RicelandMeadows

November 1, 2023

What a change a day makes. Yesterday was cool, but nice as we said goodbye to October. Today, the snow greets us. There was over four inches on the ground and a few more on anything flat when I got up this morning. We all knew it was coming. Here it is.

I spent part of yesterday gathering up hoses and putting seasonal items away. We worked on equipment moves as we shuffle things around to enhance our newly renovated shop and corn crib. The project is almost complete and our buggies and wagons will move soon to their new storage area.

Our steel-wheeled horse-drawn equipment has been moved to our storage barn out back. The are stored on concrete, in a dry space. Next year we will put them away in the order they will be used. This year, we tucked them in for winter and will deal with the organization on a nice day next spring.

Hank and Abby in for a drink as they track up the slush. I had a few plans for today, but moved inside out of the slop quite quickly. The horses spent the night and morning inside the barn. They will spend the afternoon outside in their paddock. They love to roll in the snow.

Tonight, when they all come in for chores and their supper, I will clean them all off with a good brushing. The young girls will get harnessed for familiarization training. They stand awhile wearing their gear and munching on hay. This type of training gets them used to wearing the harness, its noises and feel. This all happens in the safe place of their stalls. It becomes something we do and bodes well for the training that looms large on their horizon.

Grace has come along well since this picture was taken back in August. She continues to be a solid workhorse and an asset to our horsepower requirements. It is my hope that she will be a star in our maple woods during the upcoming 2024 season.