Florida, Here I Come

  Did I really say that part of me was "looking forward to below zero weather"?? Someone please slap me next time I say something as ridiculous as that. Sunday was cold, with the lowest temps at -12F and a windchill of -30F. Cold, COLD, COLD!! I think I can honestly say I've never experienced anything like that before. Milking the cows was barely tolerable since I got to lean up against a big, warm bovine; but the spray from the milk still froze onto my hands and made instant "milk-cicles" when squirted anywhere but straight into the pail. Oh brrr was it cold. Walking back home through the stinging snowfall was like walking through fire; it was so cold that it burned. Monday was down to sixteen below zero (oy vey!), but that was almost a bit more bearable since there was no wind. Either that or I was too numb to notice it as much, which is really quite likely.

  And then today... It was 31F above zero. See that? Above Zero. Yahooo!!!! Oh gracious me, it was so balmy and warm that I didn't need my Carhartt coat; just a light fleece sweater. Of course, I was also working at a fast pace and near a big burn pile, so that might have helped some. *ahem*

  With luck the weather forecast will hold, and we should be at a glorious 40-45F by Saturday!! ^_^ I'm really hoping this sticks, 'cause guess what I'm doing??? No, I do not have a date. Admit it, it crossed your mind. ;) Sorry, but no. Nope, this girl is signed up for an airsoft war come 10:30am! Now THAT probably didn't cross your mind, did it? Hehehe. Now, I've done airsoft before, but I've only used those teeny, tiny handguns that you get at Walmart for $20 or less, and it was against like -- two other people. This time around though, I've got a fully-automatic rifle (loaned to me for the week), and it's going to be a good sized group of other crazy people all dressed in camo, who have pretty much all had enough military training to make this war feel authentic. I'm so excited for Saturday that it's almost pathetic. And I already don't want to give this rifle back. LOL. I think I'm permanently spoiled on this "fully-automatic" gig. 

 After Saturday, I have no idea what the weather is supposed to do. I really hope we don't have another cold snap though. If we do, then I'm sorely tempted to pack my bags and move to Florida!! Okay, maybe not really... But Florida sounds awesome right about now as I look outside at 12 inches of snow that can't even be made into a decent snowball. 

  What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? Anyone here suffering from colder temperatures than what I've had this week?

Good Boy, Gyp

  Below is a picture of Gyp that I snapped while I was in Mississippi. I love this picture because it shows just how much my pup has changed. Folks, he ain't a pup anymore! He's a grown dog! His ears are permanently in those positions too; the left ear is always cocked upright, while the right ear is folded down. It makes me smile every time I see it. He's still a little guy, weighing only 35 lbs., and he's just about done growing. I expect he'll be 45 lbs. maximum... He and I have finally settled into a good routine here, in which I put him in the dog run with the neighboring family's dogs (two collies, one mutt) before milking, and then he stays there until nightfall; then I walk up in the darkety dark and go get him. Unless it's insanely cold outside, he runs amok every which way in the dark for a few hours before I let him inside, and the spoiled boy has gotten into the habit of sleeping on top of my bed. I've decided I don't mind sharing my twin sized bed with the galoot, seeing as he's toasty warm and it's like having a heater at my back/feet with him around. Although, he has this awful habit of rolling in his sleep, and twice now he's rolled right off the bed. If I laugh when I hear the crash and yelp, I ain't saying. *cough, cough*

  We haven't done any herding work here yet, and probably won't until spring time. I don't know my way around MO enough yet to want to brave slick roads, so Gyp and I are just going to wait things out until spring arrives. There's time... There's time. We both have years ahead to get this herding thing down.

  I am so glad I was able to bring my dog with me to this internship. The people here are flat out awesome, but there's just something about having a loyal dog that makes me feel complete. That, and I sure love going to sleep listening to the heartbeat of another creature...

  If you're ever looking for a good dog, I highly recommend these English Shepherds. :) They can't be beat.

Let It Go

This was by far my favorite song from Disney's 'Frozen'. ^_^ I can almost sing this by heart. Hehehe.

By The Way...

I wanted to note real quick that Blogger is giving me grief right now, and not allowing me to upload any images whatsoever. :-/ This started last Saturday, right when I was trying to post the newest Pinterest Link Up, and it's still not letting me upload anything, as I try desperately to upload this week's link up!!! Aargh!! I'm working on getting it fixed, but figured I should let y'all know why you haven't seen those Link Ups lately, or any other pictures. I'm almost tempted to switch over to Wordpress; Blogger has been so annoying lately. -_-

Resurfacing

What -- just happened. o_O

 I disappeared from the Blogging world for an entire WEEK!?!? Gracious, how did I manage that??? Hmm. Do y'all want me to apologize, or just skip the small talk and get to the good stuff? Eh, we'll go with the latter choice.

 So, what in the world happened since I last wrote?? Let's see... First off, I'm back in Missouri now. :) I got back on December 28th, and have been kept busy since then! I never did get a deer in Mississippi; maybe next year though.But it was awesome to visit the South again, and I definitely miss it.  

  Since coming back to MO, I've been occupied with burning cedar trees (well, burning the branches really... We're still trying to obliterate the colossal piles of downed trees so that what was once forest can now be pasture), milking cows, shooting guns, playing hockey on the frozen pond, watching Hobbit 2 a second time (*cough, cough*), and then two days ago I got to go see 'Frozen', which was excellent. In fact, I think it's almost better than 'How To Train Your Dragon', and that one's been a favorite for quite a while! Anyway, whatever... Y'all probably don't want to hear about movies. Sorry. 

 

  We've settled on a pretty good work routine over here for the winter, and that's doing barn chores from 8:30am to 9:30, and then doing 3 or 4 hours working on the wood piles (er, tree piles??). After that, it's every man for himself and we're all free to do whatever we want. Yeah, it's rough I tell ya'... Hehehe. ;) 

The weather here has been CRAZY!! It was juuuuuust starting to warm up when we suddenly had another cold snap, and now there's more snow outside! And apparently Monday's highest temperature is supposed to be -4!?!? I'm sure some of you are used to that, or at least aren't surprised by it. But hey, I'm from Oregon, so gimme' a break. The coldest I've experienced yet is 7F. I've never felt "below zero" kind of cold. Part of me is looking forward to it, just for the experience; and then the logical part of me is dreading it since it's going to be like -7 or -8 while I'm milking the cows. Oy vey. I'm so excited for spring time to come, and not just for wanting a reprieve from the cold. I just can't wait to see what this place looks like when everything is green and growing! It's already beautiful here and everything's dormant; I can't imagine what it's be like when things start coming back to life! And speaking of watching the changing seasons come... I'd like to announce that my host family and I decided this morning that I will officially be staying here for a full 12 months! We weren't sure at the beginning of all this if I should stay for 6 or 12 months, and decided to wait 30 days before making that decision. So wait we did, and today marks the 30th day since I left Yamhill County, OR. After some discussion this morning, we came to a unanimous vote of my staying here long-term. I admit that I'm really, really happy with this decision. Now we're all talking about getting my microgreen business up and running, raising and selling some hogs in the spring, signing up for Farmer's Markets, and a couple other enterprise ideas that I have up my sleeve.

 I have the feeling that life is going to get really crazy when Spring comes... But oh am I looking forward to it. :) Adventures ahead!!

New On My Mp3

Okay, never mind the name of this music group; their songs are *awesome*!!! If you're into soundtracks, medieval style music, thriller music and basically all around awesome songs, then here's the motherload  for you. This is basically all I've been listening to for the last three days. No lyrics, just a symphony doing an incredible job at creating inspiring songs. :)

A Horse Girl

  Today I had the immense pleasure of being back in the saddle. ^_^ And not only merely being "back in the saddle" but getting to go as fast as my little mount could carry the two of us, and together we did some crazy, topsy patterns through the pasture. It was interesting, I'll say that much. My mount's name was Benton; he's a fat, short, palomino-colored boy who seems to be a Quarter Horse cross of sorts. He and I were on five days acquaintance, he hadn't been ridden in months upon months, and I hadn't been on a horse since I was seventeen. Four years ago. I won't mention the fact that my safety head gear was a camo hunting cap, 'cause that would freak my parents out. So we just won't go over that... Continue on, folks.

  So! Benton and I were up for a crazy ride! Ha. He was as good as gold *except* for one thing: the silly boy doesn't seem to remember how to turn. Once upon a time he knew that a gentle pull on the right rein meant he needed to turn right. Apparently that info got lost in his spam folder somewheres. More than once today I found myself scolding him, "Benton! That's an electric fence!! Turn you moron! TURN!!! No, don't run me into that tree! TURN!!!"

   But other than that minor glitch (hehe), it was awesome. This little guy can move fast! Riding a horse is a lot like riding a bike; once you learn, you don't forget. So I was pleased to find that I hadn't forgotten any of my riding knowledge, but could instead pretty much go on auto-pilot and simply enjoy the sensation of flying. Being on a galloping horse is such an incredible experience... I feel bad for all those who have never gotten to try it.

 And now I shall stop my chattering and let y'all scroll down and see what's next. ;)

  First we have a picture of chubby Benton himself! Isn't he CUTE!?!? He so squishy looking that you just want to hug him! That, and I'm always tempted to do something to his fuzzy little ears. ;) He's such an adorable character. Even if he does have a grudge against all canines. LOL.

  Second up is Nick. He's a coal black Standardbred gelding; a buggy horse that was trained by the Amish. He's not saddle broke though, which is a pity... He looks like he would have some amazing gaits on him! I like Nick; don't tell Benton this, but I think I like Nick the best. And it's not just because he doesn't mind dogs (although that's a plus). He's just a calm, laid-back fellow that seems wise beyond his years... That, and I have a thing for black horses. *cough, cough*

   And now, ze' crazy video of Yours Truly, riding madly around on a lovely Mississippi winter day. :) 

P.S. All that yipping and yapping you hear in the background of the video? That's Gyp going bananas over the fact that I've obviously been taken captive by an evil horse and no one will let him come rescue me. Once he saw me get off the horse he was fine! But he wasn't keen on the idea of trusting Benton with his master. 

It was crazy fun though. I'm a horse girl through and through...