Please Mr. Postman

Look what sweet little Foggy found in the mailbox this afternoon! Oh, the silly games we play when we are grounded and surrounded by a dangerous polar ice tundra. Even my post title is a bit staged. On this blog when I use lyrics for post titles they are from songs I heard that day. I did not hear "Please Mr. Postman" today or probably any day in the past twenty years, but it was too cute to pass up.

The thick layer of ice that covers the deep snow has kept me from riding so I've been leading each horse on the driveway for fun and exercise. Today to spice things up a bit, I hid carrots and apples inside the mailbox. The mailbox is safely located on our horseshoe shaped driveway so the horses can investigate it freely without worry about traffic. 

The mailbox was obviously a huge hit with all three boys, but I only thought to bring the camera for Foggy's turn.

Because of the ice storm we were without power briefly and had to move over to the mid-century ranch house on our farm. Oh what a tragedy - I hate it when that happens! You mean I have to move to the house right in the middle of the pastures where my horses live?!?! I do feel sorry for Brian and Maizie being displaced from our little Nutmeg Cottage, but Noodlebug and I made ourselves right at home! Noodle thinks it is a big adventure going over there. Here she is snuggling in Maizie's bed in our getaway house. Thank goodness our farm is serviced by a different power company than our normal house - it was a luxury to have heat and electric and hot water.

We lost many tree limbs and some of our fence got smashed, but all in all, we were very lucky!

I've been turning the boys out in the pastures from 10 am to 5 pm. The temperature doesn't get above freezing, but they can break through a little during the middle of the day. They don't move around too much because it is an arduous process to walk. Their fetlocks are not ripped even though the ice is razor sharp. They can't stand being inside, but they don't seem too happy outside either. 

Before the ice storm Sovereign was having a big time worrying about a giant snowman that appeared one evening in our hayfield. Every once in awhile a few people would straggle out to the snowman, but they were either very tiny or the snowman is seven feet tall. Their play and singing (think Whoville people circling snowman) was more than Sovey could take. We are going to have an interesting ride out there when the ice tundra melts. Sovey will be on high alert and I wonder what Pie will think of a snowman taller than he is!

The photo below was taken the night before the ice storm and it tells so much about my my horses and their unique personalities. Sovey is far out in the center pasture, on duty as the herd's policeman and sentry watching for the snowman people. Pie has stopped eating to see if Sovereign needs assistance. Yet, Pie is torn - there is much hay that needs to be gobbled and he is not going to get too far away from those piles. Foggy rarely worries about anything and thinks it is a fine opportunity to eat without being pushed around.

I am going to try to ride the boys at the walk on the driveway on Monday. It may be short, but we all have cabin fever. Everyone except Noodlebug, that is!