10 a.m. Tuesday: The farm truck is stuck halfway down my driveway. I did not put it there, and that is all I have to say about that.
I am, however, in charge of supervising its removal. My working students schlep valliantly, and out it comes. I really want it at the barn, but there just ain’t no way. So it goes to the end of the driveway, and there it will stay.
The forecast is calling for up to 20 inches between Tuesday evening and Wednesday evening; even worse, it’s going to be cold and very, VERY windy. We are at the top of a hill, which is great, except that there’s absolutely nothing to block the winds and drifting snow. Ew.
6 p.m. Horses are done, and my working students are camping out with me for the night. Superstar tractor wizard Jay came over to help my poor one-legged Dad with some of the clearing, and the guy’s a star. We now have a vehicle at the end of each driveway, and my girls’ and my cars are back at the farm. Time to hunker down!
7 p.m. First flake sighting. Here we go again…
8:30 p.m. One working student has forgotten something back at the house. Are you sure you need it, I ask? Yes. So off she goes. She tells the other, I’ll call you if I get stuck.
9 p.m. Ring, ring. Of course, I’m asleep at this point, and they don’t wake me, bless them. I have a terrible night, though; I’m having awful stress dreams about being totally unprepared for Ella’s first Grand Prix. Might have something to do with the fact that said test could be in as early as six weeks, and I haven’t been able to sit on her for a week because of the Skin Crud of Doom on her back. Ugh.
5:30 a.m. Up and at ’em. First, a look outside to survey the damage… and I’m pleasantly surprised. Not much has stuck to the driveway. And the weather report has reduced the snow total to 15 inches max. Not much of a difference, but it’s heading in the right direction!
7 a.m. Well, that was short-lived. It’s sticking now. And how.
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Off to my parents’ driveway, where the girls’ car is stuck. And it’s STUCK. But because we are Women and we are Fierce and Clever and All Kinds of Awesome, we get it unstuck. Hear us roar! Who needs men?
11:30 a.m. You know what we need around here? Some men.
We’re shoveling. Again. Fortunately, the snow seems to have stopped, at least for now. We are left with 30 mph winds, though, which makes for a dandy time. I did get some horses worked, including Ella, who I lunged and worked in hand. Jeez, she’s a nice horse. Almost makes me forget about the snow. Almost.
The plan is to take a lunch break, then go and pick up my dad with the Kubota and plow, so he can do some plowing while we get the rest of the horses done.
1:30 p.m. Dad calls. He’ll be ready in just a moment.
1:45 p.m. “Have you looked outside?”
“Yeah, Dad.”
“It’s wild out there!”
“It is, Dad.”
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“Maybe we should just hunker down today.”
His courage is spent for the day… and I’m secretly OK with that.
2:15 p.m. OK, seriously, this snow has to stop, because I’ve started baking. This is bad. Very bad. Sugar cookies with peppermint schnapps for flavor. Ooh, they’re really good.
BAD. BAD BAD BAD.
3 p.m. I have to get out of this apartment, or I’m going to eat all of these cookies and then go insane. I’m going to ride a few more.
6 p.m. We saw the sun for a few hours! Not that that matters with 55 mph winds howling and blowing snow all over the place. I’m glad that we didn’t plow today, because why bother? I’m actually OK with some of the wind, because I’ll sleep much better with less snow on the roof.
The plan for tomorrow: to get all the driveways plowed enough to resume business as usual and to break open one or two more paddocks. And I’d love to start working on the big tree branches that have fallen. I’m afraid we’re going to lose a few trees.
And, of course, more galloping in the snow. And burning off some of these dang COOKIES!
8:30 p.m. One last check of the weather. 40 percent chance of snow on Monday. Please, shoot me now.
