What’s Up?

Olivia   January 31, 2019   37 Comments on What’s Up?

It’s pretty, but good luck getting anything done

There’s really not much going out here in the frozen north. Honestly if it would just stay frozen, that’d be fine, but we keep getting these bizarre heat waves with rain. 2′ of snow followed by 50° weather and 2″ of rain is a disaster.

We’re lucky and we’re up on a hill so we don’t need to worry about flooding, but a lot of people in our area do. I saw this crazy video of a ton of hay bales going over a waterfall in a town nearby. Sucks for whoever’s hay that was.

We did get a bit of flooding back in December during another rain. That time we got more than 2″, though I forget how much.

The problem with the rain for us is that after it stops and gets cold again, everything turns to ice. The ponies have been stuck in their stalls with turnout in the small paddocks near the barn because it’s too dangerous to walk them down the path to the far barn and their pastures. The pathways are solid sheets of ice. There are sections I can’t walk on even in yaktrax.

The boys really seem to like the snow. Levi thinks it’s all a fun new toy to play with.

Shasta and Nilla don’t care for it as much. Nilla will roll in the snow, but if given a choice (when she’s down in the lower barn and can go in and out) she’ll stay inside all the time. We did catch her napping in the paddocks by the barn the other day.

 

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Nilla taking a nap in the sun. #mulesofinstagram #horselife #mules #longears

A post shared by Olivia @ DIY Horse Ownership (@diyhorseownership) on

Since it’s not safe enough to even walk the horses down the path, it’s definitely not safe to ride. While we’re not getting any riding done, we have been busy with DIY projects. I’m hoping to put together posts about each of these soon, but here’s a sneak preview:

 

Feed bin construction

Comfort Stall Installation

DIY insulated water buckets

Blanket Upgrades

But mostly, I’ve been staying inside and baking – and eating – a lot. Because if you cant ride, you might as well shovel in those calories, right?

Banana Bundt Cake

Right?

37 thoughts on “What’s Up?”

  1. Emma

    Ugh that snow/rain/ice cycle is the worst 🙁 we’ve been lucky that most of our snow hasn’t lasted more than a few days but the ice has been persistent …. hope you’re staying warm and I’m eager to hear about some of those DIY projects !!

    1. Olivia Post author

      Our snow never goes away. I was really hoping the stupid rain would at least wipe out all the snow for us, but no. We get snow and ice.

  2. martidoll123

    I miss your posts so was so happy to see one posted in my email this am. I am so glad you are all settled in and hope spring comes early for you guys. This winter has been insane for everyone this year. UGH. Even I had to break ice in buckets today. IN FREAKING TENNESSEE. UGH.

    Ohhh the DIY stuff looks great.

    1. Olivia Post author

      I’ll try to get that post done soon. I was waiting to do a timelapse video comparing an uninsulated bucket to an insulated bucket, but I can get the how to post up first.

  12. Stacie Seidman

    Winter has not been good for my waistline, that’s for sure. The ice is a real problem with weather like that for sure. We’ve been lucky this year with not much snow, so even when it ices up like that, it’s gone in a day or two. But I definitely know what you’re dealing with from years past. I hope spring comes early this year.

    1. Olivia Post author

      Apparently I, much like a horse, need extra calories to survive the cold and I have lost weight despite baking something early every day. I am okay with this.

  13. Suzy

    I can’t even imagine what that’s like, I’m pretty sure I would die (wimpy California girl). But that first picture is gorgeous and Levi snorkeling in the snow is adorable!

  14. EquiNovice

    That bundt tho… dreamy!
    I agree with you, I’m totally over these Mother Nature mood swings. I hate watching the horses out there rolling ankles on hard frozen mud divots and I have already slipped on black ice once this year and that’s one time too many.

    1. Olivia Post author

      I was wondering that too. I’m betting they got torn up going over the falls. Even if they didn’t get torn, keeping some rain off is different that surviving a complete dunking for hours. I don’t know if the plastic wrapping is meant to survive that much water. There are a lot of dairy farms around here that are owned and run by small families, not big corporations. I can only imagine the loss of their winter hay could be really devastating. And the hay harvest this year was terrible because of all the rain so there may not be anything available to buy. But there’s a large dam right after this on the river so they might have stopped there. I hope the farmer was able to rescue some of them.

  16. jenj

    Ugh, gross weather. I do not miss living in the north, and I’m sorry you’re having to deal with all the ice. That stuff really puts a damper on things! Hopefully spring is just around the corner!

  17. Cathryn Kozak

    I have missed seeing your posts – glad things are OK and I’m sorry you have been having some rough weather. Spring is just around the corner!! How is the new pup doing?

  18. Teresa

    I’ve lived in eastern Canada my whole life (except for a couple years) and I do not remember winters like these. I love my noble outfitters rubber winter boots. I’ve been living in them.

    1. Olivia Post author

      You’ve got better weather than we do. I need to get a better pair of winter boots, but I need something that will fit my wide calves with multiple layers of clothing on.

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