Happy New Year!

Where have I disappeared to?
 Sorry guys, I got sucked into the black hole that is a family Christmas.

But it's a wonderful, wonderful black hole. I swear....

First things first, "how was Christmas?" you ask...
Epic. As only a holiday centered around greed (and self-congratulation - I mean, giving) can be.

I got a hat from one of my students. And it's fantastic. I've worn it every day since Christmas eve (what? we have no self control as a family).

Lookin' seasonal in our hats

I also received some wonderful tea, and a tea cup (to replace one of the ones I smashed in the sink). The tea is now gone, but the cup survives.
And from the always fantastic COTH secret santa, I made a haul... She sent me five of the Melanie Travis mysteries (who doesn't love a poodle themed mystery?), a gift pack of Ben'smoms saddle soaps, a Christmas ornament and a wonderfully unique necklace featuring steampunk, poodles and dressage. Could it have been any better?

My sister gave me four sets of white pony wraps (for the next championships, obviously), my mom gave me some Doublin boots (which are fantastic).

Now, of course the Christmas tree must come down. The lights are turned off. And the New Year is right around the corner.

Oh, and I'm preparing to take three half-feral dressage ponies on a 2500 mile road trip as I relocate (temporarily!) to the Houston area. With three poodles in tow. In the dead of winter.
It's gonna be awesome. Stay tuned for that adventure....

Blanket liner? Check
Heavy weight blanket? Check
Embarrassing hood? Check
SubZero temps? Check Check Check

Merry Christmas to All!

I'm going to assume that as soon at the Family shows up, posting will fall to nil... So here's my best Christmas Wishes to everyone!

 The presents are stacked under the tree with care....

"Guys, this poodles hat is choking me!"

 Waiting on Santa (or in this case, an Elf) and one important reindeer!

"Mush, Bacon! Mush!"

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

You Know What Else I Love About Winter?

(Could alternatively have been titled "What else I love about traveling")

Look at all that snow... already! It's only December

The flu.

I have been sicker than sick for the past four days. The achey joints, exhausted, sore throat, and fever sort of flu... Only up side: I lost 5 pounds doing absolutely nothing.  As in those rapidly-becoming-feral ponies had to deal with minimal attention: No stall cleaning, no blanket changing, no grooming. Just dump feed and turn out. The bare minimum... and those darling little hot house flowers could not believe it.

Fortunatly today I feel so much better!
I woke up with a less hacking cough and some energy!

Gorgeous 9am sunrise

It was gonna be a beautiful day! The sun was shining, the dogs were ecstatic that I was once again on two feet and moving (or at least Scott and Bacon were ecstatic; Tempi slept in).

After throwing breakfast hay and giving the ponitas their handful of grain, I came back in for my morning tea (because I have an addiction... And it makes my throught feel better. So what? Don't judge)... The thermometer outside my kitchen window ruined my cheery optimistic mood. I guess even thinking about going for a ride- even a bareback trailride- was pushing my luck.

Yes, that says -10F

So I cleaned stalls, rebedded with the expensive prepackaged sawdust because my loose pile is frozen solid, groomed, upped the blanket power then turned the ponies out. I watched the mares leap and buck, but of course by the time i took off a glove and got my phone out for pictures, they were acting like nothing ever happened....

The snow doesn't look deep here, but in places it's at least 3'

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

And wintering at WEF!

Hey, a girl can dream, can't she? While I'm at it, let's imagine that I won the lottery and never ever had to work for a living ever again....

sigh.

Where exactly have I been? I know, I've been a bad, bad blogger and haven't been keeping up the postings exactly. I swear I'll try harder. Maybe. But I've been so busy....
Enough with the excuses and write something entertaining and witty already. Sheesh....

Ahm. Well, after thanksgiving, I planned on taking a five day trip to Texas to see the 'rents. Of course, two of those days were supposedly spent traveling, so three days basking in the mid-forty degree weather and giving lessons.
Of course, I thought that I had everything under control. The horses were taken care of, the pooches were watches... But of course Mother Nature decided that I didn't really need to see my family. In the two days leading up to my estimated departure, it snowed nearly two feet.

Flight Canceled.

Then it was zero visibility as the cold front moved in.

Flight canceled.

Go! Before that cloud catches us!

Third try: we just barely made it out before the weather took a windy blowy turn.
I do have to interject that the United customer service was fantastic when I tried rebooking. They didn't sound harried or pissed off that I needed to leave asap. They even upgraded me to a direct flight. Two thumbs way up for them.

During my now two and a half days in Texas, I gave eight lessons, took two jump lessons and tried out a prospect for my mother. Oh, and over indulged in all of the confectionery goodness that I cannot get up in the Yoop.
La Madelines, China Inn, Midway Barbeque, Chick-Fil-A.
Delicious. All of them.

You could make a lot of fajitas out of that bull...

I rode more in the two days that I was in Texas than I have in WEEKS. It was glorious! I was so sore after two days of jumping the trainer's personal horse (because, it turns out that she loves my basics) that I could hardly move on day three to give a lesson and wait in an airport (we're getting to that part).
The trainer was so impressed that she asked when I would be back. And if I would teach her show students to help their flat work before the season starts up again.

On a more personal note: I was absolutely amazed with all the improvements to the Ranch since I've been gone!
The arena has sand and a FENCE!!!!
There is pipe fencing around the Barndominium!
The stalls all have mats!

AT owns the place. Not bad for 26, huh?

Oh, and there wasn't any snow on the ground!

Sigh. It was wonderful, even at 40 degrees and rainy. Just wonderful.

And then I had to leave. So I gave my mom one last lesson at the crack of dawn, petted a very happy RC and off to the airport I went (with my mom, since obviously I didn't rent a car). By the time that I got to the check in, my first flight (Houston to Philadelphia) had been canceled. Off to the service desk I rushed... In Terminal C, across the airport. Again, yay United reps... I got upgraded to a direct flight, Houston to Chicago... but it was set to depart four hours after my origional flight.

Now the Houston airport isnt really set near anything, and I didnt know how bad the security line would be, so My mom and I sipped coffee for an hour and a half before I trundled off to make my way through security.
Breezed through it like nothing... even though I got some raised eyebrows for having riding boots and a helmet and possibly the most offensive smelling gloves that TSA has ever encountered in my carry on. And then I waited. For three hours.
And made it to Chicago where, miracle for all miracles, my flight to Hancock was still on time! No weather delays!
I did a small celebration, and settled in for the three hour wait - with more Chinese food. I do love Chinese food.
As I strolled over to the appropriate terminal, I noticed that there was a 40 minute delay. "Awaiting aircraft", it said. As it would turn out, the plane that was supposed to carry my happy self back to the frozen tundra was stuck in Pittsburgh.
Three hours later, it took off from Pittsburgh, to the quiet celebration for a handful of Yoopers trying to get home.
Four hours later it landed.
Five hours later, the flight canceled. At 2:30 in the morning.
Now, I have family in CHicago. I could have found a couch if they had cancelled it at 9. Or 10. Or possibly even midnight. But at 3am? Even I am not that rude.
Evidently, some of my fellow passengers were just as unhappy. One gentleman made a fuss, and the United rep comped us all a nights stay in the Holiday in, free cab fare to and from the airport and a day's worth of meal vouchers. I've had worse customer service.
Oh, and rebooked us all on a 10a flight home.

Five hours later, I was back in the Chicago airport, praying for good weather.
Two hour delay later, we were on the plane, and getting ready for wheels up when the captain informed us that visibility was shit, and even though he packed extra fuel, there was a chance that we were not, in fact going to land in Hancock. But, my luck had turned evidently and we landed after circling the Hancock airport for an hour.

Home Sweet Home

Now, I have a decision to make. I can either stay here, as my income dwindles due to poor weather and my riding time falls to nil in this weather, or I can winter in Texas, returning when my engineering contract is renewed. 

"Who puts a pony out in the snow!"

The positives: I would have at least one barnful of potential clients. My mom has offered my three mares a spot in her barn. I could take lessons, give lessons and continue to train my horses. 

Delight is debating if the hay is worth the walk...

The negatives: I love my little farm up here, and it feels kind of like wimping out to leave when the going is getting tough. The biggest drawback is that I feel really guilty for abandoning my current crop of students.

"I vote Texas"

Decisions, decisions. I told everyone that I would let them know by Christmas....
tick, tock, tick, tock...

Maybe A Little Cheese....

... To go with my whine.

Really, I do try to stick to wine rather than whine.
Sometimes both are needed.

It's been cold and snowy. I can handle cold, but the blowing snow that we've had for the past few days is just not cool. Not cool at all. I haven't been able to ride more than once or twice a week, and I'm really not ok with it.

The wood floors make rough housing difficult

It would seem that I get a little testy about things when I don't get my saddle time. Sure, I clean stalls, brush horse and dump manure... but it's just not the same.

At least someone is willing to help a girl out

So, what's a girl to do when she can't spend hours and hours riding/playing with horses (because, honestly, how much can I clean the barn!)?

How about pretend to be a normal homeowning(ish) adult? A little non-equine themed decorating, maybe?

The extra room, before

Now, I will be the first to say that my house is freaking adorable... until you come inside. Then it's hospital beige with horse pictures all over the place and pretty much always looks like I come inside and just explode. 

What? I'm not exactly Suzie Homemaker. So sue me...

But I did make an effort. My goal is to go through room by room and turn it into "my" house, not just "the family" house

>>Quick side note for my readers who didn't know: My humble little farm house was built by my great grandparents, and has been inhabited by a few of every generation ever since. There's a history.

So what's more me than bright colors?I mean, this place has six months of grey, who would want a boring dull colors?

Too bright?

Now for something that most of you wouldn't know about me: I love love love the steampunk look. Top hats, gears, metal and gem tones... How cool, right?

In an effort to look less like a Just Out Of College girl, I even painted my various colored Ikia shelves so they all match (ok, not all of them match. Let's call it a work in progress). So far only one shelf is completely done. I spray painted it hammered brass (so much fun!), and ordered a little bag of old watch parts and affixed little gears and watch hands to the boarder. I think it looks pretty cool at least, even though it doesn't really show it off in the pictures.

Look at all of the gears! 

Tis The Season

Well, Tis the season before the season... You know, the national holiday to celebrate gluttony in all it's forms, but most specifically, turkey cranberry sauce and pie.
Since I haven't ridden in nearly a week, I have been feeling an acute case of the - as named by Court and I- the Wubba-wubbas.

You know, that feeling where you jiggle. And not in an attractive fashion. It's not good, not good at all. So I went for a ride... Or two.

Winter Wonder Land

 Tilly was justifiebly concerned about the snow in her arena. I mean, it's not easy for a little pony to trot through 8" of snow. Lift those legs, Tilly. Feel the burn! Since I am not a cruel task master, we just had a w-t-c ride, and not a very long one at that. Just enough to get the pony a little warm under her quartersheet.

Delight was a little more of a handful. Sure she started out quiet enough, but the longer we rode, the pissier she got.
Can I bolt?
What if I buck?
What do you mean you don't like it when I turn into a pogo stick?

Mares. Pony mares. Sheesh. Still, it was the kind of ride that makes you laugh as you zing through the snow, just because it's so fun to run through the snow.

Good thing I nixed the thought of ponying Tini off of Delight.... at least until Delight settles down a bit. (it's still on the winter To-Do list).

Moving on.
Tomorrow is Turkey Day, AKA Thanksgiving. So here's my list of Thanks:

I'm thankful for all three of my wonderfully complicated mares. They are each special and fun in their own unique way. We may not be world-beaters (yet!), but the journey is fun.

 I'm thankful for my beautiful wonderful farm. I have a creek, bridge, cool little farmhouse and awesome old barn. And slowly, I'm making it better. Slowly. Very, very slowly.

Over the river and through the woods

I'm thankful for my jobs. Both of them. My engineering job helps me afford this horse stuff, and gives me time to cultivate my teaching job. My teaching job helps me spread the word of Dressage and has allowed me to meet some amazing people.

I'm thankful for my dogs (even Scott). I hope to be the person that Bacon believes I am... someday.

I'm thankful for my family, because honestly, no one could ask for a better family than mine.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: My little Texas brain equated snow with Christmas. Personally, I blame Hollywood and the myriad Christmas movies we all watched when growing up.
Therefor for a Kid growing up in a desert, Snow = Christmas.
Makes total sense to me...

"Tis the Season!"

Until I moved up here. Now I've been humming Christmas carols under my breath for the last month so that the general population can't judge me for it.

But seriously...

Snow!

Christmas!

"I will f*&$%^# KILL you! Get this shit off my head!"

It doesn't help that I am waaaaay ahead of my usual curve and already purchased most of my Christmas gifties. Some of them need certain customization, so I was on the ball with ordering this year. Also, I had some BRILLIANT ideas. The kind that you just cant sideline...

Also, have I mentioned that I love Christmas?

Moving on.

 What am I not super enamored with?

WTF is Scott doing back there?

Related question: What do horses do whether or not you get to ride that day?

Oh yeah. Stall cleaning! Here's how I can sum up my morning: Wheelbarrows do not work when there's over 2" of snow on the ground.
And sleds full of poo are heavy. I worked up quite the sweat as three mares just stood there and watched.

 So long story short: I haven't ridden in about a week. And I hate it. Where's my indoor????

How To Age Ten Years Instantly

On Tuesday I aged ten years in the time it takes to listed to one 30 second local report on the radio, as only a horse owner can.
Thirty seconds.
Ten years.
Damn these horses.

I left work with plenty of time to grab a quick bite to eat before heading out to teach lessons... Or so I thought. As I came to the first stop sign on my route to McDonald's (because really, who doesn't need a hot mocha at this time of year?) the radio DJ tried to fill the blank space between songs with a few local announcements.

Usually nothing of interest.

Usually.

Today, however, I heard something that would ruin all of my evening plans for warm chocolaty-mocha-y goodness.

"And if you are missing horses, a few have been reported loose at Superior and Boundary road"

Oh. My. God.

Like any good horse owner, I immediately went to the worst case scenario.
It's getting dark, Delight's going to get hit by a car. Some idiot hunter is going to shoot Tilly, thinking she's a deer.
Alison, you idiot, everything is fine. Your fencer is on, and that intersection is five miles from home.
Horses can travel five miles! What if the neighbors pigs spooked the horses! OH GOD!

"Oh god... where are they"

So I did what every sane and rational horse owner would do: I drove home - via the loose horse intersection- to make sure that all three ponies were still safe and sound behind the fence. And, just to drive myself extra crazy, I kept scanning the radio stations for more reports of loose horses. Nothing.
12 nerve wracking miles later, I pulled into the drive and what do I find.....

No horses in the yard...

Three happy ponies munching away on their left over hay.

Whew. Thanks guys, for my first totally unnecessary heart attack.

**Pictures are actually recreations of the event. What kind of total narcissist would document such a fright?

And The Award for The Best Winter Tool Goes To....

The Headlamp!!!

My Mother Dearest sent me a box of goodies from LL Bean. Long underwear, short long underwear and a head lamp.
Be still, my beating heart.
Is there a better invention out there than a hands free flashlight? I submit that no, there is not. I have been using the Flashlight App on my phone, tucked into the breast pocket of my coat (gotta love a jacket with a million pockets) which has been a n acceptable solution to my taking-care-of-ponies-in-the-dark-of-winter quandry.

Now that we are well into fall, it's past dusk well into dark when I get home to bring the horses in and dump manure. I really dislike that aspect of fall.winter. Sure, I've done more reading in the past three weeks than all summer. Sure, I've gotten tons of sleep since dusk is no longer 11pm. But really, a girl has things that she would like to do after work... and those things now involve a flashlight. Bah.

Anywho... Back to my amazing headlamp.

Like any grown woman, I tore into my LL Bean bog with glee and immediately tried out my new goodies. I still had a barn to clean and horses to bring in, after all. So off I went, headlamp firmly settled on my chook.

This light is amazing! I can point it anywhere just by turning my head! It doesn't drain the battery on my phone!  And I can clearly spot my horses and dogs while I go about my chores.

This is actually mid day lighting

Interesting side note: Has anyone else notice that dogs eyes glow orange while horses eyes glow a blue green when spot lighted? Scientific fact or anomaly limited to my herd/pack? Because this matters.

Get back to the story, Alison. You are not a naturalist. Waaay too much Crocodile Hunter in your past. Sheesh.

Fair enough. Where was I? Oh yeah, I was playing with the headlamp while wheeling manure out to the pile. Look to the left? Spot a pony. Hear crashing to the right? There's a poodle.  I love this light!

Too close, Tini. Too close

On my last trip out to the pile, the horses are waiting by the gate because they have had enough being spotlighted and are just want for dinner already. Scott is harassing Delight, and the poodles are lying in the hay staying toasty.
I look left; nothing but the remains of a round bale.
I look right towards the sounds of a yapping sheltie; Nothing but trees.

No such thing as a Stealth Sheltie

I glance to the west of my manure pile, near the tree line.....; and within the trees I see it.

Or I should say, it sees me.

Glowing orange eyes peer back at me. Too big to be a poodle. Too quiet to be a Sheltie. Oh SHIT.

As it blinks a few times and hurries off silently, I dump my wheelbarrow and make sure all three dogs are still in or around the barn.

It was probably a coyote not a wolf.... But being watched gave be the heebie jeebies. Yech!

I Can Be Taught!

So, long time, no post.... again.

It just seems like a girl gets awfully busy and the blogging takes a hit. Don't you just hate it when that happens?
Anyway, where was I....

Oh yeah. I got a lesson! Or four!!! Who's excited???? Just me?

That's fair.

I even gave them a fresh bale. Moved it by myself.

 I attended a Ken Borden Jr clinic in WI with two ponies in tow. I figured that I needed to grab the opportunity with two greedy hands. And so both ponies were signed up, which unfortunately left The TiniBopper all by her lonesome.

Tini takes a nap

And she handled it like a champ. She called for the Ponitas a few times, then moseyed off the indulge herself at the hay buffet without bossy ponies to push her around.

When I pulled out of my farm at 7am, I could see green grass and grey clouds. There was an icky layer of sluch on my car and trailer, but nothing too serious (whew! Who wants to haul in the slush?). When I stopped at a barn 10 miles down the road to pick up another horse, there was several inches of snow. When did that happen?!?!

Fortunatly, I am made of stern stuff. Instead of saying 'nope, the roads are shit', I soldiered on and headed south. The roads were fine- freshly salted and plowed- and the trailer hauled perfectly. there was significant snow on the sides of the road, and it was grey and raining/snowing the whole way.  We made it after a short 2.5 hour haul, unloaded and I was even able to watch a lesson before I had to tack up for my first ride.

I had signed up for one private and one semi-private lesson each day (because I mentally balked at four $100+ lessons). My plan was that Tilly and I would have the private lesson and Delight would have the shorter semi private lesson, since she wasn't as fit or ready as Tillner... What with her saddle saga and all. 

Tilly was a show stopper. We have been battling connection issues and getting her truly on the bit. She has occilated from behind the bit to above  to stiff on the right then stiff on the right. Ken had us regulate the tempo - slower to the left and lengthened to the right- to really encourage her to use her hind legs instead of just throwing around her front legs all fancy-prancy like. He also had us really counterbend when tracking to the right to really encourage Tilly to take contact on the left rein. And it worked. Who would have guessed?

Delight was a pistol. I had her in a half hour semi private lesson, just in case she wasn't fit enough. 

She was fit enough. 

As we worked, it was obvious that she was bracing in the underneck to get out of bending, so Ken had us do a lot of forcing the issue- over bending to the inside while Delight raced around overtempo- to get her to give in laterally. The idea was to put pressuer on one side of her bit to encourage her to give instead of both sides and letting her panic and pick a fight. Ken even hopped on Delight - and remarked that she was wider than the 17h oldenberg. Whoops. 

On Sunday, I swapped rides- which is to say that I rode Tilly in the semi private and Delight in the private. Daelight was a much improved pony. We did a lot of leg yield to get her softer to the bend. Leg yield on the circle, leg yield on the quarterline with circles, leg yield on the rail with transitions. We eventually were able to move on to the shoulder in - with transitions - and lengthenings on the circle. She was sooo much better than the previous day. Thank goodness. 

Tilly had an easy half hour ride, working on changing the tempo to encourage her to really carry herself. We worked more specifically on encouraging the lateral bend in the canter departs. 

We left after an amazing lunch, and I have to say that I was greatly relieved to find Tini right where I left her. Both Tilly and Delight were happy to be out in the herd again.

So another successful clinic.

Of course, when I woke up on Monday morning to park my trailer and unload everything, there was more snow on the ground. Great.

Home Sweet Home

And... Wa-alk

It's been a pretty quiet few days.

Delight likes her new saddle, but it does need to be a tad wider for her to have absolutely no reason to complain. I'm really glad to finally have something that is pretty comfortable - for her- on her. Don't get me wrong, I love the saddle too, it fit's me just fine, even if the flaps are just a touch longer than I would have really liked.

Look at the little Tini-Bopper in her grown up bridle

And I rode Tini. Yep, you read that right. Rode. As in, sat on as she walked about. And it was a total non-event (whew!).
She's gotten really good at lunging in pretty round circles, even while wearing a bit, so I decided to up the ante. I had already sat on her once, and she didn't react other than to wrap her neck around and look at me. So, this weekend when it was windy and cool (perfect baby-working weather), I mounted the Tini. No holder, no lunge line.

And we walked.

Her steering is going to need some work, and I really wish that I had fenced in my arena; that would have totally made this whole riding-a-greenie thing way less concerning.  So now we have two days of walking in little circles under our belt. Like a pro.

Who is that fine looking mare?

Dressage on a Dime

Which, ironically, is what I planned on naming Delight's athletic spin/spooks that she perfected during our bareback stint for the past two months when she was without a saddle.

But now she has....

Not a flattering angle

A Saddle!

I'm sure everyone remembers my plea to sell a kidney/egg/part of my soul to get Delight the saddle of her dreams, the only possible way top fit my 17" ass onto her 14" back... The Schleese HK with both shoulder relief AND relief wedge. The demo model was a shocking 4K, with the new model costing over $6500.

I was in the midst of preparing myself for a sodium overload associated with a ramen only diet for the next year or so, when lo and behold, what did I find?

Mmmmm.... block of noodles.

A JES with retrofitted pannels, modified to include shoulder relief AND relief wedge???? Could I be so lucky!?!? Of course, I sent the seller an email clarifying that it had both modifications. Unfortunately, as the hours remaining in the auction ticked by, I didn't hear and sort of confirmation. As hours became minutes, some one else bid on it. I decided to risk it and bid myself... even without seller confirmation. It could have been an epicly stupid move, but as soon as I won the seller contacted me to verify that this was, in fact, exactly what Delight needed (ok, so she didn't phrase it quite like that). What perfect luck! And for less than half of what the demo would have cost me.
I do love a good deal.

In related great-deal news... When I stopped by the local consignment store to buy some more riding sweaters (because why spend $60 on a warm sweater that I'm only going to destroy out at the barn when I could spend $3 at the thrift store?), guess what I found...

it's actually about 18" tall... This is an awkward angle

A mini electric fire place! I've been passively looking for an electric heater of sorts, since I absolutely refuse to bump up my thermostat to heat the whole house when I'm using just one room. Also, Tempi doesn't like to be cold. It has awesome fake flame action that make the room warm and inviting and really heats an area up... And now I have somewhere to hang mini Christmas stockings!

Who else is super excited about it!

We are!

This Year, for Halloween I want to be....

A Gingerbread House!

Ta-dah! And done....

Now, for my reaction to my home's choice of costume: WTF? It isn't even November yet! How did I have measurable snow on my front porch (I even had to dig out the snow shovel!). 

This 'early' snow fall is completely wrecking my weather associations as they pertain to the year end holidays. 

That's my front yard

Halloween is supposed to be all fall like with leaves blowing and light jackets out. 

Thanksgiving is colder, with a possible temporary dusting of snow or ice.... which signals my little mind that it is OK to start humming/singing/whistling Christmas Carols

And finally, near Christmas it is allowed to really snow. Like it did on Monday. 

Still a creepy movie...

So here I am, shoveling snow and singing Christmas carols. I blame Walmart... After all, it's hard to tell what time of year it is when I can buy my Halloween candy,  Thanksgiving dinner and a Christmas tree all in one trip. 

//Rant Done.

Of course, since I baby all of my animals, at the first whisper of cold rain/snow/snain I pulled out box after box of winter blankets. For me, my horses and my dogs. Tempi has easly the largest array of winter clothing, and she hates it all. Either that or she hates the cold. Or maybe both... evidence proved she's really happiest when buttoned up into my jacket so I carry her around over the snow/wet/cold. 

Farm poodle, right there. 

"My paws are COLD! Pick me UP!"

 Bacon kinda sorta needs a jacket. Really he just loves getting dressed up. But really, isn't blanketing 95% of the time about making the owner feel better? Because I do.

Look! The snow is melting!

And Scott, well. He's a fat guy in a little coat.... But the reflective striping makes it much easier to keep track of him as he runs all over the property living up the farm sheltie life. It's not easy being at dog camp....

Riding through the snow...