In which I get better-faster-stronger (but not much) and it's winter

The post-surgical rest and healing continues.  

I'm still attending physical therapy three times a week.  That's the key to recovery, y'all:  doing the PT, doing the PT as hard as I can, and not skipping out mentally or physically for a single minute.  It's challenging, and sometimes it hurts...but seriously, nothing hurts as much as not being able to live my life.  So, I do the PT.

In other news:

All those miles last season add up!

In the 2015 season, Fiddle earned (among other things) her first 1,000-mile medallion, and it arrived in the mail last week.  The medal comes on a twinkie little red-white-blue ribbon that is supposed to go over the head of the athlete as she stands proudly before the crowd...yeah, right.  The ribbon didn't even fit over her big ol' nose.  

I clipped the medal to her halter and took a picture, and then put the medal back on the ribbon so it can all go into a frame up at the house.  Fee would rather have a cookie and a nice long ride in the woods, any day.

So...

Our rides aren't long or hard or fast yet, but that's okay.  It's winter.
We're supposed to be slowing down now anyhow!

I've been able to get her out a couple of times in the late afternoon this week.  The drawback to riding in late afternoon at this latitude is that there isn't much of it...late afternoon, that is.  The sun starts setting at 4pm, and by 4:45pm it is dead-dark.  That means we've been getting to the trailhead at dusk, and parking the trailer in the dark.  Another week, and daylight will start moving the other direction...it can't happen soon enough for me.

Here's another winter thing:

But....5/8th-cut or pea-shaped,Shoveled or barrowed or dumped or scraped.Gravel is a girl's best friend.

14 tons of gravel!  What a treasure!  Our darling Henry spent the day in the pouring rain, shoveling, barrowing and dumping the wonderful stuff all over the yard and driveway.  There's no such thing as too much gravel on a farm.  Especially in winter.

Winter is a time for visiting.

That's one of the reasons our friend Laurie from Evensong Paints came to visit (also, she was on the Wet Side to buy a saddle, and we were just a teeny detour from her route--a great excuse for cookies and tea, sez us!)

Laurie lives close to the ridecamp for the Milwaukee Rail Trail Ride, so we
get to see her there--it was a special treat to hang out with her when we
aren't exhausted and filthy!

We also kicked off the party season at Fish Creek Farm over the weekend, with the first of many potlucks.  The food is always so good...

...and the company is even better.

Part-way through the party, Patty put on her DVM hat and went out to check on a horse who had been kicked.  Patty has two standard responses to these situations.  

We moved the party to the barn.  As one does.

Either she says, "put your finger on it," meaning that the bleeding will stop (all bleeding stops eventually, but if Patty says to put a finger on it, it means she's not very worried).  Or she says, "call your large-animal vet," (which means it might be okay and it might be serious).  If Patty wants you to call another vet,  she wants you to err on the side of caution.

This time, Horus needed to be seen by another vet.  And look who the other vet is:

Dr. Laura DVM opened the barn door and we all hollered
"Surprise!"  She said, "There really is an injured horse here, right?"

It's too bad we had to have an injured horse to get Laura to the barn party...but we saved her some cookies to nosh after she stitched Horus' leg back together.  He missed the joint entirely, btw, and should be fine.

Food!!!!

We also saved food for Santa Jim, who stays really busy this time of year.

Photo collage by Everett Santa

And finally, winter is time to hunker down in the Big Chair o'Writing to block out the new project.  

Foxie Loxie likes to help.

It's cold.  It's dark.

But, mostly, it's Good.