Season of loss

The barn lost two of its seniors this month.

1983 - 27 March 2013
S was a very sweet boy. Countless people have learned horseback riding with S over the years. We'll miss him a lot.

17 March 1981 - 16 March 2013
E retired to our barn a couple of years ago. Another old lesson pony with hundreds of hours in the show ring. She's had all kinds of trouble with her feet but always managed a nicker when the treat bag crinkled.

You expect these things when you have seniors around and you prepare. But it doesn't help much. And nothing will make you miss them any less.

And then there's the sweetest cat there ever was.

2002 - 16 January 2013
May they all rest in peace. Enough sadness for this year I think.

Well blow me down

It might sound like Spring but it sure doesn't feel like it. It's been cold and I swear the wind has been blowing around here for 3 months.

Is the wind ever going to stop blowing?!
Friday I saw the first sign of daffodils coming up. Just green bumps in the soil but it's a hopeful sign!

Sounds like Spring

Spring is just a few days away now. Last Wednesday the Red Winged Blackbirds were back!

Trust me. Those are Red Winged Blackbirds. 13 March.
"..[their] tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring". All of the birds have a lot to say this time of year. The sound of Spring is very distinct.

But before we get our hopes up there's a wintry storm in the forecast for tonight. We'll likely have 6 inches of snow on the ground by morning. Winter and Spring it's mostly about the weather. We can still have blizzards blow through here for another 3 weeks. At least it won't go below 0 again this season. I'm always happy to put the polar clothes away!

And I'm pretty sure the sap has been running in Vermont for a week now.

Snoozing in the sun

This time of year the sun feels nice even when the weather is relatively miserable.

Snoozing. Saturday 9 March

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And the weather has been...*really* miserable. February was an ordeal! Here I think this says it all right here. There on the left. The snow devil out there whipping by the barn. That field was full of them for days.

17 February
And..I'm *hugely* embarrassed to have been...stuck! Yes. Stuck! The first time I've been stuck since 1988! At least then my truck had fallen through the ice into a pond. It's not like I was stuck in a snow bank or something.

Sunday 10 February. Stuck!
No, they don't make them like they used to. I had to get a tractor to drag me out of there.

OMG this is *so* embarrassing
March didn't give us any relief.

Friday 8 March. Driving home from work.

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It got so bad...I ..well...I made scones!


Most shocking! You see, I don't bake. This might be the first thing I ever baked from scratch! Bread and pancakes don't count. I followed this recipe and I used Saco powdered buttermilk. I keep that on hand mostly for making dressings. I thought they came out excellent. I had some homemade blueberry jam with my scone and I was quite tickled.

We're really looking forward to Spring around here! I hope I remember how to ride my horse!

Edit 17 March: Yes, I remembered how to ride my horse. Saturday was actually a very nice day around here.

Again?

Apparently our weather pattern is..."unsettled".

Saturday 16 February. More snow!
And then, after more snow Saturday night into Sunday we got cold and wind.

Sunday 17 February
Not horseback riding today! That's alongside the driveway to the barn. It's every bit as bad as it looks! It's freezing cold and the wind is just howling. My nose hairs froze walking to the car. I absolutely *hate* this stuff.

Really. I much prefer...

Same place...19 July (2011)

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The only thing today had going for it? Nice day for pancakes!

Best pancakes ever
I used Bob's Red Mill buttermilk whole grain mix. I followed the instructions on the package. I use powdered milk. I added a quarter cup of Old Wessex 5 grain cereal. I was inspired by this recipe but I didn't have any quick cooking oats in the house. I added a tablespoon of water and I let the mix sit for about a half hour. And they really were just about the best pancakes I ever made. Even without blueberries.

I use a Lodge cast iron griddle. I paint a tiny amount of canola oil on the hot griddle with a paint brush. I use barely a teaspoon for a whole stack of pancakes. Perfect pancakes every time.

After the storm...

A lot of digging out had to be done.

And a nice snow bath was the first order of business!

Very becoming

This is a Snow Day

I woke up to this:

9 February 2013 7:38 am. Looking NNW.

There are cars out there somewhere...
It cleared well before they forecast. The wind blowing the snow around made it very unpleasant for most of the day.

The coastal region got whacked pretty hard. The flooding was severe and it could be 5 days before some of those communities have power. This is an awful time of year to be without power. It wasn't all that bad here west of the city. It was a huge storm but it wasn't the storm of a lifetime. We got something between 2 and 3 feet. It's worth remembering that they report precipitation (and its form) from Logan Airport. Which is right on Boston Harbor. With the moderating effect of the nearby water - a couple of feet of snow at Logan is a huge event. Just a few miles west of the city we get 2 and 3 feet of snow now and then.

We get snowbanks like this but it's rare to see them like this from a single storm.

North St.
This is the neighborhood where I run. Not today!

Barber St.
While I just hate the cold I usually don't mind the snow so much. Usually. This was a bit much. I'm really looking forward to Spring!

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Of course a hot peppermint patty is the perfect thing for a day like this!