Though Still Not Rideable
The arena is taking its own sweet time in thawing out. That might be OK in the end, as a slower thaw does allow some of the water to dry up as we go along.
Speaking of which...the wind is horrendous out there now and that too is drying up the ground where the snow has melted. But it is also bringing in colder temperatures again. I put the midwieght blankets back on the Boys when I went out for late feed. Temperatures are supposed to drop back into the 20's during the nights and in the 40's during the day. Actually that's more normal for our weather in the winter, but a drastic change from the 60's we had today.
I did a little extra outdoor work, in the sunshine, but soggy conditions don't encourage much. I did manage to take the Christmas decorations down off the barn as there was finally no ice where I had to put the ladder. And I just realized I still have to pull up the spotlight that was buried under a drift in front of the house. I hope I remember that!
Otherwise, I surveyed the area around the barn and it is a mess!! Because the Boys have been hanging out there a lot, there is manure everywhere. By the time I can get the tractor in to do some cleaning, its going to be all broken up and scattered. Maybe I'll just throw some grass seed down and pull the drag over it as I don't think there is going to be any way to clean it out. It was frozen into the snow, under the snow and on top of the snow in some cases since Christmas. Guess I am just going to have to cope as best I can.
I can't quite recall things being that messy before. I almost dread waiting to see how the arena looks. I do pick that out, and will again as keeping the sand surface relatively clean does cut the dust. But the Boys are out there during turnout and so poo picking is always a chore. Now it is going to be a nightmare.
Ah well, the cleaning will get me fit. Maybe I'll lose some of the winter weight I've managed to gain.
Additional note: I just heard some meowing outside and turned on the light to see two stray kitties "discussing things." I'm not sure if the gray one was the one that was here before or a new one. I think the other one was the little black cat that seems to live in my garage. I've been feeding it and Mommacat all winter, but I hadn't seen the third cat before.
The "discussion" was either two Toms in a potential dispute OR....I don't want to consider. That last thing I need here is a litter of wild kittens. *sigh*
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Our arena is unusable for now as well, but the snow is really melting and should be gone soon - if we don't get more. The mud is amazing - it sucked off one of Dawn's (expensive) borium spot shoes/pad and today I'm going to spend some time slipping around looking for it.
ReplyDeleteFor the stray kitties - does your area have something like our Spay-and-Stay that will come capture feral barn cats, give them shots and neuter them and then return them to you?
After the 60's yesterday we are currently having a snowstorm and the wind was horrendous last night. I'm sure the snow is a passing thing but a thirty degree change is annoying.
ReplyDeleteOur paddock where all the hay nets are is disgusting now that the snow is melting. We'll have to wait and get it with the tractor too there's just so much frozen stuff it will be impossible to clean up.
Good you got the rest of the decorations down. That's a chore.
This wind is ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteThe area outside my barn is a disaster, too. I'm just going to till it under and seed it. There's no point in trying to clean it up, now.
Good luck with your kitties. Our local shelter has low cost spay/neuters, but you have to catch the cats first. And therein lies the problem!
It's warmer here, I think, but the wind is bad. I didn't ride yesterday for fear trees might fall.
ReplyDeleteI think cleaning up after this winter is going to be an ugly chore for most of us.