The day started well, with birds abounding.
Early birds 
Doves 
Wren 
Wren descending
We ran some errands, splitting up after I dropped Harry at Dobbs, where his car had been left yesterday due to a low tire light. Dirty rims were deemed the problem, cleaned, tires rotated, and all is well.
Home again, I heard from Harry that his day had not gone as smoothly as mine, but eventually he appeared, laden with groceries.
Roscoe was in and out and in and out. It was too cold to enjoy the outdoors!
I have been very worried about the “shed cats”, Licorice and Marmalade, with the impending bitter cold, so I bought some heat lamps at Charlie’s and set up a comfy bed in the shed.
Their table was set and I invited them in, and they would have NOTHING to do with it. They were appalled. I only hope that they will think about it and realize how nice and warm it is under the lamps. I will see in the morning, if they are under the lamps or shivering in the snow.
Marmalade is out of focus because it is so cold!
And it was at the end of the day that the excitement happened. The horses have been out in the snow every day, and every afternoon I bring them in one at a time, pick ice balls out of their feet, and put them into their stalls for dinner and hay. Being creatures of habit, I always bring them in in the same order.
They are even grazing in order – Bart, Oisin, then Stone
Bart came in first, as usual.
Just before I brought him in, the horses saw something to the south, and were on high alert. Bart was very naughty on the cross ties as I picked his feet. The other two horses were trotting around and snorting at whatever they could see (or imagine – I couldn’t see anything).
As I do every day, I walked Bart over to his stall, which had hay and grain waiting for him, slipped the halter from his head… and instead of stepping into the stall, like he does EVERY day, he spun and ran out of the barn.
I was annoyed, but not too worried… until Oisin hit the gate, and broke it open and suddenly, all three of the horses were loose together and adrenaline was high. They quickly left the property, heading north.
Thank goodness for cell phones! I called Jane – she had already seen the horses gallop past her window. Miraculously good luck – Jane’s horses were already in the barn. Our horses ran into Jane’s paddock, where she was able to lock them in. I was hot on their trail, but it’s hard to run in snow.
They were idiots, but eventually we caught all three of them, and Jane helped me lead them home again, in disgrace. No cookies at bedtime tonight!!
I was so lucky that the horses went left to Jane’s house, and not right out toward the highway. And that they went into Jane’s paddock, instead of running all the way over to Marilyn’s house. And that there were no injuries. I have so much gray hair already, it’s hardly noticeable how much more sprouted this afternoon.
Once the horses were settled, I was also lucky that there was enough daylight left to fix the gate. It’s a relatively new, heavy duty gate, so Oisin didn’t bend it, the hinges gave way. Again, very good luck. The chain was unfastened because I was bringing horses in. If Oisin had hit the gate with the chain fastened, he might have been badly hurt. As it was – a simple fix – the latch gave way and the hinges slipped.
The weather was not ideal, but adrenaline was high enough that I hardly noticed the cold. All I could think was how much worse it might have been!
Harry held down the fort while I dealt with my stupid mistake. He loves to point out that I am perhaps the most inept horse handler in history. I think I am just unlucky, but also very fortunate today!
In a weird synchronicity, the news had a piece about two escaped police horses rampaging down the streets of New York today! A lot of that going around… They were caught safe and sound, too.
My last job was to climb up into the loft to rescue Cora, who had climbed the ladder and could not figure out how to get down again. I left her for two hours, but it is just too cold to wait longer, so I brought her down. Someday, she will have to learn how to get herself out of trouble. For now, yowling seems to solve everything.
“Help! I can’t get down!”
Stay safe, stay well, stay warm. Whew! Peace.
What a day! I am so glad your crew is safe and sound. Jane saves the day!
Oh my! I was feeling sorry for myself yesterday because I had to visit the dentist over a problem tooth. You had much more to deal with! I am trying to keep several semi-feral neighborhood cats alive through this frigid weather by providing food, a heated water bowl and blanket filled boxes under the porch. Let me know how the heat lamps work.
Oh, Judi! I don’t know – I think a problem tooth is worse!
Well, I have already had a call from a friend to admonish me about the dangers of heat lamps in barns with hay. I do understand the risk, but the cats could walk out the door, and all we would lose would be the shed and tractor and Kawasaki mule, so I accept the risk. Unfortunately, the cats do NOT appreciate the lamps. I relented and moved Lic’s cardboard box bed back to the stack of hay, and that is where she was this morning. But I will say the water was not frozen quite as hard as it has been – it’s sort of near the heat lamps. That said, I did see Marmalade out drinking from the horse water trough, eschewing the cat water provided. I think cats can survive any conditions, I am just worried after seeing that Stray Rescue had found a dog and her pups dead from the cold. I’m going to leave the heat lamps until the bitter, bitter cold lifts. Tom Morris is unafraid, and may set an example for the other two. He spends time in the tack room, but also likes his outdoor time, no matter the weather. Marmalade slept under the porch, I think, since he showed up for breakfast, but had not slept in the shed.
Oh my, what a day for you! Escaped horses/animals always get my adrenaline racing, it makes me feel I’m moving in slow motion. I’m glad that all’s well that ends well. Frankly a miraculous end. If I were a feral cat, I would take one look at the bed and heat lamp and lounge! Good luck with the feral cats. I grabbed my two barn cats and have ensconced them upstairs to my bedroom moments ago. I think they are under the bed! Good luck with the rest of this ice age, maybe the bugs won’t be so bag this year.
Oh my, adventures never cease! But look how happy Harry is to see you out running after horses, bless his heart.
Peace