Nice Enough

Temperatures Were Up Today

But the footing was not good because now the snow is wet and slippery.  I cleared the area for my farrier with the tractor but even it was slipping and sliding when it hit the wet snow underneath.  The snow is now heavy and hard to push out of the way, so it took a bit of work.  The good news is that I didn't see anything leaking from the tractor!

Will not discuss how much the tractor repairs ended up costing me.  It was not pretty.

I left the Boys in their blankets anyhow.  Mostly because the sun did not come out until late afternoon and the air stayed pretty cold from the snow cover.  On the plus side, the hose to the water trough thawed, so I was able to scrub the trough and refill it with fresh water.  I'll fill it up again tonight as well, suspecting that in the morning it might freeze up again.  The cold is definitely coming back in and with it more......

.....snow......

Estimates vary.  There may be a could inches. There may be 6 inches.  Either way, at this point, it's not much to worry about. More a nuisance than anything, I guess.

I had a doctor's appointment for the morning to early afternoon, and when I got home, I called my hay man.  He brought over a load and insisted on putting a pile of bales in the barn itself so I didn't have to cart it from the carport across the yard.  Then, he stacked the rest in the carport for me.

I followed him back over so I could give his sweet Labrador, Sadie, her chewy bone.  I'd gotten it for her at Christmas, but hadn't seen her since.  She is so funny.  Her "dad" made her sit and wait before I gave her the bone. What a struggle. She was all wiggly and excited and really had a hard time being obedient.  I finally turned my back on her so she would not focus on me and only turned back around when he said she was ready.  Then, at his command, I gave her the bone.

Dogs smile with their whole bodies, and Sadie broke out into a huge grin.  Then, after thanking me with a head butt, she headed off to show everyone in the office her new prize.  Apparently, she will carry it proudly with her for a few days until the rawhide starts to soften up, and then she will chew it to bits.  I love giving her presents because she is just so grateful.

Sadie's been getting a lot of exercise lately and really looks fit.  She is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met, despite being full of energy.  

I have a toy for my farrier's dog too, so that will be fun when I give it to him. It's one for him to take home instead of all the toys I keep here for him.  He's going to be shocked when we put it in the truck with him when they leave.

I like both these dogs because they are enthusiastic about life, but still are well trained and well behaved for their owners.  I always a appreciate a dog that has manners and good solid basic obedience.

It's kind of the same way in the horse world when you think about it. A horse without ground manners or basic training is not only a nuisance, but a danger as well.

It's one more thing to think about on a soggy winter day.