New friend and forever home

This is my friend Bunny, meeting her new horse for the first time.  It was love at first sight.   I have been along "for the ride" while she looks recently, having lost her previous "horse partner" to old age, she has been horse-less for the first time in over 40 years.  Although we have looked at some very fine horses, THIS was the one.  He is a 9 year old Quarter Horse gelding that is trained in western riding.  He has good feet, nice balanced bone structure and is a complete gentleman - all of that with pizzaz and eagerness to move out.  I took  several photographs, and each time I raised the camera and clicked, he POSED.   Someone wants to be a parade horse.......   We go to pick him up tomorrow.

A week of more sub -30C weather

It is a good thing that when the thermometer dips below -30C, that there is typically no wind.  Not the smoke from the wood cookstove is wafting straight up - Bob is in there warming things up, note that I am NOT.  This morning I had flash frozen fingers while watering the horses....

Harley the Wonder Dog even tried to piddle on the porch columns in preference to going for our planned walk.... this was averted but he shows the displeasure in his face.  By the time we finished our chores and came in to warm up, he already had frosted frozen eyelashes (as I did too!).

Out and In

The horses and Princess are treated to some small bales of hay with a little tasty alfalfa when it is very cold, this in addition to their free choice supply of large bales in the feeders at the background.   A couple of days left and they will be refilled, hopefully at a little warmer temperatures for the tractor operator (Bob) and gate/twine handler (me). I have to hurry when I give them their hot mash suppers every day so that they are still warm when they get into their stalls to eat it.  Not a bad life for a horse in the winter!

Although the horses are fluffed up and not shivering at all, George (left) and Ivan (right) snuggle together for maximum warmth.   It appears that they feel we are being too frugal with the heat?

Plunging to -35C

Sure enough, La Ninja temperatures arrived through Saturday evening to give us -35C on Sunday morning, the cold point of the year to date.   The trees in the forest are snapping with the cold, this majestic old and spreading oak is next to where I am making my manure pile from cleaning the barn and paddock.   It will nicely compost away from direct contact with the tree and may help to promote some strong acorn growth for the next generation.  

Window and door trim

We add white pine trim to the interior sides and bottoms of the windows and sides of the doors in the log walls.  The top is dressed temporarily with a strip of neutral colored canvas, this covers the "sausage roll" of insulation, vapor barrier and Tuck Tape sealing, which is held in place by a settling boards that are periodically narrowed to accommodate the log wall compression.  Over the first five to six years, we can expect 6% or 5-1/2 to 6 inches of reduction in the height of the log wall. After this period, we can permanently fill and cover the top gap areas of the windows and doors in the log walls.  Now to finish sanding and staining these areas....

Frosty Morgan mare

Angie (short for Angara Tranquility) is normally bay in color, but is frosted at the tips for the season.  She has just had her hooves trimmed and is visiting from nibbling hay to see if I have any horse treats in my pocket.  This is a likely bet, since I usually carry pelleted hemp seed pellets for just such encounters.  Following doing some yielding to touch or signal, she earns a treat.   Angie is a Morgan and so a very "easy keeper"- the hemp (not the hallucinogenic variety) is a healthy treat because it is tasty plus contains no sugar and is packed with omega 3 and 6 oils.  Even Harley the Wonder Dog likes them (maybe just because he sees that the horses like them?).

Re-opening the snow machine trail

Maurice drops by on the groomer to notify us that he has reopened the snow machine trail.   This is great news and a sign that the local (and "resident") ski trails will soon be ready for gliding as well.