Termination Dust

It's not the best picture but I wanted to share with you that Termination Dust is finally here. Usually we get a dusting of snow on the mountain tops that comes and goes several times between Fair and the time it snows and stays. This year it snowed down to the 2000' level on September 21 and I don't think it's going to leave.

Termination Dust used to mean the end of the summer construction season. Now with the ability to tent and heat, building construction continues throughout the year. Landscaping and road construction are coming to a screeching halt with contractors frantically preparing for the snow that is coming. My company has almost all of it's jobs completed. I have one yard to winterize and two yards to mow for the last time this year.

Then all the equipment comes home and my pens get re-gravelled, the leftover landscaping stuff gets junked, the sheep barn gets walled in and the goat house gets moved to it's new location. YAY! All the fences at the house need to be pulled before it freezes and reset for winter.

My 10 acres is set up for winter and summer livestock use. In the winter, all the animals are at the house. The horses are 27 feet from my front door. It's easier to have everything consolidated when it's 40 below in February and I have to haul water from town for the house and critters. Not to mention feeding at those temps with 4 feet of snow on the ground.

We're still riding. I took a clinic with Hugh McPeck last Sunday. Hugh is a local trainer who has a great way of communicating to his students. My friends have been training with him all summer and this new clinic had a couple of openings. We are working on suppling, collection, and communication. There's another post in that.

This time of year is kinda crazy getting ready for winter. I really want to ride but there's less than 12 hours of daylight. The critters are all confused. They expect to be fed when it gets dark which is at least two hours before they are supposed to be fed. Oh well. Wait until there's only 4 hours of daylight every day!