Today’s post will be dedicated to those lovely thoughtful people who have e-mailed to say they missed me on my blog the last few days.. particularly one—bless his little southern heart !

I believe I am afflicted with the mid-winter malady of cabin fever, only in reverse. Usually this cabin fever strikes those who are stuck inside for long periods of time due to miserable and nasty winter weather… and here it’s quite the opposite. I wish I was trapped inside, but I must be out doing my thing every day regardless… like the ubiquitous mailman who must deliver “Neither rain, nor snow, nor dark of night shall keep me from my appointed rounds.” And so is the plight of the farmer/animal keeper. This Vermont girl is CRAAAAN-KEEE !! I am tired of bundling up every time I want to step outside the door, weary of walking like a cautious penguin on the icy snowy path. I crave sun and measured full strides ! And if it must be winter—at the very least, I’d like to spend some time imitating a slug on my couch perhaps.

Just for fun, I took one of those internet “tests” – “what kind of flower are you?” http://www.thisgardenisillegal.com/flower-quiz.htm The results—I am a cheery sunny daffodil. I feel more like the dreary, dark nightshade at the moment. Unless you consider the bulb of the daffodil, deep in the ground awaiting its bloom… this is where I feel I want to be—hibernating until spring arrives. But, as Shelley said – If winter comes, can spring be far behind ?? That depends on the ground hog I guess. This year that pesky little ground hog did see his shadow, so we have at least 6 more weeks of winter to look forward to. Where did he find the sun to cast a shadow ?

It is said that on ground hog day, half the winter is gone. Or—Half your wood and half your hay, you should have on Candlemas Day.. which is the original counterpart of Ground Hog Day. Sometimes, I think—February marks half way through—so I am glad.. but then I remember.. I still have half more to go. Spring in Vermont can be long and drawn out with plenty more snow and sunless skies. The days are definitely longer, but we still seem to burn lots of wood. I look forward to putting the horses out to pasture but in reality—even in the ideal situations—if the fields dry up enough to turn the horses out, it’s not until Memorial Day usually.

Someone told me that the snow will never reach the bent over tops of the golden rod.. this prediction could be construed as either good or bad!

My daughter and I did get a chance to get out on the trail the other day. I had planned on riding my Keri, but she had just been used for 2 back to back lessons and seemed quite cranky. She firmly was of the mind that she needed to get back to her round bale in case the other pasture mates would get a larger share than she would. Now, my belief about horses is that they are beasts of burden.. so technically—her crankiness should have not mattered, but since I can relate to that cross and tetchy emotion, I grabbed Teasel instead. It's good for me to ride other horses too.

The snow is still deep, but with a firm crusty layer on top due to the 2 days of rain we received. The horses worked hard.. sometimes walking on top of the snow, then suddenly falling through— making for a funny way of going. At one point, we got to a place on the trail where we travel across a kind of narrow land bridge, a beaver pond on one side, a deep water filled ditch on the other. This trip, there were tracks on the snow—and my daughter and I were speculating what had made the tracks, each of us trying to embellish and top the other with our ridiculous guesses. What were the tracks of a snow shoer out with their dog, became first a beaver dragging something—but wait—the dog tracks became a wolf dragging his prey.. was there evidence of a mooseprint in there somewhere? It’s a moose dragging something with a wolf as a friend. Then, I began to think—hmmmnnn.. if this were true-- and it’s right up ahead.. my horse will spook and I will either end up in the ditch of water or in the beaver pond of ice. The lyrics of a song start running through my mind-- "Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, here I am, Stuck in the middle with you." At any rate—a ride with my daughter is always fun.

Enjoy your day ~