This has to be one of the most beautiful and depressing weeks Ive experienced in a while. We have found
ourselves in a tiny little planet that is removed from the rest of greater Seattle area. All of our clients arrive from the “south” and they cannot believe that we are still snowed in. Not just snowed in, but re-snowed in daily for the last 4 days. Last night we got another 5″! What is up with that?! Our poor horses are going stir crazy – we absolutely need the snow to be gone from the roofs so that their shocked souls can begin to relax. The snow is falling off each roof slowly and unexpectedly once in a while, then every two whiles an enormous section will fall and the horses are reduced to quivering fools in their stalls. Im playing soothing music to help mask the horrible sounds, although maybe I need some Yanni…. (more…)
Archive for February, 2011
Uncle, we give up.
Sunday, February 27th, 2011Bummer Winter!
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011Totally Dude, this stinks.
I woke up to a lovely 4+ inches of snow and knew in my heart that I should call Don and cancel his
clinic. I am so sorry to tell everyone this, but I just dont think the situation is going to get any better. The news is saying that the “storm” is yet to come and will arrive this afternoon. By then we should have at least 6 inches and with the temperatures dropping into the 20s, no arena will thaw enough for anyone to ride on it. Don is going to call me tonight and we will try to find an alternate date, and of course, I will give money back to folks!
It is definitely the worst kind of snow out there for horses, it is wet and heavy. Besides the balling in the feet, we are dealing with nervous horses in the barns because the snow slides off the roof and scares the bejeezus out of them. If anybody has any extra snow cleates sitting around unused in their garages, I could use a bunch!
But the good news, it is fantastic snowball snow. Mark is currently in the doghouse for switching off his internal editor and smacking me in the head with a snowball! He thought it was a good idea at the time… revenge is lovely.
Buying a diamond in the rough
Thursday, February 10th, 2011Today was total comedy and it was eye opening to how some horse facilities function. We (who shall remain unnamed) went out to see a horse that was for sale at a rock bottom price. Being a thoroughbred lover, I cannot stand to see one being sold off at a price that will soon compete with the meat buyers at the auction. It worries me that the horse might not be bought and then will end up on a scary semi to Mexico, and that presses all my heart buttons. I start wondering if he could be short backed, uphill, long legs…. and the car is warming up. (more…)
Arterial Plaque
Friday, February 4th, 2011Despite the health hazards, it was sooooo delicious. We knew going into this week that we needed to sit the trot extra hours, pick more poop, rake more hay and walk faster to turnout because it was BACON week! And it was worth it.
The win went to…. ME! and I rest my case on what I said last week. For lemon week I was miffed that
my sustaining chicken was unable to stand up to 4 dishes of sugar. This week, I was the only one who cooked a dessert and I won. See, you judges are so swayed by the sweet stuff. Seriously, we need to cultivate our more salty, acidy sensory sophistication. But Im not complaining, really. My dish was shocking: maple creme brulee with bacon on top. Not your traditional use of bacon, but I thought it was unique. I searched the internet for bacon with creme brulee, and came up with a big zero. So, I think I was a pathfinder, maybe even a vanguard on the edge of exciting culinary arts.
Ok, maybe that is a gross exaggeration. But it was fun.
Around the barn, we are having a good week. Kat has decided to fill her life up with cute a cuddly puppy named Piper (never a bad idea when your heart aches). We have a few new horses in for training, which brings up our current daily riding list to 12. Fortunetly, we are able to stagger the responsibilities around with a day off here and there that brings down the daily number to a manageable amount. But, despite being very busy, I am so grateful that I have the best job in the world.