January '10... weather turns to muck, mud sucks

FTR -- our New Year weather continues to be Pretty damn crappy. Daytime highs are around 37º, with nighttime lows being around 34º, visibility is mostly gray and/or foggy - it's January. Horses are not very happy except at feeding times, goats are sad, cats are just laying around and groaning, bored, waiting for their next meal. Kittee and I are not doing too bad as we sit in front of our Happy Light each day waiting for spring to arrive. Weather forecast for the balance of this week is for more of the same, with a chance of overnight snowfalls. This time of year to go out and spend time with the horses and goats we have to wear our 16" muck boots as anything else on the feet will literally be sucked off by the mud, muck, yuck.
Such is life during the Muck Season.

Over the New Year holiday, Kittee and I spent our time petting, feeding the outside critters, watching indoor videos and for the Really Big Event of the holiday weekend, we went horseback riding at the Walla Walla Fairground arena. There we spent the best part of two hours, riding, troting and cantering Misty, Nugget and Derby. It made an enjoyable outing. This was the first time I had been riding in about three weekends, and the past couple of days my inner-thigh muscles can re-tell the story of those two hours of riding time.

Last week I had a knock, knock, knock upon the front door and it was our downriver neighbor, Robert dropping by and asked me if I wanted to see a Bald Eagle on the river. We made a quick run downriver and spotted the guy here in this picture...
between our house and the Sallee's house.

During this past weekend, maybe Sunday as we were loading horses into the trailer, Kittee spotted another very large Bald Eagle flying over the backyard river. Against the bluff, we could see his large black wingspan and white head and tail feather very well. He had several hawks pushing him upriver, but the eagle and it's size was quite impressive. Wish I could have gotten a good picture of that bird.

Goldie and Summer are progressing well with their weaning process. They both are in free pasture; Goldie with the adult mares and Summer with two fillies, four goats, and two Shetland ponies.

That's the way it is around the ranch this past week --- Dale