Soakin' Up Sunshine

 

It's a bundle-up morning here in North Idaho on this sunny Friday.

If he were here, Bernie Sanders would definitely need those brown-and-white knitted mittens. 

All the rage, they are and so ubiquitous. 

from Twitter: 

“I was just sitting there, trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on,” Sanders humbly explained.

Senator Sanders says of his inauguration photo/meme that he’s glad it “makes people aware that we make good mittens in Vermont... we have some good coats as well.”

~~~~~

Hard to stop at any website in the past 48 hours without seeing another photoshopped image of Bernie in a unique setting, huddling with his mittens. 

I was thinking this morning that my friend Helen and all the knitters of the nation need to get those needles to work.  

Bernie-style  mittens would surely sell like hotcakes, at least through the winter.  And, while you're at it, why not a Bernie-mitten mask to match!

Just an idea. 

I decided this morning that it was time for my horses to spend their outside time in the barnyard.  The first pasture has served as their day time home far beyond past years. 

This change brings on a couple of new dynamics.  I'll have to plug in the electric wire around the board fence every so often, lest the boards get chewed up during winter boredom. 

Liam will be forging a new pathway and probably a corner trench around three sides of the barnyard during his hundreds of lightning speed trips, keeping watch on the horses. 

Fortunately, that will take a while because the snow around the fence is currently hard-packed.

One other item has changed with this transition.  The water tank will need to be heated.  This morning, after a night without the heater plugged in, I spent about five minutes pounding an opening in the ice for the horses to drink.

It's been handy for the past few months not having to worry about their water availability in the pasture, thanks to the automatic waterer.

And, so a new routine morning and night will bring on a nice late January change for me, the horses and Liam. 

Once again, those little nuances in the day can make a pleasant difference during the times of blah. 

Yesterday my sisters and I took another walk and enjoyed a nice visit.  This time, the destination of McArthur Lake offered some welcome scenes on a sunny, brisk day. 

Beautiful white swans can be seen and heard among the geese and maybe ducks.  We were not able to get close enough to their swimming area to see them up close. 

Still, it was a beautiful scene which offers much promise for anyone wanting to enjoy nature over the weeks ahead. 

We walked around two areas at McArthur Lake Preserve, which is about 15 miles from where we live.  

After Barbara and Laurie headed home, I extended my stay in the area by taking a pleasant walk through the south part of the beautiful Wyman Game Preserve. 

I walked as far as the little babbling brook where our horses sometime put up a fuss about crossing.  Which leads to getting off and leading them across. 

A new bridge has appeared, leaving plenty of space for horse crossings----or not!

  Bill says the bridge wasn't there when he visited a couple of weeks ago. 

The afternoon outing with sisters and going solo provided a lovely experience, once again with some pleasant memories. 

It's pretty nice to be able to have these opportunities in January.  Today, though it's much colder, could open the door for more winter outdoor adventures. 

Happy Friday.