Breeders being hit by the storm, check in here

[lilypondlane]

Barn is done, horses are out (that was entertaining), I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled to get down to the barn and then shoveled some more from the barn to the gates and by the time I was done at the barn, I had to shovel my way back to the house because there was another 4" on my little path. Lost power for about 3 hours (bless you NOVEC for fixing that!). We have at least 30", probably more. Enough already!

[Ridge Runner]

God Julie...that is amazing! I'm so sorry you are having to go through that! What a mess!

It poured and poured buckets here last night and blew and carried on...several inches of rain on top of the mess we already had (see my thread in Around the Farm for pics). It was a sideways drizzle this morning versus a downpour so we turned out and me and the barn helper both started mucking 17 stalls and doing chores. Just about noon, it started to snow sideways...huge flakes and heavy...like a lake effect blizzard. It is sticking and we have maybe 2 inches by now and it's still coming down fast.

We bought our horses back in...they were just standing butts to the wind and miserable. All our outside horses are in or near their sheds and most have a hay bale on the downwind side of the shed by the opening and a few have a big bale inside (if they will all share nicely and stand together.) Both stallions are happy to share with their two mares in the sheds as do the young stallions. The mares and fillies won't be nice so they have to have their bale out more in the open.

So this is snow for us two weekends in a row...and that in itself is probably a record for Tidewater VA. It almost never snows here much less sticks and accumulates. What a bizarre winter all over Virgnia and the Mid Atlantic.

[okggo]

I shoveled and shoveled and shoveled to get down to the barn and then shoveled some more from the barn to the gates and by the time I was done at the barn, I had to shovel my way back to the house because there was another 4" on my little path.

LOL - that sounds so familiar! I've also got snow angels about every 10 feet, some intentional, some...well....atleast I have 30" of padding to break the fall. I just wish I knew how to get the tractor up the hill - it's got about 300' to the driveway and then we have a 600' plus long drive. I'll be damned if I'm going to do that by hand

DDB - just looked at your pics, good gosh, looks nothing like when we came to visit - so sorry for your new-found lake

[PixelGraphixDesign]

http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/i...3.jpg&newest=1

OH

MY

GOD

That snow is DEEP.

[aurum]

I do not know in feet but we had more than 50 cms and then two days it was melting on top down to about 40 cms but now freezing and its all ice over and over, the horses can no longer go out as they would need ice skaters now. And for the coming week they promised three days of non stop snowing again. And when it snows here there are huge flakes coming down!

I have enough, totally enough. I am already tired on arrival in the barn opposite to the castle with just walking through the courtyard. Outside I have stopped shoveling since long and prefer to climb up when I leave the door. Thank God I have a powerful tractor and I had already to help those that bring us the hay and straw as they were unable to enter due to the much of snow and ice, so my tractor had to carry them behind and get them in. They said it may stay until April like that.....I guess I need someone to help me keep my nerves calm.

[Sunnydays]

I hear you - and commiserate. This has been a great year in Ontario - where I have barely a foot of snow. In other years, I have had snow blocking my windows by Feb, and needed to push out the front door (sheltered), so I could dig away enough snow to get to the back door and open it. Also, in those years, I've been able to walk over the fences, pulling hay on my toboggan, because the drifts were so high (forget ever opening a gate!). So this year is relative heaven --- but I know what you are going through - needing to dig your way into the barn, and dig a trench to get the horses and wheelbarrows out. Yuch
Hoping that snow stops, and then melts, and that spring comes early.

[stoicfish]

Actually Canadians have decided to take over the world and this is Operation "Snow Storm". If everyone surrenders we will promptly send out snow blowers/snow cats, Tim Horton’s gift certificates, and then apologize profusely for any inconvenience.

Seriously where I live we have things set up to deal with snow, but it would be much harder going through that when you are not prepared and not used to it. So best wishes to everyone in bad weather.

[not again]

Oh WOW Tim Horton's??? I surrender now.

[Hilltopfarmva]

Still snowing, I think 12 or so inches for us. It is a heavy wet snow and seems to pack hard so I did not bother getting the tractor out and stuck. Just two of us to care for 50+ horses. Babies are doubled up in stalls and happy not to be out in it. Broodmares are out, bless them. At least I got them doubled blanketed before it started. The two shetlands who weasel out of their one time a year turnouts are quite happy in front of the round bales with icecicles hanging off them. We have 30 inside and mucked stalls this morning throwing poop in the aisle for now at least the hoses didn't freeze. My poor brother and his family in Culpeper lost power. They have no fireplace and they have two little ones. This sucks. it's supposed to stop tonight at some point. Next round of weather comes Tuesday. UUGGHH.

[TrueColours]

Actually Canadians have decided to take over the world and this is Operation "Snow Storm". If everyone surrenders we will promptly send out snow blowers/snow cats, Tim Horton’s gift certificates, and then apologize profusely for any inconvenience.

You forgot we will send them "poutine" as well and milk in bags to help them out a bit ...

Heck - this is "our" snow and this is as bad as it has gotten all winter long and this just lasted about 2-3 days ...



and we usually have every bit of what you guys have on your plate right now ...

I am NOT complaining. Not one single bit ...

[LavenderFarm]

Yes, Virginia, it is still snowing. Please stop. Getting ready to dress in all the layers required to walk to barn. Snow is above my knees. Horses doing fine last check. Very grateful to still have electricity and hope it stays that way as temps are to be single digits tonight.

The fencing is 4-board - we do not have as much snow this time as in December when it was up to 3rd board. Water is pouring from the springhouse pipe - great that we are regenerating the underground water with all this snow, but still ... enough is enough.

Everyone take care.

[camohn]

I'm with TC on this... Come on you guys, quit stealing our snow!

I'm a QC girl, I LOVE snow! Horses running through the snow make the best pictures

When they got turned out they DID have a ball barreling through hock deep snow.
By the time it stopped here this afternoon we had 20" in the "non drifted areas".

[TrueColours]

LavenderFarm - may I say your pictures look very beautiful and calendar worthy?!

Hope that makes it better ... and hope your power stays on as well ...

And as a suggestion for those that perhaps arent used to intermittent power outages - make sure you have some water troughs filled that you can bucket some water out of if necessary. If the power goes kaput and the pump isnt running to get the water from the well up to the faucet and you dont have a generator handy, then you are toast as far as getting water to the horses

[RyTimMick]

End of my Barn - VA

Here is the pic from the end of my barn....ugh!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

[LavenderFarm]

Thank you, TC, for the comments on the pics - it's what I've been looking at the last couple of days. Very grateful that we still have electricity here, but I've been around awhile and have extra water drawn. The springhouse nearly always has output of water (very slow in drought times but it's pouring out now) and I can get water from there - but would take a herculean effort in so much snow to get it from there to the barn!

Can report that snow has now ceased. Tomorrow will be clean-up day - get tractor started once it warms a bit (temps predicted to be in single digits) and start plowing out.

Horses and donkey doing fine. Hope everyone else is doing OK also.

[franknbeans]

Just had on Fox news-a barn collapse in Poolesville MD from the snow.......jingles, and they know there are at least 10 animals (did not say what, really doesn't matter) and they do have ssearch and rescue teams on the way...........oh dear.

[Zydeco Sport Horses]

Glad to hear so many of your checking in. Jingling that all our COTH breeders keep their power and that it ends quickly.

Hang in there ya'll!

[siegi b.]

Well, we just got out power back that we lost last night around 10 p.m...... DH and I spent the day trying to make paths to the two barns. All horses have been in since yesterday afternoon and are getting antsy. Not sure we have enough snow moved in order to put them out tomorrow - time will tell. We had to dig another path to the spring house so we could get water for the second barn. The main barn was fine because we have a generator that powers the well pump.

I am soooooo over snow!! And now there is more in the forecast for Wednesday... Just shoot me!

[Oakstable]

What's a spring house?

SoCal had rain today but nothing horrible like we got a few weeks ago -- 6 days straight. The canyon where we live will be emerald green when the sun comes out next week.

Anyone wanting to get out of the snow, come to SoCal. Lots of equestrian stuff going on.

The CDI in Thermal is 2/12-14. I'm going to post a calendar on my blog in a few minutes.

[siegi b.]

Rub it in, Oakstable, rub it in....

In answer to your question though, a spring house is a little house that is built directly over a spring, something they used to do in the olden days to protect the water and to use the space as cold storage. Spring water is always the same temperature, somewhere around 55 degrees. Put a little stone house over it and you can store fruit and veggies there plus put your bottled beverages in the water for a perfect drinking temperature.

The spring house on our property is over 200 years old...... If I find a picture of it I'll send it to you.