First Full Day of Retreat

The day began bright and early. As the temperature outside read a whopping 4 degrees, I peeled off the snuggly covers and let the dogs out. Being a smidge too early and too cold I decided the horses were better off staying inside for a while longer, so I welcomed the puppies back into the house and crawled back under those covies for another couple of hours. A while later I began my day with some peanut butter toast and a cup of joe. Dressing in my winter fatigues, I set out to the barn to brave the cold. The snow is dry and the wind is fierce. It makes ripples in the snow much like the desert winds do to the sand. I made a path to the barn, but the wind quickly filled my footsteps. My hungry anxious friends offered a warm welcome at the sound of my arrival. The kitties swarmed at my feet until I filled their bowls and offered warm water. I fed the horses and put some hay outside for them. By now the temperature was about 20 and rising. Thank God for the glorious sunshine! Duke was being so impatient. He was literally "rearing to go" in his stall as I insisted that he wait for cousin Murdock to finish his breakfast. Besides, I needed to fill the water trough anyway and it's way easier when you don't have to trip over a heard of horses. So as it goes, they are all now outside and enjoying the sunshine despite whipping winds. I cleaned all their stalls, broke the ice and dumped the buckets, in preparation for evening feeding and tucking in. Blaze gets to stay in. He has his own pasture, but we are keeping his door shut to keep the wind and snow out of the barn. Bambie stays in with him and the scenario is beneficial to her too. She does not fare well in the winter. The dogs romped to and fro as I made my way to the hen-house where the ladies were chattering as usual. They aren't real keen on my appearance as I am somewhat of a stranger to them, but I think they were thankful to have clean warm water and fresh food. Lee put up a heat light for them before he left. That was a good idea. Casey instinctively wanted to butt into the hen house with me, but I scolded him and he stood by the door, but out of the way. He's a border collie, so he thinks this kind of stuff is his "job." Back to the house I have two tiny doggies keeping me company. Speedy is happy go lucky, pleasant, and seems to be very obedient. Moe wants to be left alone pretty much. He hates going outside. He is a cranky old man, but his Mommy loves him. He's a one woman dog and I'm not that woman. Alas, he doesn't seem to mind me being here. It's probably better than being alone. He barked and growled a little bit when I first arrived, but now he seems to accept that I'm here. I am quite impressed with him this visit. Back in the summer he endured a horrific accident leaving him basically paralyzed. After some surgery and serious recovery, he can actually walk now. Maybe not so good, but he can do it... a fact that is pretty miraculous given the circumstances he was in. Keith is working today, but plans to join me here tonight. That will be a treat. I'm a pretty social person, so all this quiet is a little odd for me. I like it, at least for a while, but then it gets old. I'm glad to have a little zoo keeping me company. I think I shall snuggle on the recliner and watch a couple of movies. Sound good? Not much else happening... I don't really want to go out anywhere... Well - I'll post some pictures when I get home. I took a bunch this morning, but I don't want to upload them on someone elses computer. So... you will just have to wait. Sorry. Ta Ta