We made the switch to heating with wood. I love to come home and open up the car door and smell that wood smoke. It's nice to know I'll walk in and it will be cozy, and warm. Really warm. Seep into your bones warm. I like this wood heat. Even the stacking and carrying isn't too bad, figure it keeps my rusty joints doing something better than sitting at least part of the time.
Life has been interesting of late. My horse shot with the pellet gun once, and I suspect twice, plus three flat tires in three separate episodes all in the past ten days or so. It is enough to give one low level paranoia. We have been short-staffed where I work for the past three weeks off and on, but mostly on, meaning I have to cover some extra hours causing me to leave for work in the dark, and come home in the dark, but at least I am working. On the few days I've had to ride I've worked with Journey. One of those days was one of the worst rides ever since she came, followed the next day by the best ride ever since she came. This is evidence that 3.5 miles of forward motion with a one-rein stop every time she broke gait which is about every five feet, is also good training for the whoa. She solo'd at the park as we set a training course on the Garmin. The LSD was indeed slow, but also the most trotting intervals we've had yet in one sustained session. She's a horse that seems to like the trail. Now the rains have set in, and the creeks are flooded, paddocks are mires of fetlock deep muck, and we are putting the horses in dry dock (stalls) daily just to allow their hooves to dry out.
I'm attempting to network with someone who is competing on an atypical breed of horse, preferably an Appaloosa. I very much desire for Journey to be successful at distance as I figure my window of time to be functional at the sport is going to be limited, and I'm not buying any more horses, not ever. They say that "any horse can do slow endurance." I'm not sure I'm 100% sold on that concept, but there are many experienced people riding breeds that are not Arabian in this sport. They are still a low percentage, but I do see them now and then in the standings, and Appaloosa type horses are among them.
Have faith and give it time. I competed in LDs successfully on an Appendix mare who had never finished an endurance ride because she was "too high strung" and couldn't pulse down. My opinion was the previous owner was too high strung and didn't help the horse any. The mare and I were a great team. Don't give up.
ReplyDeleteLove those wood fires! Sorry your weather has been so sucktacular. Less than a month til the solstice!
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of wood smoke and there is NOTHING like curling up in front of a fire.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes... that would give me some paranoia as well. Eek!
Bird: I'm trying! I do believe Journey has potential, just not sure I'm going to last to get the project done.
ReplyDeleteFunder: Weather in Indiana is rather unique. You have SUMMER and WINTER, the FALL thing is actually monsoon season (no matter we are a thousand miles or so inland). So the dress is, rubber boots, and slicker for most of Fall and Spring. Summer isn't summer, it is SAUNA, you can get heat stroke checking the mail if you have a long driveway (didn't you live in Ohio for awhile?), then winter we fluctuate between ice storms, power outages, heavy snows, and wind. SPRING? We have a round of tornado warnings, or actual touchdowns, and Spring suddenly heats up to scorching. I'd love to live in a place with low humidity, and no winter to speak of.
Dom: yes, I'm a bit paranoid at this point. My daughter just went through a messy divorce, and they were in court again last week. Makes me wonder...
I know I have only lived in Indiana for 4 years now, but I think you have 3 seasons
ReplyDelete1.) MUD - about 6 months worth
2.) HOT & HUMID - about 3-4 months worth
3.) FALL - the loveliest fall I have experienced and about the only season where you can get out once in a while and enjoy the outdoors - about 2-3 months worth. Not long enough.
I have struggled here in Indiana to do the things I enjoy doing outside. I have lived most of my life on the east coast - from North Carolina to Maine and places in between and it never seemed to be such a struggle. I'm surprised that anyone is able to get their horse ready for ride season here.