotation in our small paddocs. We had some very happy horses.

So tonite we got them all in and bedded down to come home and see on my computer screen.....we are under a FREEZING RAIN WARNING...boohoo..again.Ugh!!!

So considering the forcast I thought for tomorrow I would do some baking for the freezer. This of course means getting down one of the old scales we have. Rod's Dad was a baker and so was Rod so we have recipies in large amounts lol..The reason for our collection of scales. It may end up with hubby doing the baking...I usually stick to the smaller recipies but we will see how brave I get. One of the best new toys we got is our Kitchen Aid..oh do we love that lovely red beauty sitting in its corner. It sure does a great job when we make our Christmas Cakes..Again this year we baked over 50lbs of cake!!!!Some years we have doubled that..ugh..big job..but good..lol

End of another day..Keep Well

This And That!

What an intersting few days. I looked out the window last week one day and could not see the planters on the front deck!!! White OUT!! Wow!!! Within 10 min. the sun was out...go figure. The horses are not having the best of winters with the ice in the fields..STILL.

Do you love old barns?? Well I do and I hate to see the ones that are falling down with no effort to keep them together. There is that point of no return..and it breaks my heart. Why let it get to that point?? What are people thinking. The new manufactured barns ;have no personality..are cold manufactured looking buildings that leave me empty. With the economy the way it is funding sure is not there. In fact the small farm is in danger never mind the old barns. We are lucky in our area we still have lots of old ones around but again land is being sold to investers and the homes rented out with the barns empty and falling apart in so many cases.

We do have an Amish community that have moved into some of the farms. It is nice to see when a crew arrives to work on fixing up a barn.

Our friend we get our hay from is always working away at doing barn repairs. Every visit for hay I just love looking at the old beams..the old hand made wooden ladders. When the barn is full it is an impressive sight. Not being one for heights..lol...I have never gone up top when it is full. lol. What a relief it is low right now for us to get our hay...lol. Did ya!! see how high that ladder goes..OMG!! In my younger years I helped put hay in and loved every minute of it. Time for the younger ones now to do that. We got our small load of hay and off home we went. Gotta love those visits!!

Well back to some sewing. Hey did you know that there are self threading needles for a sewing machine. My threader is off so I have had a terrible time threading my machine ... as in couldn't..lol. Found some Schmetz Self Threading needles at the CNIB online store. They work Great!!! Handy!!

Enjoy the day!!

Judi

Slipper Cold Day

What an unusual winter we are having. I just wish we could settle into winter or be done with it. Freezing rain again last nite. When I went out to start the pickup truck the doors were all frozen shut. No point in forcing them it will just damage the rubber. Good neighbors got me to the barn for chores and my brother is taking me up to the barn at lunch. Hopefully the sun this afternoon will get my doors working.



Dear old Gilly who will be 30 this year was happy to get outside yesterday for a short time. In her old age she has gotten fussy. Afternoons will be fine thank you...lol. She prefers most mornings to stay in her stall. Hey..thats fine with me. She is the last of the original line of Welsh ponies that have lived on this property for many years. Kinda sad really.

Well time to get some work done around here then head out and try that darn old truck again.

Keep warm..and watch your step!!!

Happy New Year 2012

So how was your Christmas/New Year celebration? We had a wonderful holiday. Rod came off the road with lots of time to get our last minute running around done. He loves to play cribbage so many games were played with howls of laughter coming from a table full of holiday treats to keep them going during some very loud games..lol. Now we are all on a huge cutback. It was great while it lasted..lol. Not being used to eating such rich food we are wandering around with a dazzed look on our faces!!

It is a New Year and I am back. We have had some difficult times since I last posted. Rod's shoulder is beyond repair so he is working with a physi to try and build up muscle around his tear. It is the best it gets. Now with working his other arm to compensate he is having issues with it. Not fun..but what can you do!!

Then the other health scare. Lumps in one lung. Many tests and trips to the Cancer Clinic and they are not malignant. Whew!!! His Dad died of lung cancer so it brought back a lot of memories. Now he has a CT Scan every 3 months and an interview for 3 years to make sure there are no changes.

I can honestly say THANK HEAVENS for our horses!!!! They keep us grounded. They need us and we need them. Having to go to the barn multiple times a day to feed and clean is our sanity. No matter what is happening you HAVE to get out and look after them. Just walking in the barn to the happy snickers/whinneys/foot stompin makes you smile no matter how your day is. That old saying about what a horse does for your soul is so true.

Our little mini Pepsi picked up a nasty virus a few weeks ago with a fever to go along with it. He is fine after some meds and a tonic to build him up again. He is our comedian so it is not good when he is down and out. Poor little fella was feeling pretty down.

Raz the new Oldenburg mare that our boarder got and her palimino do NOT get along. We have had some dandy issues there and Raz is in a paddock on her own. I think she is used to that and much prefers to be on her own. It is ure is better than the vet bill that our boarder could face if the 2 mares get together again. Under saddle they are fine..in a field forget it!!! Guess I did not mention the new mare before..now THAT is a story!! OMG..she is incredible. From Germany..with a story and a mystery that may stay that way. Next time!! Never a dull moment in a barn..lol.

My vision is getting worse. Distance is ok..so far. But to sew ect is so difficult. I may have to start selling off some of my sewing goodies and machines. CNIB is coming out to help with some of my daily issues. I love my new IPAD2. As much as I use my desktop I find the IPAD great when relaxing in my chair and wanting to read something on the net or listen to or watch something. Love audible books..they are great!! In my ever changing ways due to my eyes I have decided to start my veggie garden again. I was so busy with sewing ect I had given up the idea of starting it again after my knee surgery. It won't be as big but I think it will be fun to play around with a small one to start with. I used to do a lot fo freezing and bottling before my arthritis. Still won't be able to handle a lot but we will see what the spring brings this year. With these cold temps and talking gardening..oh well..lol

I hope everyone is well and looking forward to a Wonderful New Year!!

Enjoy the day. I hope to be back on a regular basis. Keep well.