This winter seems to me to be like a pit bull. It has very strong jaws, and it isn’t going to give up what it has in its mouth without a fight. So, rather than argue, I am just continuing to live with it.

In my mind, the worse thing about winter is the snowmobiles. I can’t say anything good about them or their drivers. As I’ve often said, too bad Covid isn’t selective. The frustrating part is that there is nothing I can do to change the situation. Their machines are noisy, loud, fast. They treat the woods like a playground. Of course, if I say anything to them, I risk having them deliberately scare the horses.

Getting Hrimmi ready for a ride

The second worse thing about winter is the heavy equipment operators. We really don’t need their services to the degree they think we do. The plows and graders are large, fast, and leave little room for a quick exit if you are walking horses and dogs. And the sander trucks, also large, are fast. They never, ever slow down.

I’ve been lucky – I’ve pretty much been able to time my road outings so as to avoid having to deal with them. Once in a while, like today, I’m partially lucky. I was returning home, walking Tinni and Shadow, when a large hulking machine, I think it was a plow, went by really fast. I breathed a sigh of relief, as it turned out a moment too soon, for a second machine followed in its wake.

Tinni was wide eyed. Shadow wasn’t overly concerned. I got home, put Tinni away, and went back up to the house. I figured I’d get the three mares out once the road plowing/grading/sanding was done.

The wait was filled with uncertainty because my road clearing IQ is in the negative numbers. Pete did give me an assist, playing Annie Sullivan to my Helen Keller. I quizzed him relentlessly. He told me what was going by, and how many passes each piece of machinery would take. I think it ended up plow, two times; a grader eight times; and a sander, twice.

I’d returned to the house at 10 a.m. I went back outside at 3 p.m. It was torture, being inside because it was a beautiful day outside, what with the sun shining brightly and the temperatures in the 20s. Inside, it was overly warm. Pete was bustling around, making a lemon meringue pie. I kept myself busy, taking care of things that I’d been too tired to do at night. This included writing my second bookend feature.

Once outside, I saddled up Hrimmi and took her around the loop and down to the Murphy Road turn. She was not the same horse she was yesterday. This, I think, was because the footing was now hard and uneven, thus not to her liking. The same held true for Raudi and Tyra. I did not force any of them to go faster than a walk, although all three did pick up the pace on the way home.

Yep, well plowed/graded/sanded roads are the price I pay for opting to live in a semi-remote area. I guess I would be better off if I lived in a remote area.

Next: 77. 3/18/21: Time, and Time Again