Jailbreak!

March 19, 2023

Hello again,

Well, we got walloped with another late winter snowstorm!  We haven't had one like this since the first winter that we were out here.  Last year we barely got any snow, and then subsequently had huge wildfires, but this year we've been getting lots of little one and two inch snowfalls.  This time, though, we ended up with nearly a foot of snow.  I measured 8 inches outside on our table before going to bed and then Erin got ten inches at the same spot first thing in the morning. It kept snowing ever so lightly after that, so I wouldn't hesitate to say that we probably got a foot of snow.  It was heavy, too.  Really heavy like back East.  It began late on Thursday afternoon and ended sometime Friday morning, with the heaviest snow probably hitting right after dark.  Friday started with me sliding through the snow in the feed buggy to get out to the horses and noticing that there seemed to be the snow that was on the ground, the dirt underneath of it, and then about a solid inch or two of liquid water in between!  It made it really interesting to get out of the buggy and fill the feeders.  But, it got done and I was only mildly worried that I wasn't seeing any of the horses.  I got back and found the foreman already there, with the backhoe running and ready to scrape the snow off of the driveway and from around the house.  I went down and cleaned off the main bank of solar panels and then quickly did the boss's front walk, before heading back up to the house to continue to clean up and detail around all the windows and doors.  I was up on the second floor and could glance out from time to time to see if the horses had made it back in to the waterers after presumably eating, but I never did see them.  So, after work, with the snow having stopped and the dogs having been run, I went out to check the feeders(this time without the dogs, so as not to be stampeded again like a few weeks ago).  Once I got there I saw that they had come in and eaten and as I was standing there pondering the immense beauty of this crazy land that we now find ourselves in, didn't ten mustangs come galloping from way off to my right, really making a bit of a thundering noise on the earth as they ran by about twenty feet in front of me.  They were really in fine fettle and wheeled about and headed towards the waterers.  I followed behind them and got to see them continue to run and prance and kick!  They stopped about midway back, but I continued on to work on filling up the troughs before the weekend.  Before long, they came down the hill one by one to see what I was doing and get a drink.  Then, after a half-hour or so, they were on their way again.

Speaking of those king-sized brats, they got out of the pasture this weekend.  We were sitting at home here yesterday, watching a soccer match and reading the papers, when we got the SOS from the boss.  Suddenly, the feed buggy was out in front of our house, running, with the boss marching back out the driveway.  So, we got dressed and I immediately cut up the hill to the horse gate to ascertain the situation.  So, gate closed and some horses on the right side of it.  I counted six and was glad that only four were out.  Initially, we were told that they all got out.  Then, Erin came puttering up the driveway to the barns in the feed buggy with the four fugitives marching up in front of her, hooves clicking on the stones.  After an intricate dance of about fifteen minutes, the three of us were finally able to push/encourage/lead the four of them towards the gate.  First, I got Rosie to go in, but in took a little bit longer to finally get Nanette to run through in a burst, with Xena and Freedom trotting along behind.  I gave Freedom a good slap on the ass just to tie a nice, tight bow around the situation and finally get the gate shut.  The boss reported that they suddenly were there and charged the gate when first heading out to feed.  They're sneaky like that and sometimes are lurking right behind the junipers, waiting to pull off this very stunt.  Also, keep in mind, these aren't Clydesdales, they're very small and sleek and are very good at hiding.  Also, unshod, they don't make much noise on the terrain that we have out here.  We figured they were extremely jealous about the visit of our neighbor's mules last weekend, especially that they got treats(I rarely give the horses sweet feed or treats), so they've probably been plotting this escapade for about a week now.  Then, with just a glance down at the phone or a look in the wrong direction, admiring the view, you have ten wily mustangs broke free and out joyriding.  Talk about herding cats!  This is much worse!

So, here's a little larger than normal collection of photos from this past week.  First, one of the kittens watching the snow begin to really pile up.  Then, a favorite piece of art from a PA arts festival, now in its snowy NM home.  Next, I needed to clean my car off and move it for plowing.  Then, the snow really setting in on Thursday night.  Next, two shots from early the next morning, as I cleaned off the solar panels, with a huge flock of blackbirds squawking behind me.  Then, two shots from our path between the house and the barns, one looking at the depot and my chaise lounge, the other back down towards the house.  Next, four snow scenes: the mesa behind heavily hanging branches; a huge yucca poking out from the snow; a frozen cholla; and later the mesa finally beginning to come out of the mists.  Then, three shots of the horses when I fed them Thursday night, after the storm had begun in earnest: Xena, Freedom & Felipe running towards the feeders; Rosie staring at me through the gate; her mother, Blossom, facing the wind and snow, waiting to feed.  Next, seven shots from my walk out to check on them on Friday afternoon: first, finally caught up to them, one still kicking; then, two shots of them facing back towards the feeders; next, coming in to the waterers, led by Milagros; then, two shots of them drinking, one from the little trough, one from the big one; and, finally, Milagros & Co. waiting for the entire group to be done, with Starvation Peak in the background.  Then, a reflective shot of the sky when I was filling up the trough and, finally, alpenglow spilling out from a little chasm that opened up in the bank of clouds right before sunset.

Take care.