I saw a few patches of thin, brown ice when I took hay to the barnyard this morning.
That means we had some melting yesterday.
It also means I'll probably be bringing out the boards fairly soon.
I keep a small pile of boards in my barnyard for early spring months when snow and ice gradually turn into several seas of brown muck.
With time, it gets deep and mushy too.
So, there will come a time when my cart will no longer function for carrying hay to strategic spots in the barnyard.
That's when the boards come in handy, and that's when I walk the planks with pitchforks full of hay to fling this way or that.
There will also come a time when the horses stay in the round pen west of the barn for the day.
It has higher ground cuz it's been built up, and it's about the only spot on the place where the horses and I can avoid the mud.
Yes, it will get worse before it gets better, once the temps, day and night remain consistently above freezing.
I dread those times but also know we have to go through them as we wish our way to spring.
Other than than thoughts of upcoming muck, Bill and I now have a few more reasons to look ahead toward better times.
His doctor told him yesterday that he can now sleep without the boot. He can also get his foot wet, and he now has a special sock which replaces the bandages.
The best news came when the doctor told him he could actually drive to his annual family forestry conference in Moscow later this month.
He still has to use the knee roller for several weeks and will be taking along crutches for moments of egress and ingress with the car.
All in all, though, it was great news, and Bill enjoyed an improved night's sleep over those of the past two weeks.
Other good news: our taxes are completed, and we do not owe, owe, owe the Federal government like we did last year.
Those giant quarterly installments helped, not the "big tax cut."
Like others, however, we do owe the State of Idaho, thanks to the change in tax laws. Fortunately, it's not exhorbitant, but we do owe.
This week also saw the completion of a story assignment which has kept me busy for the past month or so.
It's for the summer edition of Sandpoint Magazine, and I have one element still remaining: a group picture of my featured subjects.
Since it's probably not wise to have snow drifts in the background for a summer edition and because we like to tout the beauty of our area, we'll wait a while to do the photo.
Once again, as in the past, I worked with some very nice and interesting folks as "Natives and Newcomers."
Stay tuned.
The magazine comes out in mid-May.
Bill and I can also now look ahead to making some travel plans in the fall. I'll just let you guess where.
Add to all that daylight savings time starting this weekend and a hint that our temps might even get up close to the 50s in the next couple of weeks.
That means the frequent stress meltdowns of struggling to open and close stubborn barn doors, slipping and sliding on ice and plowing, plowing, plowing may soon come to an end, thanks to the meltdown of a whole bunch of unexpected snow.
It also means having a lot more freedom to move around on foot and a lot more places in which to enjoy walking again.
Good times ahead, we hope.
Happy Wednesday.
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