Shavings for Lucy

All of the horses have been happy in the barn this week.  Of course, with nine inches of rain in the course of four days and howling winds, the barn was a much nicer place to be than the pastures.  In the pasture, you have to dodge falling trees and streams criss-crossing every-which way, not to mention thunder, lightening and bobcats.  (the bobcat doesn't seem to concern the horses, but it bothers me).

This is the view from Lucy's stall door to her run-out.  Can you see Tuffy's head poking out of the donkey pasture shelter?  And the dressage court way off in the top left hand corner.  Nice view, for the horses, of the misty hills.

In the barn, there is room service -- three times a day.  Plus snacks.  Last night, Brett forgot to turn off the radio that he plays when working in the barn, so there was country music for them all night long.  I'm not actually sure that they think that's a good thing.  The best part for Lucy is shavings.  Yesterday, Brett brought a bag of shavings into her stall to replace the dirty ones he had removed.  She walked over to help; grabbing the top of the bag in her teeth and ripping it open.  Brett couldn't dump the bag fast enough for her; she stood next to him, pawing at the pile of shavings he shook from the bag.  When he left her stall to throw away the bag, she promptly rolled.  And rolled and rolled and rolled.  Shavings: they are the best.  (when you are Lucy, anyway)

Lucy always has some shavings on her back and in her tail when she's in the barn.

Tex is in the stall to the left of Lucy.  He is a very nosy horse.  Whenever we go into her stall, he wants to know what we're up to.  You know that feeling of having someone watching you intently?

He's more cautious about the aisle.  Lucy, Flash and Pistol all hang their heads out, into the aisle, to make sure that you notice they are famished and in need of a snack.

Tex will touch the window with his nose, but he won't hang his head all the way out.  Just a whisker.  On a good day.

Meanwhile, the streams did an excellent job of carrying all that rain off of our property.  Many properties were flooded, with streams cresting their banks and flowing into vineyards, orchards, fields, houses and roads.  Further up the highway, there were rock slides and avalanches.  The highway was closed at the top of the Sierra.  This morning our county was declared to be in a state of emergency. We consider ourselves fortunate.  I was afraid that the fallen tree would inhibit the flow of our largest stream, but the water just carved a path around it and  kept on going.

The tree is massive.  Well, we knew that.  Standing on the grass next to the trunk, I can't see over the top.  This is the view from my eye level -- and I'm a tall girl (5'8" and some change).

Yesterday, Brett ordered a massive chain saw.  The small one he uses on projects around the property isn't going to work with this tree.