Friday, January 15, 2010

Finally Friday

RAINNNNNNNNNNNN.........and more rain.......running water turning to creeks. I spent the morning diverting water from going one way to going another. I was soaked to the skin and my boots I think are no longer waterproof.
I came home and took a HOT shower, made some coffee and opened my mail......a rest feels good and I am not so cold anymore.
The power went out last night due to a falling tree. Several transformers blew along the road and it sounded like a war zone around 9pm.
I am thinking it hasn't stopped raining for a good 24 hours and the weather forecast says it will continue to next Wednesday. Yikes...no wonder trees are falling...pulling up by the roots and keeling over........right onto power lines, right onto the road....BOOM.
The good news is that everyone has dry footing in stalls and at least for right now the water is going where it needs to (not in the stalls!) Blankets are holding up and mostly everyone stays in their shelter.......except Vinnie.
The bad news is that I have to go to the feed store in Tacoma and I will have to take a tarp....I knew I should have kept the canopy that came with my truck. I have been sitting here waiting for a possible break in the rain....but no dice....I will just have to go for it.

Tomorrow we finish rebuilding the pony shed and move some gravel to the filly's shed to raise her floor. Later this year we will cement some areas and put in some large drain areas to prevent water from coming in. I thought I had everything done.......but who knew it would rain this much? I am glad our land has a slope to it and we have high ground. I am anxious for spring, as is everyone else I am sure.

The house is quiet, except for the sound of my typing, the rain on the roof and some muted music behind me........Mary Jane's Last Dance (Tom Petty) is playing. I always like that song and I like Tom Petty. He always reminds me of Bob Dillon. It seems funny to be sitting in the house at noon and typing the blog.......usually I am working ,running errands, ...doing something. I don't like to be idle and boy there are always chores or projects to be done, aren't there? But it feels good to be dry and warm.....

Horses are good, the filly has lost her other teeth and looks ridiculous. Jake is hanging in there, eating good and hardly leaves his stall....the stall service is simply too good....TarBaby cannot decide whether to stand in his stall or to go out to the half constructed pony shed and stand.
Beaver is a curly coated sopping wet pony......he will not wear a pony coat and that is final. I spent 125 dollars on him for a nice little pony coat and he ripped it to pieces in about ten minutes. He won't wear a fly mask either. I duct taped the fly mask last year but he still managed to get it off. Ollie and Max take turns in each other's sheds in case there is any chance that someone got grain again.

We got a couple of new water tubs...we had been using muck buckets, but they just cannot take the abuse or cold weather......they break apart and are really not large enough.

We are going through stall pellets like crazy.......wet weather means extra pellets and the pellets are the best for keeping hooves dried out.

My mom is feeling better after her surgery and starting to get back on her feet. We were fortunate for all the help and well wishes sent her way......she says thank you. She too is ready for some better weather so she can get out in her yard and garden.

Well, it is not even starting to STOP raining, so I guess I better just get going.

Pony Up fortune for tomorrow:

Red is your color.

3 comments:

Drillrider said...

We use plastic barrels cut in 1/2 for water tubs. They are about the right size to hold enough, but not too much if you have to dump them and scrub them out.

We also use old tractor tires as feeders for the horses in a paddock. We took a jigsaw and made the whole bigger on on side. The tires are concave so the horse have to REALLY work at getting the hay out of them. It has saved LOTS of wasted hay and I just throw their salt block inside too!

Drillrider said...

P.S. I used to live in Vancouver, WA, but now I live in Idaho. I sure don't miss all that RAIN!

Pony Up Rescue for Equines said...

great ideas.......I hadn't thought of tractor tires and I do have some food grade barrels that could be cut in half.

I am jealous that you are not enjoying this rain......it is something else.