Think Spring

The continued cold, rainy, and dreary days are not my vision of spring.  Even though we are seeing a warming trend in the temperatures, when I think spring, I envision warm, sunny days.  Granted, flowers are blooming, trees are budding, birds are singing, but it has been so wet it still feels cold.  "The true harbinger of spring is not crocuses or swallows returning, but the sound of the bat on the ball." ~ Bill Veeck.  Spring training has begun.

Saturday 3/9 - It rained off and on all night and continued to do so during the early morning.  I got to the barn at 8:45, once the rain had stopped for awhile.  Storms were in the forecast though.  I saddled up Amiga and went for a nice little ride.  The three dogs were thrilled to come also.


The trails were very muddy so I kept Amiga at a walk.  In the right photo (of us on Holly Trail) you can see Cookie and Boz leading the way.  Chester was ahead of them.






I had no intentions of going down the hill and had to ride around this fallen dead tree that partially blocked the trail.  More trail cleaning will need to be done.
I did let Amiga graze in the big bean field for half an hour of our almost 100 minute ride.  Notice the threatening clouds.  We never got wet, but the wind sure did pick up.


I rode around inside the barn for a little while and then soaked Amiga's foot for a few minutes because her boot had gotten full of muddy water.

I was home in time for lunch and then we skyped with Britney who had just gotten back from Cuba a few days earlier.





I love that she lives life to the fullest, seen here with some of her students in Cuba, and then with one of their tour guides (below).










Mid-day I could tell the front was moving in, bringing storms.  The dog was getting anxious, the sky darkening, the winds were more fierce, and the rainfall picking up.  I decided to go back to the barn, sooner than later, to get Amiga out of the pony pen.  The wash rack was busy so I put Amiga in her stall to let her legs dry some.  And then the skies really opened up.

Polly and I helped Kayla bring in horses and I decided to keep Zorro in for the night, looking at the radar and what was coming.  It was thundering, lightening, and the rain was coming down in sheets.  You can't really see it in this photo.  Once things had settled down and the wash rack was empty, I brought Amiga out and bandaged her foot.

The evening's activity was pizza and games at Yvonne's.  Patty, Karen, Polly, Judy, Shirley, and I all attended. 





Several brought food to share and we all enjoyed good eating.  We learned Mexican Train, a domino game, and also played a word game.  I feel like I got a little too competitive, taking the games way too seriously.  I hate it when I do that.

Meanwhile, outside it was really storming.  Two homemade deserts were brought, but I resisted both.
It was late by the time I got home and into bed.

Sunday 3/10 - The time had sprung forward and it was the calm after the storm with sunshine, birds singing, and 51 degree temperatures.  It felt like spring had finally sprung, at least for the time being.

Shirley and I finally were both well enough to attend church together.

I felt the yard really needed work (leaf and stick removal) but I just couldn't get motivated.  After over an hour of procrastination, I decided to go to the barn for a short ride.  My intention was to get back in time to go to the gym.


Well, things were not going my way.  (I blamed it on lack of sleep since I had gone to bed way past my bed time and had also lost an hour.)  Amiga was a muddy mess, not dried dirt that could be brushed off.  So I decided to hose her off.  I could not get the hose hooked up and working, and my pants and boots got soaked in the process.  Once the girls helped me out, I gave Amiga a quick rinsing, but then the wash rack drain clogged up.  I tried plunging it, but no luck.





Patty and Pat were grooming Zorro and Rocky and tried to help, but the drain remained clogged so we tried to avoid the puddle while working.  I used a towel instead of Amiga's saddle pad because I didn't want it to get wet and finally was on my way down a very muddy trail.




The trail was actually flooded at the pond (video) because the culvert under the trail had gotten dammed with debris.  I checked the top portion of the Holly Trail and there were several small trees blocking it, worse than the day before.  The 25 mph winds overnight had caused this problem.  I also got this (video) of the spring peepers.




When I came back to the barn, Jan was riding, so I joined her for awhile.  She took a few photos of Amiga and I.  You can see the gold towel I was using.

There was a little excitement with Amiga when Will was off loading his four-wheeler.  He drove it down the road and onto the trail to remove a downed tree on the trail.






Jan lets Cash check out the four-wheeler once Will had returned.  By the time I un-tacked, brushed, and cleaned and bandaged Amiga's hoof, they were bringing in horses, so I helped with that.  I didn't get home until 5:45.  The time changed fooled me into thinking it was earlier than it really was.  The gym closed at 6pm so I stayed home, had dinner, and watched TV.

Monday 3/11 - The vet came to the barn at 10am so I was out there by 9:30 to give Amiga some grazing time.  She and Zorro were 5th and 6th in line.  I rode bareback into the yard and soon it started to drizzle (even though there was no rain in the forecast).  Within 30 minutes the rain was coming down harder and I was getting fairly wet, so I brought Amiga back into her stall.  Patty came out to help with Zorro.  We had Dr Perry look at him first because we were also addressing an issue with Zorro refusing to take the bit the last few months.



Dr. Perry looked at Zorro's bit and saw nothing that would cause a problem.  He asked if we have tried a different bit, which we have, a snaffle.  So a tooth, mouth or tongue sore could be the problem.  The vet would need to sedate Zorro to check his mouth (and fix any issue he saw) so we decided to wait until next Tuesday when he is back to do spring shots for the other half of the boarders and will have more time to evaluate and treat Zorro.





After Amiga got her coggins test and half her shots, I got home at noon.  It had finally stopped raining but was still cold and damp.  To warm up, I sat in front of a fire, and all three pets joined me.  I tried to do some reading, but a nap soon occurred.

Look at this sweet pair of morning doves, resting just outside my office window.






I took too long of a nap and had troubles waking up.  At the gym I was still in a daze.  I did the stretch class following an hour of weights and aerobics.

Joe and I watched an hour of TV together.

Tuesday 3/12 - My morning was consumed with watching and worrying about this deer.  I had done my usual pre-dawn dog walk, took a can of corn out back, and filled my bird feeders.  Once daylight hit, neighbor Roger called to report and inquire about this doe.  She was laying, soaking wet, right at the water's edge.






She got up a few times, first moving away from the bank of the pond and then to a better hiding spot by the Mountain Laurel.





Quickly we could access that she was three legged and there was some bleeding from her stump and or on her side.  Earlier this winter, friend Nolan had seen a deer with the left front leg just hanging from her so it is possible this is the same deer and she had completely lost it now.  I was also certain she was exhausted from her struggle in the water, possibly nearly drowning.






I called TWRA and we decided I would just keep a close eye on the deer and see if she recovered rather than having to be euthanized.  All morning I watched her to see if she was able to get up and eat.  I also let the golf course know the situation.  I rotated my computer from facing the corner, to facing the direction of the deer, and continued to keep watch while working on this blog.


The deer kept getting up, would walk some, and then lay back down (video).  It was heartbreaking to watch the struggle.

 













Each time she was up I silently cheered for her.  I also had to keep watching where she went so I wouldn't loose track of her.  By the time she had made it up to Brian's house, she was looking more exhausted.














She finally flopped down next to Brian's house where I could not see her.  I went and talked with Rodger and Steve (Brian was out of town) to explain what was going on.  Steve came out to look with me, and at that point convinced me the deer had no hope.

I had seen through binoculars that she was bleeding, licking her stump area, had blood on her neck, and was looking weaker and less spry.  I called TWRA back.










The deer had move yet again, to a good hiding place under Brian's deck before the game warden had arrived.  As I was leaving for Bible study, the officer parked in Brian's driveway.

Joe took over and later reported back to me.
After the deer was euthanatized it was discovered that she was a he.  In addition to having no front left leg, he also had a broken back left foot, multiple lacerations, and probably internal organ damage.  It seemed the buck had probably been living with three legs (our wildlife expert in FG who I had also contacted said there were a few different three legged deer surviving here in the Glade).  It is very likely this buck got hit by a car on that same side.  It was so sad to have to end his life, but what was needed to be done for him.


I went straight to the barn after Bible study, needing some horse time.  I saddled up and joined Jan and Karen for a ride (video).


It was still pretty sloppy out, but wonderful to be on my horse, in the sun, with friends, enjoying nature.








I was on Amiga for over an hour, but it was not hard riding.  Just a leisurely walk and a little grazing.





When we got back to the barn it was still a busy place.  Seen in this photo; Rio ready to get saddled, Judy holding Dakota for the farrier, and the three dogs munching on hoof trimmings.

It was after 6pm when I got home.  Joe had gotten salads and then we watched TV after dinner.

Wednesday 3/13 - It was another nice spring day.  Not much sunshine, but warm enough and no rain.  I was much more productive, getting in a good workout before lunch.  I decided to eat a big lunch since Joe would be gone at dinnertime.  I often do healthy choice frozen dinners and let Maggie lick the container when I am clearing the table.  Monita was pestering Maggie so much, the dog took the plastic dish from the laundry room to the living room and was guarding it, even though it was licked clean.




I spent three hours working in the yard, first getting these pansies planted that I bought three weeks ago.  I knocked several flowers off in the process, but more will come.





Then I planted a bucket of bulbs Brian had given me in the fall when he was re-doing his front flower bed.  It is a mixture so I don't know what will grow.  I put them way down back around this willow where I had planted daffodils.

You can see damage done to the trunk.  That happened two years ago when a deer chose this tree for rutting.  I had to fence it off to keep the bucks from bothering it.  So planting the bulbs around it made sense because the flowers will be protected from the deer also.



Before heading to the barn, I raked up lots of leaves, trying to reduce the pile on the golf course that were blowing up and over, into our yard.  I took them across the creek into the golf course woodland area, where they wouldn't end up in the pond or creek.

I joined up with Jan to ride part of the time, and rode Amiga out back on my own.  In this photo, I have Amiga standing up on the stump.  You can see the boot on her front right foot.  While untacking, I left Amiga barefoot on that same foot because it is mostly healed and would do better to get air and dry out.







Once the dog and cats were fed, I took Maggie on a long walk, doing part of the Seven Bridges trail.  I love that it stays light till at least 7:00.  I had a late 'dinner' of beer and popcorn while watching three Blue Blood episodes, trying to catch up to where Joe and I are watching.

Thursday 3/14 - Storms were blowing into the area.  Not knowing how soon they would hit, I had a big second breakfast of ham and eggs and then headed out back at 8:30 to do more leaf wrangling.

Once Joe was up, I had him help me put up the bluebird house and Allen's pole I was going to hang wren houses on.  We couldn't get the pole deep into the ground by the bluebird house and I decided it was too close to the bluebirds, so we moved it down back closer to the creek and were there was more foliage cover.




I had started to repair some of the houses, and was going to paint them, but the forecast changed and rain wasn't due until late afternoon.  So I put this project on hold and started on leaf clearing and picking up more sticks.




Needing a break, I hung these bird houses, that are too large for wrens and refilled my bird feeders.  By early-afternoon my back had had enough yard work and next on my list, was a quick ride before the rain.






Jan and I rode together part of the time.  We did go out on the trail some, but then stayed close to the barn because the threat of rain was imminent.  As we were finishing up it started to rain.  By the time we left the barn, it was pouring.



I cooked dinner and afterwards Joe and I watched Survivor and an episode of Blue Blood together, while it stormed outside.