***Update***
It has a name. Orkan Sabine. > 180 hour winds. Stay in. Holy crap maybe it's real?
You know what the difference is in Germany? We never have lost power. Never, ever. No idea why (that most of the power lines are underground does not convince me cuz so many are still left up over the countryside like where we live).
***
But J just came home from work and said school is cancelled on Monday.
"Monday? Two days from now?"
"Yes, because of the predicted devastation."
I said, "Yippee, I get my man on a MONDAY!"
Not a leaf is wiggling at the moment, it seems silly.
He pointed to the trees out our window, this parcel of land we're in the process of buying, but have not yet purchased. Huge tall, dead pines, and if they fall tonight, they are not our problem ...yet. He said, "If they fall tonight on the boarding stable's fenceline, it's not our problem!" : )
I looked at our greenhouse which does not handle storms well, plastic panels warp and fall and sometimes fly off.
I said, "That is our only worry, our greenhouse falling down. I love that we have no large trees near our house to crush us in the night!"
Our greenhouse in Spring. Tempting the winds.
***
Mag fell down the other day and opened up one of his dual fetlock scars. Badly. So bad that he had 6 streams of blood running down his ankle and his hoof, leaving bloody patches on the rubber mats. The rubber mats we bought so he could fall "softly" on them. *sigh*
I was freaking out. I'd never seen such a big wound on him and he kept twitching his leg "it hurts!" as I washed it and dried it and applied medicine.
I realized with our deep mud now, it would be the worst thing to let him just go to pasture through our water-logged path, so I asked J for help. I moved the partition fence to block off the bottom half of our field, which is the drier half (how is that?) and we walked both animals across the street, and all around down ot the lower pasture., where I'd blocked off the lowest part which is a swamp.
Mag flipped out completely.
It's not that he doesn't want to be at pasture, it's that he prefers to have the choice to be either there or here at the barn. And I'd locked out that choice. For the first time ever, we truly tested Mag's respect of electric fence.
It was a long night for me, but he respected the electric fence and was still down there this morning.
The way he ran around, doing racing-speed laps of the area, you'd think we'd forgotten to include the donkey in the scene. But no, Bellis was standing right in the middle, grazing peacefully as Mag did his best to destroy the fragile wet earth.
Every time I appeared, with hay or water, he took his chance to communicate to me how miserable he was, by galloping laps again. It was pathetic; of course I know what you are trying to say, Mag, I just cannot let you in, cuz of the deep sucking mud and your leg has to have a chance, a few hours without that.
Thankfully the wound didn't open up again despite his speed.
Today he has accepted his fate of being "abandoned" at pasture (with food and water). The donkey never noticed, but I put a blanket on her cuz of this presumed storm.
I assured J, "It's not that Mag wants to be at the barn, he just wants the freedom to choose. If I were to lock him at the barn right now, and open the gate, he'd rush out to pasture full speed."
It's funny. "My horse loves his stall!" and "My horse loves his pasture" but in reality, I believe horses love the freedom to choose, 24/7, pasture or stall. And Mag is proof.
With the storm coming, it's OK that they're out there. Every storm I've lived through, I've seen my horses prefer to be out, rather than in the stall, which they seem to know was built by us city folk.
I still hear no wind, but if the schools in our state are closed Monday....I have to wonder what will happen tonight.
9 comments:
So spooky! Keep us posted.
We just finished a 2 day blizzard. Over 1000 highway accidents with at least two massive pileups with dozens of cars and tractor trailers involved. Some of the accidents caused full closures of bridges which, since we live on an island, is a big deal.
It took us a dew hours to dig ourselves out and clear the cars. And now its a picture postcard of a winter wonderland.
Blue skies, blinding sun.
My husband keeps two weeks worth of dehydrated food, just in case the apocalypse happens. 😉
ND, What island?
Did you know there is no emergency preparedness in Germany? Does not exist.
We just had 24 hours of no power and it’s not fun. I hope your greenhouse survives. Irish gets upset if I lock him down n the barn during storms. But if i open the barn he refuses to go out.
We'll be watching the weather charts with you. Germany has no disaster plan...but do YOU? Food? Fresh water? Clothes, meds, extra books?
(I'm not kidding about the books, people tend to forget that their electronics will be useless with no power...)
Teresa, I lol'd at your comment about Irish. What a great horse he is.
Aarene, it's not necessary here. I saw a show once where they tried to explain to German people about the possibility of a power outage, and that their phones might not work. They simply didn't believe it. No one has a disater plan here. (Why, exactly?) It's just not in the realm of experience here. But as typical Germans, we have a large stock of bottled sparkling water, cuz that's all we drink anyway. Then again 12 days worth isn't what you'd consider a large stock, I guess.
Funnily, every single automobile (even motorcycles) are required by law to have first aid kits inside. So anytime there is an emergency, people just run to their cars for supplies. Sadly, these kits expire after a few years so we're constantly replacing perfectly good first aid supplies to comply with the law. Don't get me started about the chimney sweep laws! And I'm ashamed to say it, but even ambulances are required by law to have this first aid kit, which is freaking ridiculous cuz everything we need is right there in the drawers and cabinets. But it's a country-wide automobile law and an ambulance is an auto. When I asked in class where the first aid kit is in the ambulance, they said, "Somewhere you'll never find it, cuz it's ridiculously unnecessary." It's like over the wheel well or something *lol*
BTW, J is wary of living in the PNW cuz we have just about every single natural disaster type possible in one location. He doesn't get how I survived to adulthood *lol*
Lol, my kids couldn't conceive of "no phones" when they moved here from Korea. Not just because the power was out, or the tower got hit by lightning but...WAIT, WHAT, you cannot be serious, a place on the surface of the earth where PHONES JUST DON'T WORK?!?! No way. Of course there are such places on our road, we had to take each kid for a drive and have them watch the phone bars evaporate. And then there's ridecamp, where there was a signal only on top of the hills (sometimes)...that's changed now, we have some signal in several locations at Sawmill Flats, but still none on most of the trail.
So yeah: charge up your phone ahead of the storm...but have a couple books handy too! :-)
Be safe and let us know how it goes. Hope Mag's wound recovers uneventfully.
Aarene, if I recall correctly, Asia had cell phones way before anyone else. I was there in 1999. I worked at a cell phone software company from 2001-2007. And yet, I only just got a smart phone of my own (not a work phone) this Christmas. That I only use as a telephone/texter. Actually it tells the weather pretty well! But it lays motionless most of the day and I take it when I go out for emergencies.
Of course cell phone companies don't place towers where there are no inhabitants, silly kids. But unfortunately I live in the most populated state in one of the most populated countries in the world and I don't suffer from this, though I wouldn't notice. *sigh*
Books? I heard today from a friend that Kindles are relics. OK what shall I read on now? I read my Paperwhite Kindle almost every night.
KB, you are the best. I thought of you today as I did my 8-towel method on Mag's poor leg. *hug*
Your Greenhouse in spring is So pretty! Hope Mag is heeling right up! No fun...
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