I'm posting this so I can look back on the future and see what this Winter was like. It's kind of a big whine, but I want to remember it. I'm writing about what it was like at our equestrian facility, Five Fires, but the picture was taken out the back door of our house in Noel Shore (twenty minutes away).
The bad:
- Working in the barn for hours with a wind chill of - 30 after getting up repeatedly through the night to make sure the water was still running.
- my first ever frost bite, and then repeated several times
- dehydration (I didn't realize how cold could be so drying to people)
- waking up in the camp when it's so cold the pets' water bowls are freezing (actually waking up isn't bad - getting out from under the covers is the rough part 😀)
- fatigue like I've never experienced
- riding less than I've ridden any winter since I took up riding again nine years ago, even though we now have a fabulous indoor. It's been too cold to ask the horses to work (based on University of Guelph recommendations not to work when it's colder than - 10). Also with travelling from Noel Shore to the barn there have been stretches of days at a time when the roads were just too bad to get there.
- being away from Doug for days at a time while he's at the facility and I'm in Noel Shore, or vice versa
- multiple friends and acquaintances loosing their horses and / or foals
- knowing / seeing how hard Doug is working, non stop, to keep everyone safe and healthy - plowing, plumbing (frozen pipes), heating, supplies (feed, bedding,...), and on and on
I'm told it's the worst winter on record since 1935, but I don't know if it's true.
There's good news to though :
- no property damage (many bands and arenas last their roof this winter)
- healthy horses (fingers crossed it stays that way)
- we bought a mini home so we can all be together at Five Fires soon
- Doug and I have a great time when we are together
- Mom is healthy and doing great