Pretty, But....

Our newest storm has come and gone, leaving behind some beautiful scenery. What was originally supposed to be 2 to 3 inches off to our west, turned into just a tad under 8 inches here. It was a dry, powdery snow. Not at all like the wet, heavy stuff we usually get when do get any snow at all. Only problem was, late Monday and most of that night we had light freezing rain that compacted the snow and left an 1/8th inch of ice over everything. It has now been three days and we are just now seeing the normal drab, brown grass starting to return to view. The horses have not been happy with the crusty mess at all. Our Boxers loved playing in the snow, but once in crusted over and re-froze, they quickly became obviously tired of having to negotiate through it. As for us, it was pretty, but we are tired of frozen pipes and transporting water. I promise to be a little bit more tolerant of this coming summer's heat.

Global Warming?

Last winter was tough. Overall, it was the coldest winter we could remember in quite some time around here with some periods of bitter cold as well as a six inch snowfall which is an exceptionally rare event in these parts. We lost our entire water system in the barn last winter, due to damage from frozen pipes. This winter has started off to be even worse. December closed out as the coldest on record for this area. We have already had a mild icing event as well as a four inch snow and are now bracing for a new storm late tonight, to be followed by a week of frigid weather. We have taken temporary (and expensive) measures to insure our horses have access to drinkable water but this summer will be spent putting the entire water system underground and installing frost proof hydrant style spigots. We will also be completing our electrical overhaul of the barn which will include underground service to all of our water troughs to allow easy use of trough heaters and/or heated buckets. Hopefully this will be our last winter of ice busting and water toting.

We Got the Big One

We got the biggest snow our area has had in quite a few years. It was a good 6-1/2" which is a major event in these parts. As is usually the case this close to the coast, it was a heavy, wet snow, which brought down quite a few limbs. Our power blinked a time or two but stayed on. C's Mon and Dad, next door, lost power for almost half of the day right after a transformer just down the road blew. It was beautiful on the farm and I think the horses even enjoyed it. Especially our new Percheron, Midnight, who promplty took a roll in the snow as soon as B let her out of her stall.

A Sight Seldom Seen

Anything more than an occasional flurry or a light dusting of snow is a rare event in southeastern North Carolina. Since moving to the farm some three and a half years ago, I cannot recall even an honest dusting. This week we got an legitimate snowfall. We love it, the horses, I think, don't.