Finally Warmer

There were deer by the muck pile again last night, the first I've seen for a while. They eventually took off but weren't very organized. Most of them ended up going over the fence at the back of the rearmost turnout ring, flashing bright white tails as they went over. One ran back and forth in front of the fence a couple of times before launching into the air to join the others. Unfortunately I don't carry a camera while hauling a wheel barrel bucket full of muck.

I was hauling the muck from a pile near a gate between pastures where the horses gather and make a small mountain of the stuff. We had a little time after getting the grain dropped so I grabbed two helpers to clear that area. We were all surprised to find an inch of ice between the poop and the mud underneath! With a day of temperatures in the low 70's earlier this week we didn't think that was possible. But with luck (and no more insulating poop), today's sun should melt it.

Aside from the ice is the pasture, we seem to finally have reached consensus about spring. The horses are shedding out, with tufts of long hair sticking out from places that they have rubbed against a fence. Brushing them creates a cloud of horse hair that lands on everything, like a coat of snow from the white thoroughbred mare. The ground has started to turn green from grass between the paddocks, despite overnight temperatures that can still linger around freezing.

Open water beckons for paddling as well. This weekend we'll be demonstrating kayak skills in a pool at at outdoor show, to help inform people thinking about learning to kayak.