Brrr!

Finally, some cold weather. The neighbor Petra laughed at me last week at 9:30 AM as she was walking her terrier Leopold by our house as I walked Baasha's bucket of mash to him.....wearing a tshirt, pants, and slippers. I realized how odd it looked to someone completely bundled up against the cold. I just laughed back: )

Not anymore! I hesitate before opening the door now and quickly throw on a flannel over the shirt. The slippers will still work for my quick breakfast run to the stall, though!

Bitter cold! It's only -3, but it feels like -7 according to the weather site. I found my first frozen bucket today! And remembering last year, how I could stand on our frozen lilypond, I tried it. Oops, not cold enough, my foot broke through the ice.

I visited Petra and her husband, and said, "Look, I'm properly dressed!," pointing to my hat, and she laughed and told her man about how I am loathe to wear coats sometimes. Then Leopold shot across the lawn and jumped into their pond and CRASH fell through the ice. Lucky for him, it was a very shallow pond, and he was only wet up to his elbows. His owners were gasping in surprise, and we watched him roll in the frozen grass trying to dry his freezing legs. Baasha pawed the air, bored.

Today I learned that if I dump a kettle of boiling water into Baasha's water bucket to warm it a bit, he'll drink. In that case, I shall boil water several times a day, to encourage him to drink more. Already I'm making his mashes too warm (oops) and too wet (messy). And giving him more hay than you can shake a stick at, which he appreciates!

Earlier today I worked pulling nettles out and cutting blackberries (our never-ending task). Baasha started eating a pine tree. I ran over and yelled "Why are you eating that?" and he smelled like Christmas. I hurried him to his stall and dropped a new bale for him.

I went and got his other winter blanket out of storage to use in case it gets any colder. When I put my hands under his blanket, he's toasty warm, but I worry. Worse would be to have two blankets on and sweat a little, so I won't put it on until we have -10 or his ears are cold. He's old now, I worry!

I took Baasha for a walk and ran into Petra's daugher Isabel, who cared for Baasha while we were in America. She was just walking home from the barn in Ketzberg, where she leases a horse. She had the prettiest breeches on I'd ever seen. Black fullseat with grey. Oh my. And they had that "flare" look so common here, so fashionable. I asked her if she can wear tall riding boots in them, and she said no. I said "Oh, I love them so much, but I'd ruin them walking around in mud!" Somehow she looked like a magazine ad, with her fashionable knit hat and new looking breeches. She stroked Baasha and asked about his eyes. One is still teary, but not bad. I clean it and treat it from time to time. She was amazed at how thick his coat is. Yes, he's a bunny rabbit.

Here Baasha stopped eating to ask me, "Do you have another carrot in your pocket? Do I have to come over there?"










"Where is the carrot that is supposed to be in this hand?"







I'm about to head to Ketzberg myself, because my man is in a late church meeting and he left me some money to go to my favorite Thai restaurant. The only restaurant in our town (wasn't that uncanny, my fave food right here?). It's gonna be a cold walk, but when I arrive, the owner will be so happy to see me! I'm probably his only customer who walks there to eat alone. (In Germany, restaurants are for socializing, so Germans don't go to restaurants alone.) Last time he found me sitting on the steps, cuz I didn't know when they opened and I was an hour early. (He let me in early too!) I look forward to some yummy Masaman tonight, with a peanut sauce salad. Gotta go!