The Work Before the Storm

We have a winter storm system moving in that's pretty much going to shut down everything for the next week, so yesterday was all about getting ready!

I woke up early to get a load of hay. Since the building I had been storing hay in is dangerously close to the large woodpile we'll be burning soon, I decided not to risk storing hay there any longer. It's ok if that shed burns down (as we're replacing it soon with a better building) but definitely not ok to lose my hay to fire!

So, I decided to take out the wall in my old corn crib and use that area for hay storage. I'm keeping this building (it's attached to the old, original one-room house) and it's covered, dry, and set up off the ground. It's pretty much perfect for storing hay.

This time I only picked up 60 bales of alfalfa....



Earlier I had tried to remove every one of these bolts so I could just take down the wall, but it was a tedious and difficult process, so I got my jigsaw out, cut down a line, and made a doorway. Only problem was, I couldn't collapse the doorway from this side. I had to climb down into the corn crib.


Which means I had to climb up this wall. I'm not exactly the most graceful and agile climber...

It was a little high up there! I worry about doing stuff like this with no one around! I try to carry my cell phone, but still....

Once safely back on the ground, inside the corn crib, I pushed on the piece of the wall I had cut out and down it went!

Once that was done and the floor was swept, I got all the hay unloaded and stacked.

Sophie helped....

I had also bought a couple of bales of straw for the barn cats and made them a warm spot up in the top of the barn. After that, it was time to get everyone fed and blanketed.

Bambi, Fabian, and Betty all went into one pen together, because a particular ornry new filly likes to chew on tails, apparently....

I wonder who that could be?

I knew it was Betty because she's the only one who doesn't have a chewed tail. Unfortunately my SHOW horses got quite a bit trimmed off by this aspiring beautician. (By the way, I know her feet are awful. We're working on it--she's still very wary of me but gaining trust every day, so we'll get there soon. One step at a time.)

Not sure what I'll do with Moose's tail if I can't get good growth on it over the next 5 months. At least he's got a cute front end!

So Paula and Moose, my show horses, went into a pen together, away from Sweeney Todd's pony. I also got their blankets on. Moose has grown into the 68 blanket. I'm going to have to shop for 70's and 72's soon for Betty and him.

Betty isn't the only trouble-maker on the place.

Fabian enjoys tormenting the girls, especially at feeding time. He knows Bambi is protective of her fed, so he tries to sneak up on her, just to annoy her.

He's such an instigator.

It's a good thing he's so cute!

Everyone is all settled in now and waiting for the storm to get here. I've got a pot of vegan chili in the crockpot, the fireplace going, and Sophie even has her sweater on. Stay warm, everyone!