appointments and weather.

While today is Saturday, it is anther cold, wet, and snowy day.

Yesterday took the life out of me! We all know I do some pretty stupid thing, I like pushing my limits, and not following anyone else's out line of what life should be....

In all my thoughts I never wanted yesterday to end the way it did.

Morning was normal... chores etc..

I had a 1:30 appt with the Ferrier BUT the ice is still so bad at the barn you still can't get to the barn safely. So I called my guy and asked him if he minded coming to my house and I would transport the horses to him. No problem!
Most of the time my Ferrier has his apprentice with him so life is easy.... Of course this time he was alone.

Neither of us was really pressed for time, I made coffee to keep us as warm as we could be working outside in the weather. The weather of course changed for the worse as we were mid stream on the first horse.

SweetPea requires rail shoes! Stacy makes them by hand making sure they fit ever so perfectly. She also requires extra support on her frog due to the severe turning of her coffin bone. Her feet are getting better but it will be a long time before she is a happy barefoot horse again.

So while one horse (Navarre) was tied up to the close line, like a dog on a high attaching dog run.... SweetPea was standing there perfectly barely tied to an old rose bush, while Stacy turned on the gas stove, shaped the shoes by hand, throwing sparks with the grinder for perfection and also the cutting of the rubber insert supports. She was a good little girl yesterday... then the weather changed and she started to shake so we had to blanket her again... She only gets a rain coat, as I hate blanketing horses... unless you share residence with them it causes several more trips to the barn. It's to hot, it's too cold it never stops once you blanket them for warmth. 

The surprise of the day was hauling both of the horses BACK up the mountain, where I truly can't even yet put it into words.  Except I almost did NOT make it up the mountain and I was more scared than I have EVER been in my adult life. 
 
Hauling horses is never really a big deal but the roads were ice as I got higher up the mountain and all of a sudden with the wheels going as fast as they could I was going backwards with a trailer full of horses.  Not just backwards, but on a curvy mountian road with no guard rails, no places to pull over no ditches half the time just trees to keep you from FALLING off a cliff.  CRAP I still can't describe it... I got home, I could hardly breath, and while I normally have low to normal blood pressure... I had the headache of a life time last night.
 
 
We got at least an inch in no time, I couldn't make it up the road today... so it was another day of walking... extra hay, extra oil in the feed and breaking ice in water containers.   Just another day in what should be the south. 

If it is not one thing it is another.

First of all it is VERY late for me to going to the barn.  I am not normally this bad when it comes to getting out into the cold for the horses... BUT today the wind is so bad the house has lost all its heat, it is a mere 55 in the house!!! I am dreading getting out into what ever is outside making it this bad inside.

Wind Gust up to 60 mph is the issue today.  I am putting on more layers, taking a cup of coffee with me and hoping I don't get wind burn on my face!  We don't normally purchase clothing for this type of weather this far south!  But here goes...  I can only try....

Still bad weather.

Still bad weather, Still ice... a tree finally fell on the back of the barn, which is not as bad as most in the community, but it is a drain for most of the water coming off the mountain and all water off the roof.  Roof will need to be worked on, and new gutters up, but life goes on.

My real issue of the day is HP .... a company I will NEVER recommend to anyone else.!!!!! to put it as nicely as I can.

My other issue is I am running out of feed at the barn, While I can drive to the house I have to walk under and over things from all the ice, while walking on ice up hill to the barn.  I don't see myself carring a 50 pound bag with no safety if I fall.  not to mention the walk up is leaning to the gorge that is a good 200 foot drop into the creek at the bottom.

What to do ? 

Any Suggestions?

OK.. now it's later in the day... I am on my way to get 300 lbs of feed like I normally do.  I'll put it in the basement two bags to a metal trash can.  I'll take their food in my backpack each time I go.  !!!!

Here is what I have done with my day... I am making my back side larger, thanks to Nannies perfect castiron skillet and a hungary husband.  Home made Chicken Pot Pie.    Oh Yea! 

 I've only made this for a few people but they all seem to like it.  If you want to know more about it let me know... I make several versions of this!

All talk.. now pictures..till now... Here is our latest ice storm

My walk up the mountain this morning was a little heavier.  I decided if I put the camera in its carrying case along with a zip lock in my purse I might be able to get the camera up the mountain safely in case I fell or if it started to rain again.

My drive was short as the war zone was worse today than yesterday.  Today I ran into 8 trucks, all double cabs full with men to cut the trees off the lines, road, and try to get the electricity back on for Sugar Hollow Road.

Yesterdays post was a statue at the barn... well here is what she looks like today!!!!

If you are not sure, scroll down at look at the last post... it is a little different.

Navarre was a little happier to see me than I thought he would be...  He chased me around wanting to sniff the camera.  But unlike most horses... He has a Mustache that would ruin the lens...

SweetPea was a alert due to all the ice falling from the trees not to mention the TREES themselves falling...  as I sat at the barn yesterday I saw one small tree fall into the turn around up to the barn.  This shot of SweetPea is not fuzzy... it is freezing FOG!  crazy but actually very dangerous situation.  I have to say living here is different from anyother place I have lived.  I am starting to understand why the history of this area is rough and tough.  You really do have to survive.  AS I took the pictures below... the sound of chainsaws in the background, with occassional crashing of limbs, cracking ice falling from trees.  Big trucks working on trees, lines and road... when it all quieted down you could hear the hummmmm of the generators from people with out fireplaces in the area. 

Like I said yesterday ... everything is beautiful but has its issues.  Here are some snap shots of what is going on ... Skampers... the cat, wanted attention as did the horses... Rarely do they sniff at each other... they normally chase me around wanting to be loved on.  Navarre follows me like a great dane, while SweetPea watches what I am doing and as soon as I stand still for a minute walks over to me and sniffs at my shoulder for attention.  So this was a rare shot!

Paper Birch I had to duck under, leaning over the drive up to the barn.  They are beautiful how they line the drive on the right hand side...not to mention they are the only "guard rail" from you going into the ravine.

Bamboo heavy with ice on the ground.

The horses water/ and useless heater! (no electricity) I skimmed off as much of the slush as I could, and left them with as much water as possible. But I am sure I will need to go back several times today to do the same OR break open the ice so they can drink.

While life is harder... Joe/ Steve and I are lucker than most... while they have no electricity in their house/green-house, and I have none at the barn... NOTHING is DAMAGED... so we are better off than most....

You have to know... while this is only the garage... what you have to understand is this HOUSE is still damaged on the inside from the last ice storm...  AND...  This is/was their guest house...  while the damage looks like nothing... You have to understand this is two saved 1700's log cabins put together.. so the LOGS are solid trees, that while saved ??? the structure ... The structure moved a good 6 inches AWAY from the fireplace, down the mountain...   I am sure quoted from Mr. George... "we will need a crain this time, there is nothing left to tie off onto"  This family has had some really bad luck lately... but again they are NOT the only ones with damage, there are more.  The road is blocked from other fallen trees and life is a little harder for most of the road.

Hope your day is better.

Amber.

Snow, Ice, Rain, Sleet...will it ever stop?

It's barely 3pm and I need to be heading out to the barn, as again our weather stops me from driving to the barn. 

Sleet started late last night, and while it has let up every once in a while it is in no way going away or melting when the heavens send down rain, it merely makes it that much more slick.

I have to admit dressing for the weather is my hardest task... a rain coat that is truly water proof is out of the question as you get too hot walking up the mountain, unless I were to wear nothing but the wicking under layer.  But the cold requires me to wear more as I get to the barn, wait on water, or sweep I get cold.  So layers and layers go on and off throughout the walk. 

Today the bamboo is on the ground, the berch trees are arched down to the ground and getting around them to get to the barn was next to impossible.

Everything here sparkels... glimmers... and looks like the twilight movie version of vampire skin.  

The mountain laurel curles tighter as I increase in altitude up the mountain.  At first they are just open ice covered leaves, they eventually curle tighter than a cuban cigar and are perfectly vertical with gravity.  It is amazing how different the world looks under ice, snow or even rain. 

In the last two months we have experienced it all, rain, sleet, ice, snow each with its own beauty, but each with its own hazards. 

But life with animals never stops, farms are still buzzing with tractors loaded with hay, trucks with chains, and all wheel drive cars as it takes twice as much to feed an animal in this weather, both financially and physically. 

I drive my truck as far as it will go, then I walk... so as I am out of shape, the walk up the mountain takes me at least an hour so ... On foot I go.... hoping to talk to someone later... as this weather is not expected to leave till tomorrow. 

Hope all is well where you are!

Up to 3 1/2 inches of ICE ... so skating in the truck I go.... I hope to be back by dark.... Amber.

Took the horses to the vet today.

While I did take the horses to the Vet we also had a consult / appt with the Dentist.  While all animals should have their teeth cleaned, brushed etc... If you do not care for the teeth of a horse they can not eat. 

Due to the way they chew their food they chew side to side.  The best example is how when you see camel on TV it always looks funny when it chews, chewing from side to side instead of up and down like we do.

The teeth tend to get sharp edges on them, causing the horse to bite the inside of its jaw, tongue etc... We all know how painful that can be, so this pain makes the horse more timid to eat.  Eventually if the teeth are not cared for, the horse can not chew their food well enough to digest it correctly if able to swallow it at all, causing long term issues with the horse in every way.   SweetPea was getting sloppy with her food... I can always tell when she needs her teeth done.   She has not lost weight, if anything it is the first time I've not seen her ribs through her winter coat. 

I am very lucky as both of my horses have great teeth and I only have them barely shaped once a year.
While some horses (like humans needing braces) have more issues and need serious shaping every six months.  I hate having it done!  Can you imagine filling on a tooth the size of a womans thumb?

Navarre has one permanent tooth on each side but is expecting more any time.   I also have to start saving up to have his wolf teeth pulled.  I am not have it done any time soon as he has not shown any issues with the bit as of yet, but... if he starts to I will need to have the money saved for the surgery so we can get it done when necessary.  It is almost like pulling your wisdom teeth but they are much deeper and longer.  Some people have them cut off but I would prefer to have them pulled IF he starts to show issues with the bit. 

The Vet appointment went well. The horses got their shots, yearly check-up, basic blood work,  along with another EPM test on Navarre. ... he was 1:20 last test still with no signs of issues, but blood work is cheaper than not being able to get ahead of it later... so I'm going to watch his results each year and see if we need to treat him.  He was never exposed the vaccine like my other horse was.

SweetPea took the EPM Vac. when it was out, because I lost a horse I was carring for to EPM once upon a time; and I didn't want to see another animal go through that.  It is not a nice way to live or die.   She has an 80% chance of having it;  BUT it could be a false positive due to the vaccine.  I plan on testing her every two years if she has no signs of the disease.  So far ... we are good.  Her only sign is how crazy she is, but she was worse when I got her, before she had the vaccine.   So it may or may not be a sign with her.

MAJOR signs of EPM are not being able to control the hind end.  BOTH of my horses know exactly where their feet are, and do exactly what I ask.  SweetPea is the most sure footed horse I have ever had!  She is such a treat on a trail!

OH the days when I could ride the trails, the only care on my mind was the horse below me.  I normally love riding in cold weather, but this year it has been so bad I have not been able to.  Normally SweetPea and I ride in the first snow, this year she has on shoes and it is too dangerous with shoes.  The snow packs into them, making her work like a racking horse, and leaving her with no traction.    Navarre is still just too young to get out all the time, I need to build up his back muscles to carry me properly.

This opens the door to tell a STUPID story on myself!   I am normaly a pretty safe person, but with months of no riding, due to snow, rain, and now mud, tree, and rock slides I was ... as Jerry would say I was jonesin for a ride... I was!!!!!

I jumped on SweetPea ... down in the pasture, only to ride her up to the barn.  NO big deal! I do it all the time, except this day she took my knee off when she slipped and fell going through the first gate.  Only the exact thing, the ONE reason I had been telling Jerry, I can't go ride she will slip in all this mud and fall.  Sure enough!  Even on the gravel drive from the pasture to the barn she lost it, and I went into the post.  I was so high from the 20 second ride in full gallop; I didn't even notice till I got home and saw the egg shaped bruise on my knee.  All I could do was laugh and tell Jerry how stupid I was. 

Oh well at least my addiction is ... acceptable!  I am so addicted to riding... I'm dying to get out again regardless of the risk to me, but she could have hurt herself too. 

Why no post? Thank you for asking!

There have been no post this month, as the weather got worse, so did all the issues that came along with it.  The weather made everything next to impossible to deal with and while I kept my head above water my footing quickly disolved or the sand shifted below my feet and I was left treading water.  When treading water one can only think of what is necessary for survival and this was true during our month of below freezing weather in an area with the average should be in the 40's

Life at the barn got harder, the smell of failure profuse at the barn, Horses were not happy and time was short loving on them.  Expences Increased triple as the horses needed more in the cold, going through at least two bails of hay a day, adding more oil for heat, shavings to try to keep them dry.  It was never ending.

Life at work got harder with two computer failures, running a world wide business by hand, making us look and feel like were childish in the professional world.

All of this made everything hard, and writing this once is enough! I didn't want to share the darkness every day so I decided not to post till I could see the light again.

I have sense literally taken a pick and chipped away at the ice/ frozen poop / and shoveled the wet stuff out of the way!  I stocked over 50 bails of hay 10 bags of shavings, and 10 bags of pellets.  I have bought out the stores supply of corn oil and have it at my house due to the nature of liquids in such cold weather.

The computer is back up after HOURS and DAYS of being down although I expect it to crash again any minute....

no pictures as the camera didn't like the cold! 

Trees again block or lean over the road, on the way up to the barn, this time from the melting of all the ice and snow, and now the rain that has set in for days...  leaving their roots soggy and bare, as they lean with the slope of the mountain side, so delays are still ahead for the winter season but I am hoping I am more stocked for weather ahead!

Wow!  Done with the complaints... life is brighter from here out!  OR I will not post again till it is.  Sorry but there is only so much gloom one should share with the world and we all have harder times in the winter so I didn't want to add to anyone's issues.

Much love to you all and thank you all for asking what happened to my posting!

Almost there!

My life is still on hold, as I have a few things on my computer but am at this very minute on hold (trumpet elevator music) with yet another company to get more assistance with down loading programs I had on my computer and refuse to purchase again.  Life is a white water rafting event today... I am only hoping I make it to the end of the ride with out falling out of the raft.

The weather here is blistering cold again!  I need to be out getting more hay for the horses, and while I have said this almost every time I write you have to understand... I can't get my truck to the barn, so purchasing only 15 bails or so at a time is a lot of work and last only a few days in this type of weather.   8 days to be exact!

So as soon as I get my computer back and running, I will be able to get my animals settled again...

white water! COLD and lonely...
Amber

Another day NO computer.

My computer is still dead.  While I have had HP help me clean it out, literally starting over as if I have just opened the box, life is no better.  Even without programs on the silly thing it is locking up.  I am not a happy camper! I am not a happy person... While a part of me LOVES not having a computer, my life revolves around it for making money, communicating with family and friends, so I am at a stand still.   I can only bother the husband so much to use his computer... having said as much my time is almost up in his chair ha ha... here he comes...

LIFE will go on when I get my computer back.... till then... I'll be around with snail mail or by land lines..
Amber!

computer issues.

While I have lots to say... I have little time my computer will work.  I have tried a computer guy at my house, I have been on the phone with HP for hours... and still it locks up all the time.  i will post as soon as I get help!


ONE of the trees down on the road for the last few weeks... as  a TEST while working with HP.