We got a nice windblown-down deadfall this week; it fell off of a tree in the schoolyard and (after asking permission) I drove the pickup truck down and loaded it in. It was so huge that Mike had to sit in the bed and hold it down. Yesterday we filled the woodbox with it!
The weather stations said it would be in the 20s last night; but right now (6 AM) it is only 37, but windy.
Nancy came by yesterday; we talked about all sorts of things. She seemed anxious to know if the wind bothered us. Wind? It blows here almost all of the time; sometimes light and frivolously, sometimes - most times! - strongly and purposefully. One expects wind in an area that is so hilly, though. It drives the fine sand up under the doors and into the window frames, and has carved the northernmost post on the verandah like a sandblaster. Still and all, it is similar to the winds I had in the hills of TX and NM - I was caught once in a huge dust devil up around Santa Fe that knocked me to the ground and sent my camping goods flying! So even though I haven't experienced wind like this in a long time, it doesn't bother me. It was kinda irritating this morning when I was loading the woodstove and the precise and forceful angle of the wind was actually blowing the smoke back DOWN the chimney, though! Argh. Stop that.
Nancy has been trapping cats in town; some kittens but mostly adults. The shelter won't take adult cats. I asked her to bring me one. I feel bereft without a barn cat, something hanging about that occasionally demands to be picked up and cuddled. Sasha likes to nuzzle, but only sometimes, and usually only when she wants something, and she doesn't do it for long. Plus she is far too big to be a lap dog! Phydeaux is solely Mike's dog; he will sleep with him all night and follow him around all day.
Nancy really came out to look at Lake. She wants to put her down but doesn't have the heart. We had to traipse all the way to the west gate crossover to find her and the other horses. When we got there, Lake looked at her like, "What do YOU want?" Nancy checked her feet and determined that they needed trimming. I joked with her that Mike and I were trying to figure out how to make hoof covers for her feet to keep the ice from forming between her hooves and the frog of her foot. She can't feel it and it could cripple her. I told her we thought about cutting up one of our blue tarps and making velcro bands around it - can't you just see the neighbors driving by - "WHAT is on that horse's hoofs? BLUE BOOTS??" I hung out with Willie and Snip and Pretty Boy to kinda keep them away from Nancy and Lake; they will crowd around someone, anyone, that gives Lake attention. They are starting to get their winter coats and look fluffy. The other three will be gone by the end of next week; back to their little corral in the middle of town. It will be better for them, especially Willie - he is still scrawny and needs to be in an enclosure for the winter.
So things are settling down for the winter here. The low tonight is predicted to be 15. I don't know whether to believe it or not... and here it is just a number anyway. As long as the humidty stays low, it is as comfortable at 20 as it is at 50 or 60, especially when the sun is shining. We've got the candy for Halloween, and I still have tomatoes to dehydrate, and a pumpkin to carve, but otherwise it is getting quieter and quieter... even with the all-pervasive wind.
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