The View from Outside Our Indoor Arena
Last night, when I went to bed, I had big plans for spending most of today working with horses in our indoor arena.
Mother Nature had other ideas. Not only did she send our snow total up 7 or 8 more inches overnight, she's continued to snow all day today at the rate of an inch or more per hour. And to add insult to injury, she rained some, on top of all that snow.
So instead of having a fun, cozy horse day in out of the elements, I spent most of it up on the arena roof with Ed, shoveling (and being plastered by) snow. It was scary-deep up there in some places (over 3 feet), and it took the two of us, working steadily for about 4 hours, to get all that snow-load weight off the roof.
Whew. The horses didn't get exercised this afternoon, but the horsekeepers sure did. And I think we'll sleep a little easier tonight, knowing that tons of snow aren't still sitting up there, waiting to cave in.
posted by Juli Thorson @ 6:30 PM
18 comments
18 Comments:
Good heavens!!! There's mounds and mounds of white stuff!!! Be careful woman, up there on the roof (my heart is in my throat thinking of that)
btw, lol, was at my mom's and picked up a old WH. Flipped a few pages and there is you!!! On an AQHA ride 10 yrs ago. Looking very smart, riding the author's palomino. Very nice! Was just cool to see, and of course, I flipped some more and read an old column of yours. You are everywhere woman!!!
Holy cow! Is that the arena in the background?
You guys have waaaaay more snow than we do. (and they call Canada the "Great White North")
I don't know how easy you'll sleep tonight, maybe that should have read achy.
Yikes!
Wow. I'll bet you slept well out of sheer exhaustion, rather than any peace of mind. Hope you had a hot toddy before collapsing.
Oh Julie - I think you are worse than we are. We have lots of snow and every other day they forecast snow or worse freezing drizzle.
I respect you for going up there. I hate heights! So far we have not had to scrape our arena off. Thank goodness. Just about lost the 4# Yorkie in the snow though. LOL
OH MY!
Our snow melted yesterday! YEAH! Of course now it is mud during the day and ice at night, but I'll take the warming trend.
Changing the subject, I missed the Oct 2008 H & R on Fear - I renew thru our school sales & it must have gotten delayed.... Anyway, looked it up on Equisearch & from your story, seems your fear was with only one of your horses? Did I read that correctly?
I went thru some fear issues a few years ago, too. I kind of felt the same thing ... safe on everyone else's but my own! What does that say? LOL! Although still close to the surface, I'm pretty comfortable with where I'm at now. Would be intereted in discussing this more on the blog. Such as what you did to get where you are now, etc.
Tammy--
Good idea for a blog topic (the fear thing). I'll see what I can do about that--when I'm not battling the elements!
Seriously, this is the second year in a row of a relentless, changed-climate winter in these parts, and it is taking much of our time and energy to deal with it. Arggh!
Hope you got it mostly cleared off before this junk turned into plain rain. Most everyone here spent Saturday up on the roof. Amazing how fast you get over that first impression of "pretty" when the snow gets to be a huge chore.
We knew the rain was coming, which is why we did all that shoveling. The first year we lived here, we lost a building due to rain on top of deep snow. Hard way to learn that particular lesson!
Could we now just be transferred to another school of living, haha?
Whew!! That's a scary amount of snow. Sorry about not being able to enjoy some horse time (I know how badly that feels).
You be careful out in that stuff, ok? People don't realize how dangerous it can be.
Stay warm and I hope it melts soon and everything warms up and the snow stops falling....ahhhh, that sounds like summertime, eh?
~Lisa
New Mexico
There was at least three barns/arenas that fell down in our area due to the snow.
I would have been up there shoveling too. I hope you had a nice hot tub to sink into after.
My horse was snowed in at her barn and I trekked through it 2 feet of snow! to bring her shavings and alfalfa cubes. Did I even get a nicker? or a kind eye glance my way? NOPE. So she is on Santas short list for next year.
Naughty horse!
Didn't seem like I needed a hot tub at the time, but the after-effects have set in. And I could REALLY use one now!
I am sooooo proud. We just hit a record for snowfall in the month of December. I know you are all jealous. We had another 6" last night and now the wind is blowing it all over. Tell me again why we live here.
Record snowfall here as well--59.7 inches since Dec. 1, breaking previous record set in 1950. And more on the way.
You live there for the people--right, Phyl?
Oh Julie sometimes I am not sure why I live here. But, you are right the people are great. That is one thing I notice when we travel is how much more friendly the people are up here.
This morning it is -20 and wind is blowing. Now, keep telling me why I live here. LOL
Phyl--
I'm sure you've been told: 20 below keeps the riffraff out!
Hang in and stay warm...
Hmmm.. I got out of roof shoveling this year with my back injury.
My hubby got that done a couple of weeks ago, before Christmas. He took 3ft of snow off the house roof then off my Horse Trailer Roof. Then off the storage shed roof - took him two day of doing nothing but shoveling now from the time he got up to the time it was dark.
In the land of Clayton/Loon Lake we have a measurable 4ft of snow on the ground (undrifted) - Friday night we got a foot and then this Monday we got another foot. I have not been out to measure since this last weekend. Only the tips of our T-Posts show through the snow on the south side of the big field - its very surreal looking in my country too with the drifts making waves that our snowmobiles won't even go through.
Keep telling my hubby we might as well live in Montana, we get more snow than they do.
Can't wait till spring...
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