Bill was out at oh-dark-thirty this morning plowing the driveway and lane after the latest snow dump. I think I'm running out of fingers on which to "count the ways" the snow has graced us of late.
And, to borrow another tidbit from Elizabeth Barrett Browning---I don't love thee so I don't want to count the ways ANYMORE!
Okay, enough sputtering. Now, it's mutter time.
That said, it's NOT snowing this morning, but we've been promised more tomorrow. What's with this Mother Nature, anywho, making promises AND delivering.
In my mind, she could take a day off from her deliveries, and we would not mind.
Before Bill started plowing, he opened the barn door for me. With the amount of cold and snow of late, the door has become increasingly difficult to open and close.
And, my shovel-worn neck and shoulders have had enough aches and pains from chopping and scooping and heaving and pushing that adding the stubborn door to the mix will only exacerbate the daily soreness.
So, that was nice of Bill to open the door, and maybe we'll get some warmer weather so it won't be a problem in the next day or two.
I mention the door so I can lead into the subject of animals and their routines.
If what I've seen with Border Collies and horses, I think they're worse than people when it comes to cues on what they need to do next.
Of late, while I'm preparing stalls for evening, Liam has learned that the sound of the grain lid at the back of the barn means a small handful of Country Critter.
So, it's like clockwork: I head to the grain barrel and good ol' Liam is right behind me, waiting for his hand-out; hence, a new daily routine added to nap time, squirrel time, Chuck-it chewing, Firewood Gnawing 101, etc.
Now, let's talk about Lily, the Appaloosa mare. If it's mid-afternoon and Lily sees me drive into the driveway or come out of the house, she figures it's time for me to take her to her stall and begins the persuasive nickering routine.
If it's not time, I yell back at her, "IT'S NOT TIME." She'll usually shut up and go on to something else until the next time I come out of the house.
Another of Lily's set routines involves when it's morning and time to go No. 1 after a night in the stall.
The instant I open the barn door, she rotates around her stall, backs up to the south wall and the floodgate "tinkle, tinkle, tinkle" begins.
I always silently wish that she could just wait until she goes outside so I would not have to load up all that urine into the shovel with the shavings.
But Lily has a mind and a bladder of her own.
This morning I discovered for sure that opening the barn door does NOT serve as Lily's cue to pee.
Nope, I'm the trigger.
You may recall from my mutterings up above that Bill opened the barn door this morning. Well, apparently in Lily's mind, that was not the right cue, so she had to stand there and hold it until I arrived.
The instant I walked into the barn, Lily began her routine and by the time, I walked into the stall where the hay is stored, I could hear "tinkle, tinkle, tinkle."
This makes me wonder what Lily does on mornings when I'm not home and somebody else walks into the barn to do the chores. I'm betting they don't have to scoop up puddles of urine.
Maybe if I put a disguise on and walked in, she would wait until she's outside in the barnyard to let loose with No. 1.
I guess that's enough muttering and sputtering for a Monday morning.
So, Happy Monday. I'm hoping this will be the last assortment of snow pictures from Selle Valley AND beyond.
Enjoy.
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That's my son Willie. We're starting to see him more often now that the SHS girls basketball season has ended. He and our grandpuppy Joe were headed to the dump yesterday afternoon when I snapped this photo. |
In the "When in Rome" category . . . . this just in from the Vatican.
When it Rome, nuns have their "habits" too, while doing snow removal.
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