Surprising Turn of Events, But Not Horsey

My Car Is Back!

I took the car in on Monday because, if you recall, I had backed the tailgate into a tree when I was moving hay to the barn before the storm. The accident was Friday. The car was in the shop by Monday early afternoon.

I had called the insurance company earlier on Monday and they approved my repair shop as one on their list of authorized shops. The repair people told me my car would be there a while as it was "in the queue" with others.

I then received two emails from the insurance company with the second telling me they had paid the repair shop and were authorizing three days of rental car as the repairs should take no longer than that. However, if I needed an extension on the rental, I could call them to make arrangements.

Tuesday night and all day Wednesday we were hit with the blizzard. Thursday morning here was filled with trying to plow out my driveways, again, as you may recall. I'm pretty sure most places were doing the same thing.

So, here I was blogging away on Friday morning when the phone rang. My care was finished and I could pick it up at any time. To say I was shocked is an understatement. Apparently, the body shop had found a new/used tailgate in the same color in excellent condition aside from a scratch that needed some minor painting. On it had gone in record time and voila! my car was finished. While I did have to pay the $500 deductible as specified in my insurance agreement...ouchers....I am more than pleased. The car looks perfect from all I can see and you'd never suspect it had ever been damaged.

Super body shop, super service, super work, and one happy customer make for a good outcome in the end. Costly, but sometimes that's how things are. I'll just have to watch my pennies for a month or so to make up for the payment. Budget, here I come.

It is still cold here and the snow is not melting very much. The big annoyance is that the barn roof and hence, the solar panels are under a layer of six-eight inches of stubborn snow. There is no real way to clean it off. If the temperatures rise, it will melt quickly, but at this rate is doesn't look too promising. And, there is that new storm headed our way.

The horses are making all kinds of pathways through the snow, so I can see they are out and about. But most of the time they seem to be hanging about around the barn. However, I think I will be going out later to saw up the one tree branch that's lying on the front fence. No damage, but I want to get it off before it snows again to weight things down. I'm sure if they see me, the Boys will come out to snoopervise. Anything like that will break up the boredom of the day. They must feel contstrained by the snow as much as I do.

Had to laugh a bit yesterday. My cute little stray kitty uses the horse water trough to drink. It's a bit of a walk from the garage where he/she sleeps and eats to the trough. The other day I saw Patches leaping through the snow which was well over his/her head. I dug a path to the horse trailer where I store the squirrel treats for myself and as I was watching through the window, I saw Patches come out of the garage and then disappear under the trailer. I saw nothing at all for a span and then, the kitty emerged from the path I'd dug and headed for the barn. What was cute was that all the while Patches was in the path I could see him/her at all. Clearly the snow is deeper than a cat. I think I will dig a path from the carport/garage area to the trailer when go out, or at least a path where I see kitty footprints, to make things easier for my little furry friend.

Actually, I'm not sure what kitties I have out there so I've been putting out two dishes of food. Mommycat has been here quite a bit lately and she is not at all shy about the food, so to be sure Patches has enough to eat, I am doubling up. I wish I could make real friends with Patches, but he/she is so afraid right now it doesn't look too promising. As long as he/she looks well groomed, clean, and well fed, I'll just have to be satisfied. But, I am going to be watching for any signs that he/she is a she and pregnant. Then I'll get out the trap and take action. The last thing I need is a litter of kittens. (Been there, done that....)

Watching animals has always fascinated me. While I do feel sorry for strays like Patches, I do have to admire their survival instincts. In this case, I am more than happy to help. Patches has the hay, two garages, and lots of sheltered places to stay. Perhaps in between meals he/she will help out with rodent control in the barn in return for the favors. (or flavors)

I'd much appreciate the help.