Finally Above Freezing

Just, Though

Snowed a little again last night but today the temperatures warmed up enough to make it bearable outside.

I had run out of alfalfa cubes this morning so I headed to the nearest feed store to get a bag to tide me over until tomorrow when my regular store is open. No luck. I guess the Boys will just have to go without at breakfast tomorrow too. I did give them some of the clover hay, but to my surprise they actually seemed to favor the grass mix instead. Interesting.

The ground is still hard, lumpy, frozen and covered with snow stuff. The woods did look like it might be OK, but I opted for stripping stalls instead as I have been just doing cursory poo picking over the last week. The work was pretty tiring as I did all three stalls. Toby had enough hay scattered about mixed with his shavings to make a good bed, but I put a bale of fresh shavings in both Tucker's and Chance's stall. Then I scrubbed the outdoor water tub and refilled it--bucket by bucket since the hose is frozen. I do have a coil hose in the house to use, but I didn't want to lug it out so I did it the hard way.

No school tomorrow for Martin Luther King Day. It is supposed to snow again--see, I should have put the snow insurance pads on the horses!--but it's not forecast to amount to much. I'll head out to the feed store first thing, then come home and contemplate a ride or two in the woods. Not sure I can take Tucker out, but I may try if Toby has no trouble with the footing out there.

I think, Claire, it is supposed to be just a bit warmer on Tuesday in Washington DC for the Inauguration with temps hovering around freezing instead of below. Still, I hope people know how to dress if they are going to be outside witnessing the event. If I were going, I'd have my down coat and my moon boots (super insulated winter boots) and not worry at all what I looked like. Instead I will be in my classroom at school watching on TV. I hear there will me thousands upon thousands of people in the Capital city to watch the event. One of the women I met at the dinner last night is going, but her daughter has a condo in the southwest part of the city so she has a good place to stay.

Washington is a gorgeous city and the Mall, where many of the people will be is a lovely wide swath of trees, grass, footpaths and monuments. It will be an amazing sight to see it filled with people cheering for our new President.

I didn't think much could be more exciting than the election itself, but this may be the topper. Only two more days and we have a new beginning.