125-150 Mile of Trails AKA Heaven on Earth

I slid this little tidbit into the end of my Saturday ride story. It was more of an afterthought, but I think it deserves more attention.

The area where we moved the horses to is very horse friendly and is dotted with private farms, training facilities and is home to the majority of the hunter paces. Its the reason we decided to move them 40 minutes away. The one downside to the region is the complete lack of public trails for either hiking or riding. We had erroneously thought that being in the mountains meant loads of public trails, but we were only able to find one trail that wound through the area and that was for hikers/bikers only.

What does exist is a privately owned and monitored network of trails compiled into various trail associations. FETA, GETA, GENTS, and CETA are the ones I am aware of in the area. These were all established a long time ago as big family farms started to be sold in smaller parcels and land owners began to worry about the accessibility to riding trails. Associations formed to ensure that the land would remain available for recreational use. Each association has its own rules and regulations, but they all have one thing in common: the trails are made up entirely of private property. I know that GENTS only allows access to those who actually live on and allow their property to be used by the trail system. It is a way to ensure that the land will remain available: if you want to ride on others you must make yours accessible as well. It also ensures that the trails are well cared for and respected.

I know next to nothing about the CETA and GETA systems except that I have had the ability to ride on some of them for the paces.

FETA is the largest system in the area and the website states that it encompasses about 125-150 miles of trails although they have not officially ever surveyed it. They are slowly acquiring land rights for the trails to ensure that they stick around for generations to come even if the current land owners sell out. Kind of like the way the government owns a swash of your property to gain access to utilities. FETA does allow people who do not live or own property on the trail system to still ride on it as long they live in the county and two surrounding towns. I thought that I wouldn't gain access because I don't live there, but then I found out that boarding there counts. If I move Gem out of the area, I lose my access.

There are numerous access points to the trails with one only a 10 minute trailer ride from the barn. The others are closer to 20-25 minutes.

Since you are riding on individual private property (in pastures, along grassy lanes bordering fence lines, along hay fields and in woods) they have established rules to ensure that the land doesn't get trashed and that land owners see the benefit in allowing others to use it. The website lists them all but in brief: no dogs allowed, must wear a helmet, no smoking, no litter, no bushwhacking, don't use private arenas or jump courses, always call before you load to find out about trail closures.

Two things in general stand out:

1) Trail closures. This is the biggest topic that I have had come up with those I've talked to who don't have access to the system. I specify that because it is always told to me in a huffy voice filled with envy and I always cock my head and wonder why they have to rain on other people's parades. Anyway...private owners can shut down sections of or entire portions of the trail at any time, for any reason. It is their own land after all. In general, the main reason for closure appears to be rain. If the trails are soaking wet they will close to prevent destruction. I am not sure if this means that at the smallest thought of rain they close or if it takes soaking wet and soggy ground to close. Time will tell but I can fully understand not wanting a bunch of people riding and tearing up your hay field or horse pasture. There is a hotline to call before you head out that will give information on trail closures due to weather, maintenance, or someone rerouting an old trail.

2.) No bushwhacking. This one seems pretty self explanatory: stay on the marked trail. However, it specifically states in the rules that if there is a tree down that can not be safely gone over, you are to turn around and go back the way you came. You are not allowed to go around the tree unless there is notice posted otherwise. I get this one too in that they don't want people going around everything and creating new trails all over the place. Seems a bit of an annoyance to have to turn around every time you get to a tree though.

The fee is $150 a year beginning in April. This gives you a parking permit as well as a pass you must wear on yourself/horse while on the trails. At any time a landowner can ask to see your permit. It is also a way to track troublemakers and rule breakers who, if caught, can be banned from the system. They do not provide a trail map online as they want to protect the privacy of the owners, so it is a little bit of an adventure until you learn the system and which trails you prefer and which ones you don't. You can gain access for a friend for a day pass although I am uncertain of the fee.

I can't wait to get my permit in April. It times really well with the end of pace season when my access to local trails up by the barn ends. I've never been a part of a major private trial system such as this, so it will be interesting to see how often they close and how many times it actually interferes with days I planned to ride. I will be tracking days wanting to go ride the trails and how many times I have to re route elsewhere due to closures. If it turns out that they are closed more days than open, I won't renew. 

2016 Picture a Day Challenge : Week 4

1/25: Scrabble is my cat-dog. He follows me everywhere including in the bathroom when I take a shower or bath. He always enters the shower after I leave to get a drink.

1/26: Wyatt dancing and singing after school

1/27: Went out to his favorite ice cream shop to get cotton candy ice cream. He wore his Darth Vader coat and shoes.

1/28: The sky was on fire

1/29: Left work a little early. It was so nice outside I couldn't resist a run. Took Einstein along and he had a blast.

1/30: Afternoon spent at the barn. Gem and Pete looking at me as I enter their pasture.

1/31:We celebrated my Mom's 57th birthday and Dusty's 39th with good food, cake and ice cream. Wyatt is ready with plate in hand.

Initial Review: Side Pull Halter Bridle by the Distance Depot

The move to the new barn was the perfect catalyst to finally remove the unused and unwanted pieces of tack from the trailer. A pair of black Renegades and a never used biothane breast collar were the easiest to clean up and splatter on the various tack sale facebook pages. I still have to clean up her red Renegades and get those listed. Both items sold pretty quickly and my paypal tack account was bolstered enough to be able to purchase the side pull I've been really wanting.

(This post isn't really about why I chose to have a bitless option or why I chose the side pull versus the multitude of other bitless headstalls. If you are interested in that information, I can write up a post on that too)

After much debate and research, I decided on the side pull halter bridle from The Distance Depot. I chose this company for a few reasons, but the main one was cost. The bridle with overlay color of my choice was $105 with free shipping. I also read numerous good reviews of their tack and they supplied the tack for the AERC Rose Bowl Parade members. I figured it had to be a good quality after all of that.

I chose the Arab/Cob size with a few butterflies in my stomach. Biothane tack is typically considered custom and is therefore non returnable. Gem's head is a bit oddly sized in that her nose is pretty petite but the rest of her is more horse sized. The Distance Depot offers one base color and either bling or an overlay color at no additional cost. They have the full array of color options and will send you swatches if you are unsure of a particular color. I wanted a black base with a red overlay on the brow, nose and bit hangers. You can also choose between stainless steel or brass hardware at no additional cost (other places up charge for stainless). And finally, you can choose the hardware that goes on the brow band for its attachment to the poll and throatlatch straps. I went with stainless steel and a basic rectangle. There was a small upcharge for some of the fancier options. 

The headstall arrived on Friday and after tearing open the package in glee, my heart sank a little. The thing looked massive!

My red and black precious

I took a closer look at the fittings and the material itself. I have never owned a biothane headstall before, so the material was new to me. I was immediately taken with how flexible it was. I could bend and twist the life out of it and it would just go right back to its original shape. It was also slick in a non friction causing way that I am sure Gem would appreciate after several sweaty miles. The overlay red was double stitched with black thread and sealed at the ends. The actual width of the pieces was a bit narrower than I had expected.

The stainless steel hardware was bulky enough to look durable, yet sleek enough to not be the focus of the headstall. 

One feature really stood out to me as being amazing: the throatlatch. After a life time of having to buckle the throatlatch each time, having a system where you set the length and then just quickly snap it on is pretty great.

The side pull part of it.

Saturday afternoon was fitting day. The headstall fit nicely straight away for the brow, poll and cheeks. I think I could lower the cheeks a bit, but I want the side pull to not be sitting too low so I am going to work with it as it is for now.

The nose band was a bit stiff and wanted to lay flatter and wider than my mare's nose shape. I tightened it a good bit, but still left room under the chin for two fingers to sneak in. It still sat a bit wider than I like, but I think with time it will shape better.

The bit hangers proved to be the biggest pain. They were really, really short. Like not even reaching the nose band which I had a bit higher than normal too short. I lengthened them all the way out, grabbed a spare bit from another bridle I had, and went to see how they would do. In the end the bit hangers were set to two holes from the very longest setting possible.

The other piece was the throatlatch. After getting it adjusted and falling in love with the quick attachment and release snap, I stepped back and looked at the fit. I always thought that the whole point of the throatlatch was to sit behind the jaw in the actual throatlatch and prevent the whole thing from being removed. This one was placed way forward of that. Looking at the construction, there is no way for the throatlatch to sit in the actual groove with the angle that the material leaves the poll. I did a lot of stalking on the AERC facebook page looking at pictures of other people's headstalls and they all seem to lay in the exact same position, so I don't think it is a flaw of the design of this particular headstall just in all the headstalls in general.

All dolled up. Makes me really kick myself over losing her red mohair cinch back in the fall.

Then we rode. Had my plans gone right I would have dropped the bit and used the side pull about half way in, but by the time the clock ran out I still didn't feel comfortable with no bit and the ride was done. I plan to do the hunter pace this weekend twice: first loop with bit and second without. We will see if I end up in an ambulance.

Gem was sweaty when we finished and seemed content with the headstall. Or as content as she could be with tack. 

In the end my initial impressions are such:

1) The material is fantastic, the options and speed at which it was produced from Distance Depot are all big pros.

2.) The fit on the Cob was pretty spot on except the nose is a bit wider than I would have liked. My mare is pretty petite in the nose though.

3.) I love the width of the material used, but I also like a pretty refined and understated look to my tack (well, except in color). If you have a larger boned horse, this piece might be eaten up. The same width is used in the horse size.

4.) The bit hangers are really too short. For reference, on Gem's old hater bridle (cob sized) the bit hangers were at the absolute shortest and I still wished they could go a bit shorter. This one was nearly at the longest possible setting. If this was a regular halter bridle, I would just lengthen the cheeks a bit, but it is a side pull and as such you need to be careful where the nose band lays.  When ordering, just keep in mind that you may want to call and inquire about longer bit hangers.

We will see how the side pull functions and the longevity, but for initial impressions I am really pleased with it overall and would order from Distance Depot again.

Its Back to Work for Gem

The blog has been a little devoid of fun riding content lately. When I moved Gem to the new barn she was at a 3.5 (and thats being generous) on the Body Condition Scale. Eek. I put her on Triple Crown Senior, about 1.5 pounds twice a day, plus basically free choice good quality hay. As of yesterday I would rank her around a 4.5. That is a lot of improvement but she still has a ways to go yet to get back to the 6.0 I like entering a ride.

I did not feel comfortable riding her at a 3.5. At a 4.5 I do with the caveat that I watch her closely and don't push beyond her threshold. Building muscle is important and now that I know her nutrition is on par with the demands, her vacation is over.

Saturday afternoon was glorious with shining sun, blue skies and temps in the upper 50s. I pulled into the barn just shy of 3 pm and grabbed Gem from her field.

Frick and Frack enjoying life together

My first move was to fit her new side pull halter bridle to her oddly shaped head. She is petite and sometimes even the cob sizes are too large. I removed her second bit from the leather bridle I had stashed in the trailer to attach to this one and after a bit of tinkering was pretty happy with the overall fit.

This is why you don't leave your nice leather bridle in the trailer . Poor thing needs a lot of care to remove all the mold and recondition it. 

There is a very steep hill that leads up from the back of the property to the arena and my plan for the day was to work on a few hill sets. There is a gate at the entrance to the property that gives access to a small trail through the woods to the base of the hill which leads up to the sand arena which then leads to the grass jumping field. The thought was to warm up through the woods, hit the hill, do a few laps in the deep sand of the arena, head to the grass jumping field to work on some more canters and trots and then head back down to the start of the trail and repeat. Since I was working on a large hill, I strapped on the fleece breast collar I bought from Liz.

Looking like a true endurance mare now. The new headstall is from The Distance Depot and I really like it. Review to come later. 

As I was tacking up, a virtual friend appeared in real life. She lives right next door, goes to all the hunter paces and was the one who recommended this barn to me. It was so nice to meet her in person finally!! We ended up chatting away for over an hour as Gem begged for scratches and fell asleep. Missy is one of those people who you instantly like and can talk to for hours. I really hope we can get together more frequently in the future!

After all the chatting with Missy, the BO arrived and we chatted some more. By this time, my time was running out as it was after 4, so I ditched my initial plan and just headed to the grass field. The field is deceptive in that it is on a slant in both the north-south and east-west direction, so you are going up or down pretty much constantly.

Last remnants of snow in the shade

As soon as we entered, I remembered why I dislike riding in an arena type environment and why we need to work on it much more frequently. I asked for a nice walk around the perimeter since neither of us had been in it before and I wanted to check the footing and the terrain out. Gem did her #1 work evasion tactic: go faster. She inverted and zoomed from the back of the field all the way to the gate and when I turned her to circle versus bolting out the gate, she shook her head and prepared to "buck". Her "buck" is a minuscule crow hop, but she feels all proud of herself none the less when she performs it.

I sighed. Oh this. This is why I don't enjoy this.

I recalled my tactics from the past. We haven't had access to an arena or arena like area for nearly 2 years. My best tool for her is to serpentine. Keep her moving, keep her changing direction. We serpentined back down the field using the christmas tree cross country jumps as points to change direction. Once we were at the back, she decided to bolt for the exit again. I kept her to a dull roar and once we made it back to the gate, we circled. And circled and circled.

The jump field. The field is on a pretty nice hill that runs the steepest as you go from left to right in the picture, but also has a less severe incline as you go from the house towards the shade. 

After about 10 minutes, I felt her relaxe and give in to the idea of actual work.

Then she did her second favorite work evasion tactic: come to a halt. She just stopped. Put her ears up and gave me the middle finger. I asked her to walk on. She backed up. Ok mare, you want to play this game? Fine. Don't go forward. But you also aren't going to go backwards either. You can go laterally. Now move.

That lasted only a few minutes before she conceded that that was even less fun. After that she got down to work nicely and we spent 20 minutes doing a serpentine at the trot down the hill and a canter back up.

Then we headed over to the sand arena. It is nice because it is flat and there are plenty of jumps to either use or go around. I plan to add jumping back into Gem's life once again as I think it really helps her build her core and hind end nicely. For Saturday, I just wanted her to get used to the deep sand.

Nice footing, but it is really deep and she hasn't seen sand in a long time. 

Once we entered the arena, the BO came in with her gorgeous Prelim eventer. He is my dream color: a light buckskin with dark contrasting black points and I love him. They walked around while we did our best to avoid looking completely awful. I wanted to do some short trot and canter sets in the sand and Gem was a really good girl for this. She settled in nicely and focused on me instead of the gelding. After about 15 minutes and hearing her breathing hard, I called it quits.

Just as my feet hit the ground, the BO asked if I wanted her to show me the trails. Poor Gem thought she was finished as I walked her back over to the mounting block and got back on. We wandered down the steep hill and into the woods.

Sexy fancy buckskin butt. Angry mare ears as she wanted to go faster and pass the guy in front. 

The trail was much nicer than I had imagined and while it isn't very long, this will make for a great training loop to work on speed work. It winds past a swamp and behind the pasture. I was really happy she showed me the way and can't wait to go back out and do some pretty intensive hill sets. I'm also pretty excited about the sand arena. I've been avoiding the two SC endurance rides because they are all in the sand and I did not feel comfortable asking her to perform in the sand without any conditioning in it.

Oh!! And to make me even happier!!! A short 10 minutes away is a set of private trails that include 125 miles!!!!! Holy crap!!! The trail system is limited to those who live on it and those in the surrounding two towns. It happens that I now board within that system and for a yearly fee of $150 I can have access to the trails. I was doing a happy dance in my head :)

Gem was pretty sweaty after the ride and I was really happy with how she settled in. Next weekend is finally another hunter pace and I can't wait. This one is historically pretty short, so I hope to go around it twice to get more miles in. With our next endurance ride looming in the near future, We better get laying those miles.

Network Spinal Analysis

Pragmatic: dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.

That is a pretty good definition although I was always taught in school that you should never use the word in the definition of the word, but that's being nit picky. I would like to believe that I am pragmatic. I know I am definitely not an optimist. I worked with an optimist in residency and it just about blew my mind how he could spin pretty much everything into sunshine and roses. And fully believe it. That's not me. I also know that I am not a pessimist. Everything isn't doom and gloom. So, pragmatic seems to fit more than anything else.

Monday afternoon the BO texted me that her chiropractor would be out to work on her horse as well as herself and family members. Would I want to have Gem or Pete done? I've had massage work done with Gem and she loves it, but have never had a chiropractor out. I just never bought into the fact that a 90 pound woman could actually move my horse's pelvis or pop a veterbra held in by muscles with more power than her whole body contained back into place. Maybe I'm more of a skeptic.

My answer was no. The more I thought about it though, the more intrigued I became that she also worked on people. I've been holding my stress between my shoulders and even a lovely massage a couple weeks ago didn't do the trick to loosen things up. It did relieve the tension headache I had been suffering with for over 2 weeks which was a win.

With my work schedule and the barn being 45 minutes away I doubted she would still be there when I could make it, but the BO assured me she would and I made the trip up after work. I said a quick hello to Gemmie and dashed inside the house to see what was going on.

The BO was laying face down, fully clothed, on a padded table on the sunporch. The chiropractor was lightly touching her back and neck. I watched in fascination as she would tell her she was about to make contact and then barely even touch her. The BO responded with obvious relief. My brows furrowed as my brain tried to make sense out of what I was seeing. She finished shorty after I arrived by doing some adjustments with a small adjusting tool which again left me puzzled. Where were the twisting, popping, re alignments? Where were the harsh maneuvers and scary back breaking techniques?

As I was pondering this, she looked at me and said it was my turn. I swallowed the lump in my throat and went over.

She began by asking me about my stress levels, diet, exercise and life satisfaction. As she explained that she wasn't just about popping some bones into place and was more about a whole body well being approach, I found myself nodding along and wanting to believe that this could work. As I turned over and laid on my stomach, I tried to quiet the nagging questions in my mind: how on earth does this method work? What is the science behind it? Is it quackery? Does she believe it works or is she just a modern snake venom salesman?

As her fingertips began to explore the length of my spine looking for areas of tension, my mind roared question after question at me. She remarked at how tight my upper back and neck was and then moved down to my feet rolling them in circles and then asked me to look right, center, then left. She murmured something to herself and then moved back up to the base of my skull. She told me she was going to make contact.

I prepared for a push, a pop, something drastic and all relieving.

What I felt was a breath. She touched a spot at the base of my skull lighter than you would flick a piece of lint off your shirt. My brows furrowed. Was that all? How could that do anything? She barely even touched me!

As she continued to make several light contacts, I felt something strange. I felt an urgent need to take a massive deep breath. As I followed the demands of my lungs, I found myself taking the deepest breath I had in a long time. As I exhaled, I felt a ton of tension leave and I could hear the smile on her face as she remarked "good..really good."

The rest of the session followed suit. She would lightly touch some point along my neck, upper back or sacrum and I would feel like jello and breathe deep. At times I felt a little wave run through my neck or an arm and all of a sudden everything just felt better. All of this from the slightest breath of a touch.

After that she began to use the adjustment tool. My right SI joint has been out of whack for years. I have no clue what happened to it, but I can clearly remember rolling on my back on my bedroom floor in college to read a text book and feeling a sharp pain to the area. Ever since then, if I lay on my back on a hard surface and put any pressure to my right buttock, it hurt. She got there and exclaimed that it was all sorts of screwed up. Well, in better terms than that. She used the tool which I thought would hurt, but just felt like a little push.

She moved all along my spine, pushing when needed, into my neck, released part of my jaw and then had me sit up. She worked on my arms, legs and feet.

When I got home, I felt much better. I felt relaxed, happy and was breathing in big swallows of air that made me feel light and free. The question of whether or not this was quackery still plagued me though. After Wyatt went to bed I dug around on the internet looking for answers.

I found several articles that explained the basic tenants of NSA along with an actual scientific study on the effects.

The basis of the therapy is that your body not only holds onto stress, but also the emotions that created it in the first place. As you build layer upon layer of stress it distorts your spine, mucles and bones. This in turns releases more cortisol and gets you stuck in a fight or flight status that causes all sorts of issues with your internal organs and mental/emotional state.

By applying light touch along nerve roots and pathways, the therapist begins to teach your body to release its own stress therby creating new neural pathways to fight off continued or new stresses. It begins to strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system and train it to take a stronger role. Benefits have been proven in all aspects of a person's health not just their spinal alignment.

Whether or not it is quackery in the end makes no difference to me. I felt a difference from before she started to after I got home. I can't go twice a week as she recommended (not enough money trees in my yard), but I will try to make it out there on a semi regular basis.

By the way, she uses the exact same technique on horses. I will be having a session on Gem before our next endurance ride for sure.

Snowzilla: South Edition

Moving to the Land of Sunshine (AKA SC) from the Arctic North (AKA WI) was a bit of a culture shock in some regards. Nothing highlights this more than winter weather.

In WI, like many snowbound states, a winter storm had to be of epic proportions to cancel school or cause business closures. The snow would just build up and you had to learn to drive in it. To give the city credit, the roads were pretty darn immaculate all winter long and it was a rare day that they were impassable shortly after the storm stopped.

As Snowzilla loomed nearer and nearer, the South began a small panic. Friday was calling for some ice and snow in the afternoon. My poor employee, born and raised in the south, was anxiously probing me for closing information. I informed her that it would have to be exceedingly bad to close. That morning it was mostly clear out without any preciptation. You can imagine my shock then when I pulled into the parking lot of Wyatt's school Friday morning to find them closed. I checked my email and a message had gone to my promotions folder for some odd reason. Darn.

Luckily, I do not see patients on Fridays using the day to get caught up on the business aspect of owning my own private practice. I did have a surgery to perform that afternoon, so Dusty asked his boss if he could get home to relieve me of Wyatt duty for that. As it turned out his office was closing at lunch anyway.

I headed back home with Wyatt (I told my employee she could leave early if the roads were getting to the point where she was worried) and we played the morning away. My patient called to let me know she was cancelling the surgery due to weather by mid morning. When Dusty got home that afternoon it looked like this out:

Look, I understand that the South isn't prepared for snow, but this isn't snow. This is basically clear roads. No reason to cancel school and shut the entire town down.

The weather was supposed to get worse over night with more snow accumulation and we were excited to see Wyatt in it the next morning. Saturday dawned and we had about 2 inches of snow and a bunch of ice.

Saturday definitely called for things being shut down at least in the morning. Ice is no joke and when you have a bunch of people who have no clue how to handle it, no salt to put on the roads and a bunch of wheel rear drive sports cars it just makes everything worse.

The sun came out that afternoon and by the time Wyatt awoke from his nap the streets were just wet. We ventured out to the mall to get some things (our semi annual event) and were shocked to see half the stores with the gates closed. Seriously, the roads were wet in the shady places and completely dry in the sun. Why were people not working? It was no worse than if it had rained out!!

On Sunday the temperatures soared to the low 50s and all the remaining snow melted. The city returned to mostly normal status, or so I thought. We ventured up north to see the horses and ran back into the snow. Even though they are only 40 minutes north of us, there is a belt line that runs East-West with heavier snow and colder temps north of the line. The barn still had a good 4-5" inches even in the blazing sun and Wyatt enjoyed building snowmen and throwing snowballs.

It was warm enough to need only a vest and long sleeve shirt

I grabbed Gemmie and she is already looking so much better. The Triple Crown Senior I put her on has made her coat silky sooth and shiny again and while her ribs are easy to feel, they are no longer visible.

Wyatt wanted to ride, so I walked Gem up to the arena and hiked around in the slushy snow. I was sweating and huffing by the second lap. I forgot how hard it is to walk in the snow!!

After he was satisfied I jumped on and we went around. Gem historically is a nut job the first few outings at a new barn and with the slushy snow covering deep sandy footing, I was concerned about an accident. We walked around and then she asked to trot, so I let her. We weaved amongst the jumps set higher than I will ever be brave enough to jump and I refused to let her canter. She was pretty huffy and tired by the end herself.

The barn is over there. Why are we working in this stuff?

As I rode around in the snow, I looked around from my higher vantage point. My jaw dropped. I was surrounded by the mountains which were speckled with snow. My heart is in the mountains and I always feel so much more free when near or in them.

The view from the arena. This view just might make me take up dressage just so I can spend more time looking at it from atop my favorite mare.

The far end of the arena on top of the "small" bank jumps. These "small" banks are still way higher than I would feel comfortable taking. I'm a wimp. 

Dusty even grabbed Pete and gave him a good brushing. At the last barn he was extremely hard to catch and the BO complained that in all the time we were there he never was able to lay a hand on him. Since moving, the new BO has blanketed him, check on his temperature, brought him in for the night when it was bad out and in general made friends. Pete walked right up to Dusty for snuggles and followed right into the barn no problem.

We got home around 5pm and my brother texted me that the schools were closed for Monday. What? The roads are dry. Completely, 100% dry. No ice. No snow. The weather even states a high in the mid 50s for the day. Have I gone insane?

Well, it turns out that the entire district which is extremely large has to be on the same page. So if there is some concern for ice or snow in the more northern sections or too cold in the more rural aspects, the entire district closes as a group. So, while around here the roads are perfect there must be some sections where there is still ice on the roads. It just seem crazy to think the kiddos are home from school when it is 55F out, green grass and dry roads. Up north each individual school made their own decision, so if one school was surrounded by ice and another was dry, the one would be closed and the other stay open.

I feel for all you fellow bloggers who had a much different experience with Snowzilla. I followed my northern friends on Facebook and was in awe of the massive drifts. I hope you all dig out soon and stay safe!!

Picture a Day Challenge 2016

Oops...I'm really behind in posting them. At least I still remembered to take one each day. This challenge is way harder than it seems. Most days are just working and living life without much room for excitement. Not a whole lot of interesting things to take pictures of. I manage though and try to get a variety.

1/4: Snuggling on the couch with Einstein. The couch isn't comfortable enough for him, so he makes a bed out of the pillows on top of it. 

1/5: Received the call no owner wants to get: your horse appears to have colic. Vet came out and she was tubed. She was fine by the morning and we started to get ready to leave this barn.

1/6: Watching Ice Age Meets Dinosaurs for the 100th time. It is Wyatt's favorite movie and while we do limit his screen time, when he gets to watch he always picks this. 

1/7: All warm and snuggly in my new super soft fleece pj pants and slippers. 

1/8: Took Wyatt to the park after school to enjoy the later daylight instead of rushing home as normal. 

1/9: Gem and Pete get settles into their new barn together. It was heart warming to see them together again and relieving to know they would be in good hands. 

1/10: Guest picture taker: Dusty. He snagged this picture of Wyatt and I when we went out to eat. 

1/11: A beautiful sky leading me home after work. 

1/12: About a mile from the restaurant where my work related dinner was being held, I heard a flapping noise. I gimped to the restaurant and called Dusty to tell him I had a flat. He drove out and used the portable air pump that works off the cigarette lighter that we bought for emergency trailer needs. It worked like a charm and I was able to get home safely. 

1/13: Spent the morning with Gem. She behaved herself very well for the short ride I snuck in before work. 

1/14: Wyatt decide to climb up on Dusty's car. You will note the dent in front of his passenger side door. This door has randomly fallen off the car twice, each time ruining the entire front panel. The driver side door has done this as well. Each time the dealership has fixed it and told us it was an odd hinge defect. The car was bought brand new in 2008 and has been a piece of junk ever since. 

1/15: Dusty left for a conference in FL and Wyatt was at school which left me with an odd "me" day. I used it to make a hole in the couch and get a massage. Echo joined me as my date for lunch. 

1/16: Took Wyatt to the children's museum. He was a little shy at first, but lit up when we mad wit to he farm display. Here he is milking a cow. 

1/17: Einstein warms up my feet as I get some work done after Wyatt went to bed. 

1/18: Wyatt playing with his Vetech track set

1/19: Wyatt was thrilled Dusty came home and proceeded to show it by being bad up on the counter. 

1/20: Wyatt is in gymnastic and here he is learning to do a backbend with a massive grin on his face

1/21: My first page of an adult coloring book with colored pencil. I finished the border a couple of days later. It is relaxing and addicting. 

1/22: Snowzilla in the South. The whole town shut down and by the early afternoon we only had this. 

1/23: Took a walk in the neighborhood after the snow stopped. We ended up with about 2 inches and some ice. 

1/24: Rode Gem in the snow of the first time in 3 years. She wasn't impressed, but I had a ton of fun.