February is a month in which, although it’s cold, we can at times feel the heat of the sun. By the month’s end, the horses will be lying down in the sun, and the snow in the enclosure will be softening. Right now, it’s firmly packed down, making it easier to scoop the poop. I can also still spread their hay in the enclosure proper, which they like because they can then stay out of one another’s way and go from pile to pile.

The days are again getting longer. No one is happier about this than I am. It’s still light out now at 5:30 p.m. So if I leave the hotel at 4 p.m. I can clean up the poop without a headlight when I get home and perhaps take at least one horse for a walk or ride. The work/play balance may be partially dependent upon daylight.

Ryder herding goats

Today I took all three of the mares for a walk around the loop. They were all eager and willing to get out. All were also a tad bargey, which is a good thing. It was not cold when I went outside at 2:00 p.m., but the temperature was dropping by the time I came in, at 5:00 p.m.

Still, after all these years, there is little or no traffic when I take the horses on walks around the loop. Change is a constant, and I suspect that if power did come to Alaskan Beauty Estates, there would be a lot more traffic. No, I know that there would be a lot more traffic. And if power came, and with it, pavement on our road, or adjacent Murphy Road, I’d move. If I stayed in state, we’d move to a place where we might both sea kayak and horseback ride. If I moved out of state, I’d move to a place where we might both sea kayak and horseback ride. The Pacific Northwest would be out because it is sooner or later going to fall into the ocean. Also, Icelandic horses are more susceptible to Sweet Itch, an ailment in which mosquito-like insects are in abundance.

We keep the fly population in check here by cleaning the horses’ enclosure twice a day. I thought we were also keeping the parasite population in control the same way, but Tyra’s bout with the splats has me thinking that we’ll do spring deworming this year. If we travel and stay in any corrals, the odds are that the horses will pick up something.

Before heading outside, I answered project emails and got the odds and ends of neglected correspondences together. I am, for example, sending my friend Mary Sackinger a box of wool sweaters. She will felt the wool and make mittens. I also printed up letters that I wrote to friends. Off they go.

I am never again going to purchase fleece jackets or coats. Wool is the ticket. The wool industry needs everyone’s support. The fleece industry has cut into the profits. Make mine wool, I say.

Next: 34. 3/3/25: Going with the Flow