Spring Snow

It's 4:00AM and I am waiting to see if the road is impassable. The trucks are parked out in Virgils driveway at the end of the road because of mud season, so we walk in and out anyway. Still, if there is enough snow, I am thinking a snow day may be in order if I can declare the road impassable. The frost has started to go out at the very beginning of our road where the town plow truck turns around. He should be stuck out there now. He went through the blacktop last year and made a big mud hole which the town filled with gravel for us. This year, there are already places where the crust is breaking and mud is oozing- waiting for a late snow to hide it from the unsuspecting plow truck man.

We don't get a lot of excitement on Jellison Ridge Road so I am tempted to walk out and see if there is a dump truck buried out at our end this morning. If I walk out I will have proved the road to be passable and have no real reason to stay home and make bread and finish this blog. There is probably four inches of snow on the road and if it weren't for the hidden soft spots, that wouldn't be enough to garner an impassable rating.

I am reaching here because I have a couple of things I really need to take care of and staying home would give me the time. Both horses need to have their feet rasped and the tack that has been unused all winter is covered in dust and maybe some mold. It needs cleaning and a good coat of neatsfoot oil so, when we can finally go riding, everything will be ready. The snow base has retreated at an amazing rate before this latest snow storm and I want to get some good rides in before I have to go over and help Walter support the other half of his barn. In another week the floors I am working on will be done and the weather will have turned noticeably warmer with highs in the fifties--nice riding weather.

I mentioned the ride last weekend in the last post. Kris has been pestering me to add what she considers the high point of that ride. (Yes, this is the ride where we just sat on the horses and didn't go anywhere.) Since this was the first ride since last fall and I was expecting a bit of a rodeo from Belle, so I was surprised when she didn't walk off at first sight of the saddle and bridle. We don't tie them up when we saddle them. If they are going to protest going for a ride, it is easier if they just walk off, than if they get tied up for saddling and their protest starts after you have mounted. I've tried both ways and I prefer not tying them up.

Anyway after saddling Belle, I took her outside and flexed her from side to side and grabbed my foot and began guiding it into the stirrup. She stood patiently and watched me struggle to get my foot way up there. It is always a near thing if my foot will reach the stirrup or I will just fall over backwards as I teeter on one leg. It takes one hand to steady the stirrup and one to pull my foot up in the clouds beyond where it wants to go. I have to let go of the reins to do this so Belle is on her own. Fortunately, she is captivated by my struggles and probably as amazed as I am when I finally get my foot in the stirrup. So I gathered up the reins and with a big grunt lurched into the saddle. When I did, Belle squealed in surprise. Kris started laughing which took some of the satisfaction out of proving once again I could still get my horse.

"Ha, ha, ha, your horse squealed when you got on her. Ha, ha, ha, what do you think that means? Ha, ha, ha.

"I think she's just happy we are going riding again."

"Yeah, right. Ha, ha, ha."