In the Nick of Time

It's no secret that this has been the driest winter so far in these parts in recorded history. And Gene is taking full credit for it. Why you ask? Well, the shelter. It seems that the moment it became usable it started to snow, literally. And as DH pointed out, the universe provided good weather while he was "in process" and it all changed once he no longer needed it. So, there you have it, the fence came down between paddock and shelter as the first snow flakes were flying. Later it all changed to freezing rain and then stopped.

The horses are mixed in their reviews so far. Dandy ( red butt), who loves going for trailer rides and such walked right in, Cooper (spotty bottom) followed but Nick, was completely unsure about the whole thing. They will have a couple of days to get use to them, new feeders and such and then we'll get the guards up in the fronts of the stalls. Come spring the eaves will be closed in and the whole building will get metal siding. This whole project turned into MUCH more than just moving the existing shelter. This new shed row barn got a proper foundation poured with rebar, all new sheathing, good solid footing and of course divided stalls. A whole heap of work compared to just 3 sides and a roof. Building for large animals is time consuming. Safety is always a concern. These stalls are narrow and long so the dividers had to be sturdy and solid. Gene came up with a solution to the higher portion of the divider. I didn't want any horse to be able to reach over and nip at it's barn mate, but I wanted them to have full view of their buddies. We're trying this snow fencing. Plastic, breaks easily but provides a barrier and of course the holes are small. I liked it better than wire ( and the resulting types of needed attachments), and it was a lot less expensive too. We'll see how it works. This barn will only be used in bad weather and at that only for overnights and of course for the occasional sick horse since it does have a small paddock area that can be gated off from the large pasture. Picture could have been better, but I had turkey that was just pulled from the oven before feeding and gravy and mashed potatoes that needed to be attended to.

I hope everyone had a great holiday, full of memories and fun.

We had a lovely Christmas. Good food, lots of opportunity to talk with family and friends ( and each other!), far away. Gifts that ran the gamut of useful, useless but awfully fun, needed and coveted. Gifts sent were well received and one of the best gifts of all, the outfit I made my Mother fit! Whew.

Black corduroy pants and a black and white top. Both made from patterns I tailored down. Pants are from the much loved Sewing Workshop Trio pattern and the top is Indygo Junction's Cowl Neck Shift.

A pattern that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I added these fun and rather silly labels.

I managed to look presentable Christmas morning in a new housecoat.

My first attempt at a fully lined garment ever. Heck it was my first attempt at any lined garment, full or not. Being a first run through I could have done better in some areas, but all in all I'm happy with my first effort at linings.

In process Gene thought it looked like a choir robe! I have to admit, it did a little. Now, it's a bit dowdy but oh, so comfortable and much nicer than grubby old over sized sweatshirts. I haven't had a proper robe in years.

Parting shot: Robin