Lure Coursing

While Brad painted the ceiling downstairs I went to watch the annual Lure Coursing event held just down the road from where my horses live. On Friday I had ridden past the field where the event was held and I couldn't help but notice it was covered in snow!

I ask my friend who was bringing his dog about whether they would be running on snow and he assured me they would be - and they did!

Some of the dogs weren't too interested in the idea but there were a few that really enjoyed it.

I have uploaded some photos on my Facebook page if you want to check them out. I really enjoyed the whippet. She really was pleased with herself when she caught the lure.

After the coursing everyone retired to the organizer's home down the road. The roast venison and venison meat balls were fantastic!

Is it warmer out there?

Last night we got a dusting of snow. The wind is already rearranging it this morning.

The sun is trying to come out but the temps have taken another nose dive for the weekend.

As the snow swirls around the back door the blue jays are trying to stay on the ground long enough to eat the sunflower seed. No worries about the bear coming around to eat the seed this year! I am sure they are snug in their dens with these temps. The cat has already made a foray to the end of the deck and decided this is not a good day. She is back on the couch waiting for spring.

No wind and 10 degrees warmer would seem like heaven right now but we are not going to see that until Monday. But I did get to ride yesterday! The arena was fine where Brad had plowed off the snow. It was still icy where he hadn't so plowing really did make a difference. I had about 3/4ths of the arena to ride in, which was enough to sooth my soul.

And it seems I am not the only one wanting to escape from this cold winter weather this year.

I found this gelding standing by the cattle guard wistfully looking out while his friends picked on what grass they could find. He looked like he was planning a break out when I caught him in the act.

And this calf was considered a jail break when I discovered her. It didn't take much to foil her plans. A flash from my camera did the job.

I guess with this weather it means an office weekend. I hear my paperwork calling and I can't find any more excuses.

Windy Winter Day

For the past 5 days we have had cold temps and high winds. The weather people are predicting the worst winter in 25 years. So far it looks like their are right. One thing I am really grateful for is the new windows we put in the house not quite 2 years ago. Between that and Brad sorting out the problem with the wood stove, the house stays very comfortable. You can hear the wind howl but at least it is not blowing through the house like it used to! Izzy is grateful too. She sleeps near the wood stove and smiles up at us.

With outdoor conditions what they are I guess I am finally going to have to tackle all those pieces of paper piling up around my desk. Just doesn't look like I can put it off any longer. But isn't that what January is about? Clearing out the old to make way for the new. Maybe that is what the wind is all about too, winds of change.

Maybe if the wind blew across my desk maybe I won't have to deal with all the papers... Maybe if the wind blew through the door I wouldn't have to vacuum... Maybe if I had wings the wind would take me flying... Ah, wishful thinking!

Photo: Frosted cat

Winter Solstice

The winter solstice arrived today at 12:47PM, meaning that this day has shortest amount of daylight for the entire year. From now on out the amount of daylight is going to increase in the Northern Hemisphere. My friends in the Southern Hemisphere are celebrating the Summer Solstice, which marks the longest day of the year. Day length decreases until June 21st when it starts getting longer again.

Kenya doesn't experience this difference in daylight because the equator passes right through this country. When we were there for the Fall Equinox, September 2008 Safari, but the locals didn't even know what we were talking about. In Nairobi the difference in daylight between between winter and summer is only 9 minutes! Dawn and dusk last about 25 minutes each unlike Finland where it seems like the sun never goes beginning in May. But in winter Helsinki only has about 5 hours of daylight. In Lappland it's measured in minutes!

I have been in Australia in our winter (their summer), Finland in both winter and summer and Kenya in September. After a while you just learn to go to sleep when it is dark and wake up when it is light. That's a bit of a problem in Finland so you have to use the black out curtains. Now that I am home in Virginia I am really excited because the days are going to get longer from here out and that means Spring is coming!