I realize that we need all the moisture we can get, but this
is the southwest, and it’s not supposed to snow the second week of April. It
was 25 degrees this morning, and now I’m going to have to go cut some wood so I
can warm up the house. We had a little snow yesterday, and woke up to about an
inch of snow this morning. The good news is now that I have chicken wire around
my little flower garden my tulips, and daffodils are coming up. They don’t care
about the snow thank you kindly. Some of my chocolate mint I planted last year
is also coming up. Now if the weather
would cooperate, I could buy some more flowers for my burgeoning garden. My
rhubarb is also doing nicely. I’ll have to wait till next year to actually
harvest, but I can wait.
All this beautiful weather (ha! ha!) has put a damper on my
working with the horses. Actually I’m glad I didn’t get them all brushed out.
That extra fur is keeping them warm. Thankfully it hasn’t gotten so cold that
the water has frozen. Breaking ice in April would be a bit much. Now to you
northerner’s I’m sure this is no big deal, but remember like our horses I’m
desert born, and bred. My poor father is camped out in his room, where he has a
heater. At 88 (almost 89) he doesn’t deal with the cold very well, so he keeps
his room at a toasty 75+ degrees, tank top weather for me.
Later:
Well I got my wood chopped. I had a couple of big (meaning
thick) pieces, trunks really, and after splitting them I was able to cut them.
It’s a tricky business splitting logs since my little sledgehammer is no longer
attached to its handle. I have to use Rudy’s big sledgehammer, which is loose,
but still attached. It must look pretty comical as I have the handle between my
legs, and I only raise the hammer up to about eye height. I’m bent over at the
waist so that’s not very high. It’s mostly the weight of the hammer that splits
the logs. Boy am I out of shape too. After a month of not having to cut wood,
I’m huffing, and puffing like a city girl. Still I got it done, and there’s
enough wood to last a few nights if this weather doesn’t break. The way it
looks now we’ll have snow again tonight. It hasn’t really stopped all day, a
little flurry here, a little flurry there. You know what I mean. I had all
these plans too. I found some more 1 x 2’s, and a pretty descent wood pallet so
I can finish the gate for between the wood stove, and the wall. Right now all I
have is a frame with chicken wire on it, not very pretty for the living room.
The other gate (other side of the wall) looks nice now that it’s all stained,
and finished. Even Rudy thought it looked nice. This time I’m going to varnish
all the pieces first then when it’s dry put it together. It’s too hard to sand
otherwise. Maybe I’ll just sand it, put it together, and then stain, and
varnish it. That way I can have it up while the little ones are in the house at
night.
I have work to do down at the barn too. I swept about a foot
of dust, and debris out of the barn after two days of high winds. I still have
to tackle the stalls. The manure is piling up for some strange reason. I want
to put in a small vegetable garden by the chickens, and all that manure will
come in handy. I have figured out a way of watering them too. I’ll dig my
trenches for irrigation, and then make a nice pvc pipe frame with holes drilled
out. I’ll have one pipe going up so I can put the little water tank on the
gator, open the spicket, and voila the water will be distributed evenly. It’s a
miniature version of what the farmers use. I think I have another gate, and I
definitely have enough chicken wire to go around the garden. I’ll use the same
method on top that I used for the chicken run to keep the birds out at least
until my seeds sprout if I can’t find enough small plants. I’m pretty sure I
found another small gate in the pile we have of odds, and ends when I was
rummaging around for another panel for the round pen. I need to measure that as
well. I found two battered panels, but only put one up. I don’t want the round
pen too big, but I do want it at least 60’. That’s the perfect size for
training according to Rudy. It’s the only size we’ve ever had so it’s all I
know. Once the round pen is right I can start training. Of course the weather
has to get nice enough for any of this to happen (hint, hint). It’s not going
to happen this week I’m sure. Not that it’s not supposed to warm up, mind you,
its just that as soon as it does the winds are supposed to start howling again.
April is typically our windiest month, and so far it looks like that the way
it’s going to be, windy. On the bright side there’s no La Nina, and no El Nino.
Bro, and sis are staying away this year so maybe just maybe we’ll have a normal
rainy season. Something has to break this drought cycle.
Yes I have all sorts of plans, and all kinds of work
to do. Let’s see if I manage to get it all done this year. Of course it would
be helpful if nothing broke this year. It will also help if April can spend
some time here, and if I can buy the few little tools I want to make my life easier.
Jo will be spending a lot of time here (April’s boyfriend) as well. He’s buying
Ser-Haat so I’m sure he’ll spend as much time here as he can spare training him
etc. Ser-Haat is already letting him brush him, and giving him hugs. I just
knew they would make a good match. It also means I can spend more time with the
rest of the young’uns. Both Ser-Haat, and LBM are going through a growing
spurt. I may even be able to start working LBM with a saddle on by the end of
the summer. I think he’ll be big enough. Did I mention that he’s in a big boy’s
halter now? I can’t wait till he’s big enough to ride. God willing it won’t be
the end of me. I’ve never started an un-cut boy from babyhood to adulthood. Oh
well such is life. Who knows if he’s sweet enough I may even get on him first.
Yeah right. Yes I’m insane, but he’s my boy after all. We’ll see how brave I am
when the time comes!
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