Without having this post all weather related, just a quick mention to say that we got another 4" of snow last night with wind, so there is some drifting, again. It was -6* earlier this morning, maxing out at a brisk +6*. I only mention this because horse related, I got nuthin' really. I did let the beasts out to pasture for awhile yesterday afternoon – just to stretch their legs – and then when the snow moved it, the fools didn't come back to the barn. They were hovered under the trees at the far end of the pasture as if hiding from a thunderstorm. And being the softy that I am, donned my coveralls, balaclava and every other ounce of winter gear and headed out to get them.
After struggling briefly trying tie a rope halter with snow gloves, I lead Ginger back toward the barn and the rest followed. No stampedes this time; just the pilgrimage home. But I will say damn, am I out of shape! You'd have thought I was a 2 pack a day smoker as winded as I got stepping through those drifts which lined the terraces on the path to the barn. Not only do I need to lose weight, I need some cardio in my non-existent exercise program. I need a mounting block in the pasture so I can ride back. A BIG mounting block. I can usually find tree branches or logs to mount from and even in the best of weather, that ain't pretty, but in the winter with the ol' Carhartt coveralls, there isn't a chance in hell of swinging my leg over a horse.
So as I take my turn at mindlessly scraping off wallpaper from the stairwell, (and let me tell you, if you ever THINK about wallpapering, DON'T – because they lied about it being strippable! Burnable, maybe. If the house were on fire!) As I was saying, I spend the day thinking about ride season. Starting with the regular events: Nebraska Horse Expo in March, the Platte River Riders' season opener, May Day with my friends, The Friday Before Mother's Day Ride, the Horsetales ride at Halsey and Cowgirl Weekend. Then there are a few CTRs I am considering, too. I am not planning a far away vacation this year, choosing to baby the truck for one more year. I hope to have some weekends closer to home at Rock Creek, Camp Moses, and perhaps Indian Cave. Truly, I could fill up every weekend without trying too hard.
The snow won't last forever. This bloody wallpaper job just might!
.
My guys do the same thing, hide in the trees instead of the run-ins. Go figure. We got about 5 inches over the weekend no wind though and we're busting the mercury in the thermometer tonight at -13. Nice.
ReplyDeleteMust be a wallpaper week. We just took it off the walls in the kitchen. What a job. Thought it would never be done, must have been put on with super glue!
"I got nuthin' really." Tammy, you are really a great writer. I love reading your blog no matter what you write about.
ReplyDelete@GHM: We did the kitchen first - my son got a speeding ticket & I paid for the diversion class. He paid me back by scraping wallpaper in the kitchn. I almost (almost) felt sorry for him. I've been working on the stairwell. We are almost done... finally. But the walls are a mess! Beyond skim coating, it seems....
ReplyDelete@Debi: Thanks for the compliment, Debi & I look forward to reading your blog, too (hint, hint). I know ... you have this moving thing going on... Follow you on Facebook but get back to writing soon!
OooooH! I so hate decorating! She handed me a colour chart yesterday, no words were spoken, just handed me the chart and gave me that "Well?" look! So I now know Spring wont be far away!
ReplyDeleteTammy, I just put one up. Some people might not like this one but I'm trying to write real honestly. I am also going to try documenting this whole moving thing, how I did it, sold this farm myself in the worst economy since the Great Depression and am buying the other place with no electric, no plumbing, no heat, and we have to get it up and running in three weeks! Does that make you feel any better about the wallpaper?
ReplyDeleteTwo tips!
ReplyDelete1) To ride in Carhartts, bribe your horse to line up at the bumper of the truck. No matter how tall the horse, you can swing your leg that far over. Tell yourself your lack of balance in all those clothes is made up for by the extra padding in case you come off.
2) Vinegar works about as good as wallpaper stripper. Fingernails to peel up the top vinyl layer, then spritz with vinegar, then peel off the papery part. I hate wallpaper with the fire of a thousand suns!
Here's a story to make you feel good about yourself:
ReplyDeleteWe (I) started stripping the wallpaper in my master bath 4 years ago. It is still hanging in tattered shards on the walls. At this point we're thinking of just putting beadboard up over the whole mess.
The next owners are gonna love u!
Great Post. I've got wallpaper woes too. Every room in our house has ugly 1980's wallpaper from before we moved in. It's even inside the windowsills. Someone had to be very dedicated in their wallpapering when they worked on this house! Wish I could find someone just as dedicated to pull it down. As for me, I'd rather go ride!
ReplyDeleteWallpaper is evil!!!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, we lived in a house back in South Carolina....every single room except the living room was covered wall paper....and none of it was attractive! They were going for some kind of rich, fancy look using burgundy, forest green and navy blue in most rooms, but the patterns wre horrible.
And the master bathroom was the worst *shiver*. I still have nightmares as I could never walk in there in the dark. The pattern were these huge flowers, bigger than your head, more like cabbages. But they really looked like creatures from the movie Alien! Frightening!
And you're right, removing wallpaper is hell! We gave up and ended up selling the place. Seems that folks in the South like wallpaper a lot.
I'm glad New Mexicans rarely ever use it.
Pretty photos, by the way,
~Lisa
ps. And I shouldn't tell you that our temps have been in the upper 50's all week, with dry, sunny, blue skies. This has been a super dry winter for us. We've only had snow a couple times, and haven;t had any rain since last August.
I feel your pain on the wallpaper. It sure sounds like you have a lot of fun plans for warmer days though.
ReplyDelete