Running Water

Yesterday was the first wonderful day where the network of hoses was turned on again at the barn, so we can now turn a faucet to refill water buckets rather than hauling them the length of the barn. Cleaning water buckets is much easier too, because they can be removed rather than having to tip out the dirty contents ever -  so - carefully in order to avoid disturbing the heating elemens under each that keeps the water from freezing.

Heated water buckets are nicer than breaking ice with a hammer. With no heat, the buckets have to regularly be brought inside to melt because the ice layers build up, which was how things went when I had my horse many years ago.

The outside buckets can be filled with a hose as well, though it is often as easy to carry buckets for the last walk from the end of the barn to the outside bucket as it is to take the time to extend then recoil the hose.

I stopped by a parking lot at the head of a bike path that runs along the Hudson River on the way home. The draw of the river in the most urban of places is impressive. On a weekday early evening, the parking lot was full with cars of joggers and walkers and riders, all in the shadow of a six lane highway.

The view across from the parking lot is the county jail, upstream is a bridge and more industrial development along the river and behind is the painted smokestack of a local paint manufacturer. But the draw of any water is still strong. This little strip by the river is full of people once the water is liquid again.