A Passing Grade, Five Fs, and a PhD, and We're Ready for Winter

Well, we got the edge of the big Alaskan storm through here Friday night a couple of weeks ago (when I first started this post--now I've got to update it so I can actually get it published!).
 
The wind started howling something awful about 8 pm, and I worried that I hadn't even gotten you a picture of my new barn-end curtain yet!

Last winter's cheapo tarps about beat themselves to death in the first big storm, and had lost most of their grommets by the end of the winter.

Would my new "wind screen" (70% shade cloth) from Farm Tek survive the night?

It passed the test!

Not only does it let a certain amount of the wind travel through it, thereby preventing the pressure of the full force of the wind, but it's nice that it also allows some light and visibility! (I still have a couple of tweaks to do with it before next year, but it looks like its good to go for now.)

You can see how impatient RT gets for his Senior Mush by his well-worn path along the fence.

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I had a honey-do list of five "F" projects to try to get done over that long Veteran's Day weekend.  Then I'd be ready for winter.  Actually, none of them were absolutely necessary, but they would pretty much finish off my list for the year.  (Of course, there's the tack room insulation waiting, and a list already brewing for next year!)

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The first F:  Feeders

Last year's feeders have been okay, but the girls have to twist their necks a bit to access the hay.  They also don't like it when precipitation drips off the roof line above onto the back of their heads.

I fabricated these two feeders from hockey net material from Arizona Sports Equipment and they came out so well that I think they deserve a post of their own at a later date (don't, however, hold your breath).

An ancillary project finished that weekend: the water tank experiment.

 See the layer of foil/bubble insulation between the two tanks?  See the ripples on top of the water?  There's a "Clean Flow Tank Filter" (essentially a pond filter) with a small (500 watt, a third the size of my other tank heaters) heater in this tank.  I'll let you know how it works out.
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The next F:  Feet!

Everyone's due for a trim.  With my back, I can usually do two feet at a time.  My goal is one horse a day, but I will often settle for one horse a weekend.

I got these four feet trimmed Friday. 

 The old gray mare ain't what she used to be, but Misty looks like she's ready for the weather--fat and fuzzy!  She's pushing 25!

And started on RT's fronts Saturday morning, and finished that evening. 

 The old guy looks pretty good for almost 32!  I like to keep up on his feet pretty regularly, as he has one slightly clubbed fore foot (the right, exaggerated here by the sticky snow balls in his hooves.

The girls coming in--they figured they needed some extra breakfast...

 Maddie got done on Sunday, and Kate the next weekend, so I"m probably good until Christmas break, when I'll give everybody a quick touch-up that may get me through to spring (or at least late winter).

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Another F:  Flowers

 These flowers from Pat now needed to be "dead-headed"--I'll scatter the seeds in various beds for next spring.

The flower heads laid in composted manure along the back yard/paddock fence.

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 One more F:  Fencing

The driveway Fence is all done.

Along with leveling these two piles--Fill dirt from Hanks and Fine gravel where I didn't need to build up the driveway any.

I'll get a load or two of big gravel in the spring to go over the fill dirt, and then a healthy layer of the finer gravel to smooth it all out.

I just need to add some garden mesh to a couple of my arena gates, and Sandy will have the bigger yard I've been promising her all summer.

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The Final F:  Fixtures

These ugly brass Fixtures have needed changing out since we moved here 9 1/2 years ago!

The cover on this one finally gave up against the Ellensburg wind a month or so ago, and now they really need to be replaced!

 The fixture issue, however, has not yet been addressed.
Partly because I made a last minute trip to northern California over Thanksgiving weekend to visit my Mom's new assisted living apartment.  With the hubby, who didn't get to go down last summer (though Mom was in such bad shape at the time, she may not have remembered him).  And the dog... And my daughter...And the grandkids!

This is the woodsy view from Mom's apartment!

And partly because the fixtures will require a decent-weather day:  I'll have to work gloveless to do the wiring, so a warm-ish, windless day will be a must.  Might not happen 'til spring...

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The PhD:  My "new" post hole digger

I've had this auger for most of two years now, borrowed from Terry and Anita.  It became "mine" as part of the deal for Beth.

Done for the season.

But I'm not quite ready to put the sn*w plow on yet!

 Another random chore:

 I never got around to washing blankets, but the E-burg Saddle Co. is having a special right now: 3 for the price of 2.  So RT's two will go in next week, plus one back-up for the girls, just in case.
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And some random winter pictures.

The spoiled baby blue Buick that we adopted from my Mom in California,
 when she gave up driving this last summer.
Not! Happy!

 Speaking of spoiled, Hubby Al feeds our fat birdies year round.

Final image: