The days when I do get to stay at home, I am always struck by the fact that I seem to have more time. This is because commuting is like empty calories – as empty calories are a food suck; commuting is a time suck. For me, an hour is a lot of time.

And what did I do with the extra hour? You guessed it. I went horseback riding. It was 21˚ F this morning when I tended to the horses, and 31˚ F when I first took Raudi out. This morning, Pete said, “It’s winter.” And he is right. The ground is frozen, and the snow is a patchy layer on the ground. I looked outside, saw frost on my cabin, and on the red truck, which is parked near the woodshed.

Pete and Hrimmi

Pete talked to Zach, our veterinarian, about Tyra’s somewhat loose poop, and he said to put her on Sand Clear and probiotics. I did this this evening. All the horses are now back on supplements.

It takes a while to get used to temperatures in the 20s and 30s, then after its been below O˚ F for a while, temperatures in the 20s and 30s seem to be absolutely balmy.

The trail down Jim’s Road was slippery, as was the road leading back to Oceanview. Put off what you can, this is my motto. But we are going to have to decide if we are going to put shoes back on the mares.

It breaks my heart to say this, but I am not riding much, just once or twice a week. Maybe having shoes on the horses will be a motivator. I will be able to do this once we hire a staff to take care of the BLBP-- that’s bacon, lettuce, baloney, and peanut butter. What a combo. That’s the goal – to find others who will be willing to commute so that I won’t have to do the same. I do have a decent vehicle, and I am grateful.

But being human, I want more, more, more. Desire is like a moth being attracted to a flame.

Pete rode Hrimmi when I rode Tyra. The stirrup on Tyra’s saddle is pinched, so I ended up riding crooked. The good thing is that though I felt it, my hip did not seize up. The problem now is that I am suffering from lower back fatigue, which gets worse as the day goes on. I don’t see this as serious a problem as the hip seizing up because movement is not impeded.

So yeah, it’s winter. A month and a half until the solstice. And maybe, just maybe, it will be a mild winter.

Pete got wood yesterday, a truckload of spruce, from our friend Robert. Today he split it and stacked it in the woodshed. And he also turned the compost. He says one more turn and we’ll be good for this year.

Another winter task: hauling the excess manure up behind the hoop house.

Next: 293. 10/28/24: The First Real Snow