Book Keeping Blahs and First Race of 2015

Remember in Dec when I posted about the people hating this time of year?   Well, this time of year has arrived and the days are noticeably longer and the sun is higher in the sky giving us that warm sun even on the bitter cold days.   The melting at -10 has started and the time change is about to take hold and give us dark mornings and wonderful later evenings.   I am a morning person and having the sun crest the tree line at the back of the farm on a brisk morning like this past Saturday is something that can take your breath away.   I do weekday morning chores, at the present time, before the sun has begun it's lazy accent.   On weekends however, I afford myself the luxury of a bit of a sleep in til 6:30 or 7 and the sun is casting long cool shadows over the snowy fields.   It's such a weekend treat to walk out to the barns and see the horses peacefully enjoying the sunrise and awaiting their breakfast.

I know mother nature has spring in store for us...all the horses are shedding their long winter coats.  The season of polar fleece at the barn has officially ended!

The deer have been once again active on the fields around the farm.   Very large herds are visible at dusk and dawn.   I have counted 30+ in a recent group over the weekend.  It's interesting how their presence first made the horses uneasy in their fields.   They are now so common right up to the fence lines and in adjoining pastures that the horses still stare but do not blow and become uneasy.   The quiet, alertness is one of respect and understanding now.

I had the pleasure of having a trimming lesson from a very talented and respected farrier this past weekend Terri Gerber.   Terri has been helping me for the last couple of years stay on track with my horses and ensure that the finesse of trimming doesn't become lost as I continue on my personal journey to better understand the relationship my horses feet have with their health and their overall wellness.

Here is a picture of Terri working her magic on Izzy.

Here she is demonstrating with Elvis a back foot technique for ensuring you get the right angle and posture for rasping.

If you would like to learn more about Terri and her method, message me and I will pass on a wonderful article that she was featured in regarding barefoot trimming racehorses that are her clients and a second of how she rehabilitated a small pony with founder.    I can't say enough good things about her.   She is so open to share her knowledge and expertise for the betterment of our equestrian community.

Now that the cold snap (I hope) has finally given way to more moderate temperatures leading into spring, I will get my training mojo back for both moving Izzy up the levels and running 5 days a week!   

I have officially kicked off the running season with my first race on Mar 1st.   It was a cold morning for a run with light snow at the start of the race but with the Frosty 5K being a flat out and back course it was a run that set the race bar pretty high right out of the gate for the 2015 race season!   I ran a strong race, clocking the 5K in less than 25 minutes.    My race buddy Theresa was there to share the glory with a fantastic finish of her own.   Both of us finishing 4th in our age groups...just out of the medals...AGAIN!   When we started on this fun run trek 2 years ago, we where happy runners to finish and post a time better than our last race.   As we have become fitter and faster we have become somewhat competitive!  I finished in the top 5% of all the women finishers in the run.  I was 75th overall from 606 runners and 22 from 394 women finishers.  :-)   

Thanks Theresa for being such an awesome race buddy...you have motivated me, tempted me and been a great friend.  xo

Theresa and I at the finish line!   

Lastly, I would like to end this post with a shout out to all my friends who are accountants or book keepers.   You know who you are!

I just finished the book keeping for the farm in preparation for the 2014 tax season.   This is the most suffering pain I have endured since this time last year!   I'd much rather gouge my eyes out with a fork than do the book keeping.    I have no idea how ANYONE can do this for a living!   I am sorry if I am offending anyone here but I just can't imagine this day in and day out.   Two weekends of data entry and spreadsheets was tough!   It's 2 weekends of fun I will never get back!   So kudos to the bean counters out there and I am hoping Aden gets us a hefty return for my misery!