Saturday, February 8, 2014

Please Mr. Postman


Look what sweet little Foggy found in the mailbox this afternoon! Oh, the silly games we play when we are grounded and surrounded by a dangerous polar ice tundra. Even my post title is a bit staged. On this blog when I use lyrics for post titles they are from songs I heard that day. I did not hear "Please Mr. Postman" today or probably any day in the past twenty years, but it was too cute to pass up.


The thick layer of ice that covers the deep snow has kept me from riding so I've been leading each horse on the driveway for fun and exercise. Today to spice things up a bit, I hid carrots and apples inside the mailbox. The mailbox is safely located on our horseshoe shaped driveway so the horses can investigate it freely without worry about traffic. 

The mailbox was obviously a huge hit with all three boys, but I only thought to bring the camera for Foggy's turn.


Because of the ice storm we were without power briefly and had to move over to the mid-century ranch house on our farm. Oh what a tragedy - I hate it when that happens! You mean I have to move to the house right in the middle of the pastures where my horses live?!?! I do feel sorry for Brian and Maizie being displaced from our little Nutmeg Cottage, but Noodlebug and I made ourselves right at home! Noodle thinks it is a big adventure going over there. Here she is snuggling in Maizie's bed in our getaway house. Thank goodness our farm is serviced by a different power company than our normal house - it was a luxury to have heat and electric and hot water.


We lost many tree limbs and some of our fence got smashed, but all in all, we were very lucky!


I've been turning the boys out in the pastures from 10 am to 5 pm. The temperature doesn't get above freezing, but they can break through a little during the middle of the day. They don't move around too much because it is an arduous process to walk. Their fetlocks are not ripped even though the ice is razor sharp. They can't stand being inside, but they don't seem too happy outside either. 

Before the ice storm Sovereign was having a big time worrying about a giant snowman that appeared one evening in our hayfield. Every once in awhile a few people would straggle out to the snowman, but they were either very tiny or the snowman is seven feet tall. Their play and singing (think Whoville people circling snowman) was more than Sovey could take. We are going to have an interesting ride out there when the ice tundra melts. Sovey will be on high alert and I wonder what Pie will think of a snowman taller than he is!

The photo below was taken the night before the ice storm and it tells so much about my my horses and their unique personalities. Sovey is far out in the center pasture, on duty as the herd's policeman and sentry watching for the snowman people. Pie has stopped eating to see if Sovereign needs assistance. Yet, Pie is torn - there is much hay that needs to be gobbled and he is not going to get too far away from those piles. Foggy rarely worries about anything and thinks it is a fine opportunity to eat without being pushed around.


I am going to try to ride the boys at the walk on the driveway on Monday. It may be short, but we all have cabin fever. Everyone except Noodlebug, that is!


14 comments:

  1. Great game with the mailbox! No wonder it was a big hit with all the goodies inside. You're lucky to have an alternate plan when the electricity goes out. Noodlebug is adorable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks GHM - Noodlebug is adorable! She is as sweet as she is cute too. And, we are SOOOOO lucky to have a backup for electricity outages. They seem to be the norm in Pennsylvania these days!

      Delete
  2. Ice can be so difficult!! I'm glad your ponies are getting some special attention anyway. You are so good about that! :) I'm definitely a slacker when the weather is bad- not in horse care but just with riding. I guess I just worry that I won't be able to warm them up enough and they will be a little too frisky, lol! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ranch Girl!
      Luckily, my boys are not too frisky (which I secretly think is amazing given that they have been in at night now with the ice and they are not used to this!) but if/when they ever need the wiggles worked out, I just tack up and hand walk them as long as it takes to get a relaxed snort. Being beside them like that comforts them and relaxes their minds - they totally see that what we are doing is not frightening. I especially walk them where I plan to ride - hence the hand walking in the driveway this week. It got them "ready" for our new riding venue. Calm snorts on our hand walk tells me it is safe to mount and no more frisky behaviors.

      Delete
  3. Oh no, a snowman! Harley says, "Beware!" The giant snowman at Orris Falls toppled over, but that doesn't stop Harley from looking askance at the giant balls of snow.

    Glad you had Plan B when the power went out. What a bummer with the fence! Downed limbs, no power, ice, ugh! Hopefully your periwinkle winter will return soon.

    Love the mailbox game--Foggy looks like he's the cat who found the cream!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Harley is so funny! And Sovey says that Harley knows about those S-men! You just can't trust them!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a fun way to expose horses to mailboxes. When I was young I rode my TB show horse down the road without a thought about mailboxes. Thank goodness no traffic cuz he jumped into the middle of the road when we passed our first mailbox. Do your boys open the mailbox themselves? And so sorry about the damaging ice storm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow - sounds like an adventure - thank goodness no traffic is right! Foggy tried to wiggle and pry it open today! Thanks Once Upon for the well wishes - we are doing just fine - not as much weather as you are used to!

      Delete
  6. Winter is for getting creative! We can't get the boys out, they are snowed in their pastures...which is fine. We do lazy walk rides too. Stay warm!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You stay warm too - brrr - I'm sure Michigan is tougher than Pennsylvania!

      Delete
  7. This post is soooo charming! First the carrots in the mailbox and Pie looking for a gobble! And the Noodlebug in the bed! Noodlebed!!!! On those pretty gingham sheets! What a life Noodle has! Glad to hear your power outage made for an adventure and not despair! But this winter! It has been a tough one, that is for sure! Plummeting temps! Icy roads! Power outages! Can we make it! We must persevere!!! Those pictures of the sentries sure are cute. There is joy and delight even in this challenging season!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks baystatebrumby for giving me the strength to persevere with your happy disposition! You let me rejoice in the exclamation point!
      There is joy - cold joy, but joy nonetheless!

      Delete
  8. I hear ya on the ice over snow preventing riding. I so love to ride in the winter, but I just can't risk my mare's legs in this crap. LOVE the kitty pics - I have a female with similar coloring and markings, but a totally different shape and face. I think kitties are like snow flakes, not one is the same ever. :) Hope you get can get thawed out soon and back on top of your ponies, rather than walking alongside. So cute that there were treats in the mailbox!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Jill
    You are so right - kitties are like snowflakes!!! I love that!
    Same to you with the thawing - we are to get another big one tonight - ugh - hope you are far enough west to miss you!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to visit Honeysuckle Faire!