While the title might be
slightly melodramatic, things have been pretty quiet at home as the Midwest grapples with more than a week of arctic temperatures -- it's probably sad that yesterday's high of 20 felt like a heat wave.
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| Especially when the day started at -13 without the wind chill factored in.....brrrr! |
New Years weekend was particularly frigid, with highs in the single digits and wind chills consistently well below zero. I wore pajamas for three straight days and only got up off the couch to do chores (my insulated bibs over my pajamas worked out better than I would have thought, haha).
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| The dogs never mind excessive couch time though. |
For me, limited to a (snow covered) outdoor, this weather means no riding. Especially since even if the high on a given day is 20, it's usually much colder by the time I'm home getting ready to ride. The horses are still turned out every day, bundled into their winter clothes, and they seem quite happy to be stuffing their faces with hay...but I'm anxious for this cold snap to move on so I can feel less like a slug.
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| Ice actually formed on the hose while I was filling troughs, which has never happened to me before?? |
It's the time of year for people across the country to weigh in on the "how cold is too cold to ride" debate --
Jen shared a really excellent post from Dr. Yates that I've seen more than once in my news feed this week. We are forecasted to get above freezing this weekend, so hopefully I can hop on, even if it's just for a leisurely stroll on the trails in a hackamore.
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| At least my #2017bestnine gave me some joy looking back at some of the great memories! |
It's hard for me to get motivated to set any kind of 2018 goals or make any plans for the year when I feel so stagnant (I was gonna say frozen but I thought that might be too cliche, haha). Hopefully the (slightly) warmer weather will be the catalyst I need to get excited about things again! And reading everyone's blogs is definitely helping -- so many of you knocked your goals out of the park in 2017 and are setting even more exciting ones for 2018!
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| Digging the new saddle organization I've got going on (hunt seat saddle just out of frame to the right lol). |
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| However this is not working for me at all. Back to the drawing board..... |
In the meantime, while I wait for it to warm up, I'll be over here, organizing my tack shed and trying to figure out a more effective bridle storage system ;)
Thanks for linking that article - it's good to know how cold is TOO cold. We're out there in below freezing temps, which is a rarity for Texas and all of the auto-waters froze this past week. Luckily we're warming back up these next few days and hopefully you will too!
ReplyDeleteI think we have a brief (warmer) reprieve this weekend but I think the longer forecast is back to this crap. Ah well. That's life in MO!
DeleteYour bridle collection is unreal. I have also been living in sweat pants. Sweat pants and long johns under my snow pants to do chores, and then sweat pants whenever I'm home. This weather is making me super classy.
ReplyDeleteIn my defense I have 4 horses and saddles for like 5 different disciplines? There's my excuse for the bridle collection!
DeleteYeah sweatpants have been where it's at for me for the last week. Like someone called me about going out on NYE and I was like "real clothes? Nah, can't do it." 😂
We're bracing for a winter storm and I'm just happy that it will be warmer! Also, I am not sure that you have quite enough bridles.....
ReplyDeleteI have bridles in a cull pile on the floor, there are more! 😂 Although some of those hooks are holding lunging cavesson/Spanish show halters/the leather halters I use for shows, so it's not ALL bridles.... 😊
DeleteAnd I thought I had a tack problem....
ReplyDeleteI live in flannel jammies and coveralls all winter. I actually get kind of bummed when it gets too warm for coveralls and I have to put pants on to wait for the school bus with my kids.
Is it a problem when I love it all? 😍😂
DeleteAnd yassss flannel jammies FTW!
Girl, you've got a lotta tack. lol
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, this brutal cold and total lack of indoor riding facility has me flipping the bird to riding until it's gone. A few weeks more of riding vacation never hurt anyone and a fitness base isn't horribly difficult to obtain once I put my mind to it, so I'm choosing not to fret and fuss because it's easier to just sip my wine and wait lol
Hey, like I said, four horses and five disciplines! Plus my hubby's stuff 😂
DeleteWine and waiting sounds like the way to go!
Ugh this weather is such a grind, bc it just won't quit. We aren't quite as cold as you, but it's just.... Ugh. I found that post by Dr Yates fascinating too tho, esp some of the interpretations (or, um, glaring MISinterpretations) of it lol. Actually will post about that tomorrow.... But yea. It's cold and I'm tired of the cold :(
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your post about it! I definitely think there is room for more actual scientific experimenting on the subject. All I have is personal experience, and obviously everyone's mileage may vary! 🙂
DeleteAnd to think I thought I was moving to the cold not away from it 😛
ReplyDeleteHaha hate you a little bit. Just a little 😉
DeleteYour tack ho game is strong.
ReplyDeleteI haven't bought anything in weeks, my tack ho card might be revoked 😂
DeleteDude now I want a tack shed. Preferably with heat, as it's freaking freezing here, too. I'm trying to force my lazy butt off of the couch and onto a horse this weekend, but like you... I have no motivation, and no desire to wear real pants.
ReplyDeleteThe tack shed is a LIFESAVER -- climate controlled (ish, haha). I have a small infrared heater in there so I can warm it up when I'm actually using it, but the last two times I turned it on it blew the breaker at about the half hour mark, so I gotta do something about that, lol.
DeletePants are wildly overrated!
Weighing in on the cold front - I'm from NJ, spend a lot of time at our house in VT, and currently live in NC (my horse lives right over the boarder in SC). In NJ, it's been COLD and Vermont last week was in the negatives even for its highs! Home for a few weeks over the holidays, and I'm seeing my BM and fellow boarders down south crying about the cold snap. Now, I know it's totally relative to what you and the animals are used to, but I can't help but laugh that they're are shaking in 30 degree weather! Up here I used to ride, or at least walk ride, as long as it was above 20, looking forward to going back south to the balmy 30's instead of the 10 degree weather we're expecting in NJ next few days!
ReplyDeleteLove your tack organization! Saw something a few years ago where they hung a bar, think a horizontal closet bar that hangers would hang on, and they rigged bridle hooks of some sort to hang on that so their bridles hung sideways one in front of the other off that horizontal bar (hopefully you can visualize, hard to describe!). Might not be convenient or could be too difficult to build, but you have quite the selection thought I'd throw it out there!
I had to seriously resist the impulse to leave snarky comments on posts from FL friends on FB crying about how frigid 45 degrees was and how many layers they had on 😂 but you're right, it's all kind of relative. While these temps aren't unusual in MO, the prolonged time period is a little abnormal. But ya know. The weather outside is weather.
ReplyDeleteThat's an idea! I am just struggling to balance a way to maximize the usefulness of my space while also making things easy to access.
I struggle with the same thing, I wanted to openly laugh at and make fun of my BM (in good fun of course!) about her cold complaints but then decided to hold back so she keeps taking care of my horse.
DeleteI'm sure you'll find the best solution for you, don't let anyone tell you to downsize your collection because you might just need them all one day! (From a fellow tack hoarder :) )
Haha I get comments about how I need to downsize from everyone -- mostly my mom and my husband 😂 do not care. If I want to hoard pretty things that make me happy, I will. Blogging is probably making me worse about it though, cause I read about all these fun new brands or buy things off people's blogs. But it's always a relief to hear from a fellow tack hoarder -- hoard on! 😀
DeleteI've been bitching about the Florida weather! hahaha! But I'm from CT and it's supposed to be warm down here when I visit. And it was below freezing this morning! Back to the snowy tundra tomorrow. The high saturday is 7. So that should be fun.
ReplyDeleteYou know what you need? You need more boots to go with all those bridles!
I think you definition of "need" might be suspect 😂
DeleteHigh of 7 sounds so delightful /sarcasm/ ughhhh is it spring yet??