Well, we waited until February for it, but on Valentine's day the Northeast was hit with a massive storm, and we, personally, got 20 inches of snow in our backyard.
We were snowed in for two days, thankful we stopped at the grocery store before the storm, and it took us just about that to dig out.
Needless to say there isn't much riding going on at this time, nor working with the horses. They were in for three days due to frozen gates and paths which needed to be dug out in order to get them to their paddocks and pastures. Two hours of sleet and ice fell like a sandwich between 6 inches of snow and the remaining 14 inches, so walking and driving conditions were hazardous.
Two major interstates in PA were shut down causing drivers to be stranded on these interstate for over 24 hours in 10 degree weather, overnight. We at home were astounded. As long as I can remember, nothing like this ever happened in Pennsylvania, which doesn't lend itself to the Governor's recent cuts in budgets for road maintenance and the loss of private contractors PA used to use to clear roads in the snow. It really is disgraceful. If it wasn't for snow mobile drivers taking these folks gasoline and food as well as blankets, until the Governor finally got on board and sent out the National Guard to assist, these folks would have been frozen and hungry.
TODAY...more than 36 hours after the storm, these two roads STILL REMAIN CLOSED. One (Interstate 81) is closed for over 50 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On the second day of snow in, I groomed all the horses at home. Manes and tails were done, clipped their muzzles, gave them all a nice rub and got off excess hair. Let them roll in the barn aisle for a good scratch and walk around one at a time in the inside of the barn and eat hay in the aisle. We ofen do this in very bad PA weather and our horses are used to it. They are all well mannered in the aisleway. We have a very large aisle and it is sawdust covered, with two rubber mats for grooming near the front entrance doors. If necessary, I can take in a rescue horse and put up a gate and the horse would have a makeshift staff using the aisle, so that is why we built it this way.
The picture on this page is one of many I took when a family of cardinals visited our feeders on day two of the storm. We kept them filled, and also put out corn for the turkeys and squirrels and we were treated to nature television out our big picture window.
I'm hoping this will be our one and only 20 inch snow storm for this winter.
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