As soon as I opened the door to the barn, Dream headed out to the big pasture.
At first she kept looking to the East...there must have been deer back there. It took her awhile, but she ended up coming in for her grain and ate 2/3 of it. A little more each day.
The dogs did not last too long....
Gucci wanted me to get the lead out and open the door.
Phoebe was just her old smiley self.
As you can see, we are getting more and more snow.
Fortunately it is still feather light.
The sun kept trying to push through the cloud cover...didn't quite make it.
Set things up in the front paddock.
Winnie was posing for me...such a beautiful girl.
Fortunately we hit the low 20s and the ponies were relatively comfortable...
just hangin out and eating their hay.
When Gary got back from coffee we shoveled the driveway again.
At 1:30 my class arrived and I finally remembered to take some pictures.
All were busy doing their thing.
A new student joined us today...John J. His boys gave him six lessons as a Christmas present.
Before class ended, he was working on a watercolor (landscape) and appeared to be a quick study. He is a retired teacher who taught in the same school district where I worked, and I have know him for a long time.
Sandy worked on her watercolor of Abbe.
This orchid is still blooming, and Dick was considering it for a future project.
Of course we discussed all kinds of things...enjoyed some tea and listened to soft jazz.
Deb finished another painting for her book.
Mel continued to paint his polar bears...
Tina has a little to go on her card for Roger....sorry this is not a sharp photo (but you know it's DJ).
This is John's first project...he did not waste any time today getting started.
Dick has finished this painting...It is simple and strong. He has quite a style going for himself.
When everyone left, I decided to hang out by the fire. About 10 minutes before I was going out to do evening chores....the s_ _ _ hit the fan. The phone rang and I was told that two horses were running around outside the pasture. Just as I was getting my coat, a car drove in to give me the same news. My horses were where they belonged...the others belonged to our neighbors. I gave them a call and went outside.
They must have come from out back as that is where my horses were looking.
They ended up over by Gary's garden and the neighbors yard...and kept approaching our horses.
The woman who drove in the driveway, Sara, was happy to help...I took out a couple of carrots and grabbed two lead lines. They did not have on halters. Fortunately, the small pasture was closed off, so I opened the gate hoping to get them in there. The owners arrived along with two of their neighbors and then another man approached. That's when I got the straight story....
He had been out with his sled dogs and somehow they got away from him and got tangled up in the neighbors tape electric fence. It broke, the horses were scared to death and got out. Glacier was extremely anxious and Jay had done something to one of his hind legs. We managed to get them locked in the pasture and one of the owners put on their halters. Jay was fine, Glacier was not cooperative at all. Sara and I each had a lead line on Glacier and the owner led Jay as we went through the yard and the field back to their barn. It ended well, but could have been a disaster. It was almost dark and the road was busy and slippery.
I finally caught up with what I had to do in the barn and tucked the horses in for the night. They acted weird, as they thought those strangers were still on the property... very hesitant about going into the barn.
I didn't make dinner, so we ordered out. Now I am going to relax. Night all.
Here's a short view of the excitement for the evening.
Boy, I hate when that happens - horses loose. I've had my next door neighbor bring my boys back a couple times. I now have a clip on the gate to make sure it's fully closed.
ReplyDeleteWow! How's that for a bit of excitement. I can't imagine trying to catch a couple of beasts that large when they don't want to get caught. What a dangerous situation for all. Glad it all worked out okay.
ReplyDeleteYes, Gucci does look completely miserable in that photo. Too funny. I mean, she has a lot of fur. She isn't going to freeze.
Glad you were there to help your neighbors! Winnie is beautiful - I love the picture with the snow falling. And I always love seeing your students and their work - very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of snow Lori. I think the ONLY difference between the Skoog Farm's weather and Tampa right now is it's not snowing here...but feels like it could and it would stick. FREEZING for us. 31 here this AM.
ReplyDeleteGucci is smart to get her nose to the door. She does like that fireplace.
Your horses just knew there was something out of the ordinary to be wary of.
John's scene is very good. I think you have a landscape painter for sure.
That is what makes life interesting! A little excitement to get the blood flowing. Glad everyone made it through with only minor injuries. Your class looks like a lot of fun. Great paintings. I bet the sled dogs had an awakening when they got tangled in the electric fence!
ReplyDeleteWhat a day and SNOW you are having!No wonder you ordered in! Glad the horses came your way, you may not be, but you helped them out alot!
ReplyDeleteI do love seeing all the nice work in your class too!
Well, the end of the story of the "Cattle Drive" is...I drove them up the service road, noticing that they had been there already and maybe even all night. They turned themselves off and into the woods after a time of trotting. We trotted on and I got soo soaked..that I killed my cell phone by having it in an outer pocket! Oops. Got a new one going now!
I have a question...blogger is new with how I get my pics on and I like it tons...but it does not have a video uploader anymore..I have a cattle driving video...but how do I get it on Blogger now??
Thanks Lori
Kac
Beautiful...Love all the photo's.
ReplyDelete