A snowy walk with Baasha

Baasha has been telling me he wants to go out for walks lately. He's got some cabin fever too, I see.



Today I took him out and he was so pleased. I had to correct him to get him to walk on a loose line beside me, but it was so fun watching him enjoy himself I was giggling at him.



I usually let him pick where we walk but this time I had an idea, a trail we hadn't been on in a year. He was delighted to see the old path again. He is not sound on pavement, but when he steps into the snow, he starts prancing, it must feel good. I fancied getting on him, but I know that would be risky. Baasha would tear off with me crowhopping for joy. It's been so long I don't dare get on him out in the open with just a halter.



Do you see my "Dancing Ent" tree? Even covered in snow, she looks like an elegant dancer to me.


A lady who lives next to the trail was shovelling snow and I said Guten Tag to her. I wonder if she knows I'm a neighbor.


I had to get a photo of the neighbor's cringing flower.


I stopped when I saw an enormous dark hawk (eagle?) sitting on a post. I am always spellbound by these large birds and Baasha enjoyed staring too. I found out recently that there was a castle here hundreds of years ago between our next door neighbor's house and this area. I wish I knew exactly where, I'd start scavenging for castle parts. He said he did that as a kid already.

This is the tight switchback of our street, my favorite part. It is so lovely in fall when all the oaks are golden, I wish I'd managed to get a photo but I still don't have one.



Just winter, which is also spectacular in RL.

We turned off the road onto a little trail. Funny how the tracks in the snow show us so much about what animals have been around, and what trails are there that I'd never seen before, being somewhat new to the area.

Then I noticed footprints in the snow, a little trail off to the side, next to a creek, that I never knew about. I happily took it. A ways in we came to a sign "Private Property." I was so disappointed, but I thought I'll just pretend I didn't see that.

We were exploring new ground now, woo! We came to a series of little sheds and I wondered what they were for. I tried to orient myself, where were we exactly?

Then I heard voices and just as if I'd been riding, I said, "Let's get outta here!" and we fled back the way we'd come.

I was jogging slowly, trying not to slip in the snow, and when I looked beside me, Baasha was CANTERING! Somehow he regulated a canter slow enough to my feeble pace, for the sheer happiness of our escape.

When we came back to the main trail I was laughing and then there was this man and his dog and he said to me, "There is a tree down, you will have trouble with a horse."

I said, "Well then we won't go on!"

But as soon as I said it I realized we would. So as soon as the guy was out of sight, we ventured further. Sure enough, big fallen tree. But I could see a way around that looked safe. The problem with this trail is, it gets very steep and narrow soon, and although it's allowed, it's not polite to bring a horse where people might have trouble getting around us. So I turned around for home. Baasha was disappointed, but I let him pull me up a big snowy hill by his tail. He loves that, he started stepping out because he knows once I grab his tail, he can walk as fast as he likes.

Thankfully that lady didn't see us on our way out, cuz normal people think tailing a horse is cruel. Endurance riders know it's easier than carrying a rider, and doesn't hurt them at all. (It may even help.)

We came back home and I noticed that my plastic posts have popped back into their proper positions again, woo hoo! I wasn't watching for cars as we stood in the middle of our street, me gaping at our field, when suddenly a silent blue car approached. It was my man. He opened the window and reached out his hand and said "Hello Baasha!" in his sing song voice and pet him.


This is what happens when the trees shake off their snow. This happened right in front of me and I was spared a snow-dousing. I did get pelted by a few snowballs though.

Now I'm getting ready for my trip.

I actually braved driving on this snowy road to get a month's worth of feed and bedding. More hay is coming next week (I hope it's the good stuff).

Baasha has no idea, but the cat keeps looking at us funny like she senses something is different.