Early March and Horses

Seems we've had a taste of spring the last couple of days.  Sunshine and temps in the mid-50's, almost 60's in some spots.  The snow is mostly melted, of course, leaving behind lovely brown gooey mud - okay by me, any moisture is going to help down the road and maybe, just maybe some of the melting snow will nudge my bulbs awake and I'll have tulips and crocus and the bluebonnets will start and I can move the brussel sprouts out of my dining room to the garden .... maybe?!! I have seen some green in the fields, unfortunately not the lovely wildflower / pretty weeds  -- the green is THISTLES and YUCCA and PRICKLY PEAR.  Bad plants those thistles!!  Prickly plants those prickly pear and yucca ... all I know is that if I'm seeing them that means they have a head start on the good plants and I need to get started destroying them .... destruction has never felt so good!  And bonus for me -- digging yucca, thistles and prickly pear is a good work out and the prickery plants go away.  Win/win!!

So with the nice weather, everyone has been outside.  The horses move from sunny hill to sunny hill and are trying their darnedest to find sprouts of grass.  You know all that searching for green edible plant material is exhausting -- there has been a lot of napping ..... This is (clockwise from upper left corner) Miss, Hank and Nicker enjoying the sun and the warmer temps.

Shadow just up from a nap ...... He is getting so big!  It is hard to believe that when he arrived at the ranch he was just a little skinny guy and only a couple of months old.

And then there is the "ring" nap.  I'd never actually seen this format executed (pardon the pun and you'll see / understand when you get to the picture) by a group of horses.  I'd like to say I'd read about it; however, can't do that either.  I have a feeling that the "ring" nap formation is specific to our horses ....

I haven't decided if Hank "yelled" BANG and they all fell over.  My friend Melissa's Chloe falls over and plays dead when Melissa says "bang".  And before anyone thinks Melissa is teaching her children odd tricks or wants to report her, you should know that my friend and Melissa's Chloe is a beautiful black and white boxer (dog).  Chloe is very good at playing "bang" maybe she's been teaching the horses?!!

.....as far as the pun -- get it? format "executed"?! they all fell over when Hank said "bang" ... format "executed"?!!  Okay. Maybe it isn't that funny; or if you're my father or any one of my friends that share my sense of humor and you know who you are, maybe it isn't that "punny"?!!  ..... I'm done now.

Or .... maybe they were playing "Ring Around the Rosie" and Hank is the last man standing?

Or Hank got the short straw and got stuck with guard duty?

Either way - they totally crack me up! 
From the lower right corner and going clockwise we have Mama, Nicker, Miss and Shadow.  Hank is the handsome boy in the middle.

And speaking of Rose ... I know I wasn't exactly; Ring Around the Rosie is close enough.  Rose is near as we can guesstimate about 30 years old.  She's got some arthritis in her knees and according to the vet at some point suffered and injury that left her hips and hind quarters very stiff.  I go out to feed the horses on Wednesday night and here is Rose -- completely covered in mud.  She is mud on her belly and on her back and on her legs and feet.  She is so muddy that she has mud stalagmites hanging off her belly.  She'd walked through the pond.  I went down to the pond and checked and there were all kinds of bubles and foamy clumps on the surface.  They weren't there earlier when I was at the pond with the kittens.  Rose had completely gotten herself covered in mud and I'm not sure why. Look at that girl ... this is not roll in a muddy spot kind of mud ... this is "pretend you are a pig and get down and dirty and roll around and walk through the muddy pond" kind of mud.  She is getting around better than I ever imagined or for that matter, expected.

One muddy Rose!

More to come tomorrow .... weather forecast is for rain with the possibility of snow, I'll use that time to catch up with all the other signs of spring we're seeing at the ranch.