Monday Morning Motiviation, December 4, 2023

(c) 2006, copyright embedded into photo, 

Hello December!

Diamond turns into gem by
Enduring what should have 
Crushed it. However,
Every ounce of pressure
Makes it stronger than
Before. And if coal can
Evolve, you can too because you're
Rare, strong
and beautiful.

Capturing December, day 31

 Capturing December, photo a day challenge. 

Day 31. Fun. 

DH plowing snow for the neighbors. Working? Playing? He's having fun with it.

#capturingdecember #capturingdecemberchallenge #capturingmoments #capturingdecember2021 #photochallenge

Capturing December, day 30

 Capturing December, photo a day challenge. 

Day 30. Your winter wonderland. 

#capturingdecember #capturingdecemberchallenge #december2021 #photochallenge 

Capturing December, day 27

 Capturing December, photo a day challenge. 

Day 27. Night sky. 

#capturingdecember #capturingdecemberchallenge #capturingmoments #capturingdecember2021 #photochallenge #winter

LIVE @ Santa Claus Village - Arctic Circle - Rovaniemi - Lapland Finland (YouTube)

Time to travel without leaving the comforts of home. 

Live from Santa Claus Village, Arctic Circle, Lapland, Finland.

Trippin' Through the Snow...

...better late than never. Cliche, I know, but true.





Right after Christmas the hubster had a serious case of cabin fever. After being tied to the house and tree farm every weekend since Thanksgiving he wanted to get outta Dodge. So we did. Might as well take advantage of the low fuel prices too (I can't believe I actually filled my tank for under $20 not so long ago...of course that was short lived...nice but short lived).





With record holiday snowfalls in our region, it was a perfect time to take the Jeep on a four wheeling run. Friday, December 26 we headed to the mountain towns of Waha and Winchester. On Saturday, we headed to our cabin in the mountains of Clearwater County.

Duke's Snow Day

We got more snow on Friday and it's snowing now. Our tree farm is doing okay, sales are down from the past, but we know it's because of the economy.

Sam was sick this week, on Wednesday and Thursday. He's doing better today but there for awhile he was just miserable. It's one of the hazards of having a tree farm; we stand outside for hours in the bitter cold, or somedays we spend our time going in and out of the house, going in and out of the cold air really hammers on a person's body.

I love the snow, not so crazy about the cold or driving in the snow; too many crazy drivers out there. Getting out to see Duke every day is a challenge; the road closest to my house is a steep, winding hill outside of the city limits and low on the counties priority list (it now looks like the street I live on, pic below), so to be on the safe side I go the long way. It's an extra 6 miles out of my way, but the roads are maintained and pretty bare. Yesterday when I went to feed Duke and clean his stall my fingertips and toes were so cold I couldn't feel them, and I was layered in clothing. Had my CuddlDuds on (thermal under garments), jeans, turtleneck, sweatshirt, winter coveralls, a Pacific Trail coat, two layers of gloves (knit and ski but not too tight), and my heavy Columbia boots. In this cold we increase the amount of hay we feed to help the horses generate enough body heat to keep warm. I'm keeping track of his weight to ensure he doesn't gain too much and prevent another laminitis event.

Friday when I took him out for a little walk in the snow Duke's energy came up and I could tell he wanted to play. I thought about turning him loose in the outdoor arena, but hestitated because of the ice and concern about him getting all worked up and breathing in too much cold air. Yesterday, I decided to stop worrying so much and I turned him loose. I thought maybe he'd roll around, trot some, canter a bit, but I never thought he'd do what he did!!! And here I was worried that all that extra hay I'm feeding him would make him heavier.




Apparently he's feeling pretty light on his feet. :) I just hope he never does that when I'm in the saddle! :O