The calendar has long since turned and the days are lengthening. The new year began with mild days and riding somewhat neglected horses.
The horses enjoyed the mild days…
But they didn’t last long…
And then, winter arrived with a vengeance, dropping more than a foot of snow. January was a difficult month, and while I write brilliant blog entries in my head as I struggle through chores, I never seem to get them onto the page.
It began to snow…
We went to bed as snow fell 
We awoke to snow 
And it kept snowing 
Beautiful but not much fun…
No mail delivery possible. 
A buried bronze bunny 
The bronze fox 
Harry trudges home
Everything takes longer in the snow. The horses don’t mind snow, as long as they have hay to eat while they are outside, but the snow packs into their hooves and they come in on stilts of snowballs, which can be challenging to pry out.
Undeterred by the forecast snow, Susan and Melissa came to the January Show at NEC. Before the blizzard, we did get a vicarious thrill from watching Susan and Galatea (Teah), who finished covered in blue ribbons and the Novice Championship. They spent an extra night before heading north to home and even deeper snow than we had here!
Classic form 
Happy Susan
I amused myself by photographing birds, and got lucky when a pair of bald eagles discovered a deer carcass in a nearby cornfield…
Mockingbird stretching 
A dove drinks 
Carolina wren 
Bald Eagle descends 
Bald Eagle
The horses got bored and amused themselves by sparring…
Bart and Stone 
Stone and Oisin
A minor injury was sustained by Stone, looking worse than it turned out to be…
Ouch! 
Cleaned up to be just a scratch
My biggest fear was colic, with the place almost inaccessible for a few days, but the horses stayed well hydrated and active, with plenty of exercise trudging around the snow covered fields, so no real problems. And snow melts…
Bronze bunny begins to emerge 
The bronze fox 
Stockings helps with chores
And for a final misery, the infamous polar vortex of 2019 descended on us, and it was well and truly cold. Though here in the country, it doesn’t seem as frightening as the news would have it, and we are a long way south of the really dangerous frigid temperatures in Chicago and Minnesota… Frost free hydrants succumbed to the freeze, doors froze shut, but all animals (and even we old folks) were fine. To send January on its way out, and good riddance, here is my first post of 2019…
Thank you for sharing! You made me laugh here in sunny Arizona! I love your blog.
Fabulous photos! Especially the birds. Way too much snow. And bone chilling cold. Your pictures remind me of why I moved to Florida. I thoroughly enjoy your blogs. Stay warm!