Mar 01 2011
A Snowed-In Birthday Weekend!
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This past weekend left us without power or heat for 60 hours after we got more than three feet of snow dumped on us! And of course, the tractor broke so we couldn’t plow the roads around the ranch. And then the generator broke, rendering the automatic waterers in the barn useless.
So, how do you get through a weekend without power, heat, and limited water when you literally can’t go anywhere?
Well, first you call your brother in the bay area, who was supposed to arrive on Saturday for a birthday party for Gary (whose birthday was February 22nd) and his wife (that’d be me, whose birthday is today), and tell him to bring his skies. He abandons his car a couple miles from the ranch and cross-country skies in with his girlfriend, Natalie, pulling a sled behind him with groceries, wine, butterscotch Schnapps (to warm everyone up), and a birthday cake.
Then, you haul buckets of water to the horses at the barn. Next, you climb on top of the horse barn with Natalie and shovel the snow off so the barn doesn’t cave in. Then, you boil snow to wash dishes in the house.
You keep cooking warm food, creating more dishes in the process.
You also make sure to bury any perishables in the snow.
You spend time knitting beanies, including a “toe beanie” for Gary’s splinted foot.
Once the sun goes down, you bundle up, don headlamps (my brother gave me one as a birthday gift to fit over my helmet for endurance night riding), enjoy cake, and then use the cake candles to add more light to the dark house. Before bed, you play a few hands of Spades (and lose to your brother).
On Sunday, when your 8-year-old is sick, you have the ranch hand, Mike, drive you out on the ATV. You use your brother’s car to take him to the Urgent Care and then to the pharmacy, picking up a few more groceries and some Gatorade.
And then you go riding!
Today, Forest and I went for a morning ride. I share my birthday with Forest, who is 7 today.
After lunch, I took Asali out for a wild ride. The air was chilly and she was feeling good. After galloping, we stopped for a birthday hug. Asali also has a March birthday. She will be 11 on March 10th.
Mom spent my birthday horseback riding with me. Here, she is on Jordi, a horse she is training.
You make deprivation look like fun!
Haha, Donna! It was a CRAZY weekend, but we made the most of it!
Hey Sis!
You got that big cake for your birthday and didn’t save me a piece of it?!!! I feel left out ):
Oh, Winnie… when it’s your birthday I’ll make you my famous Apple Pie Goolash. Forest got some for his birthday. 🙂
Love, Sis
P.S. Last night I gave Mom some leftover apple slices for you… did she tell you they were from me? She was supposed to mix them in your grain.
Can you say best day ever?! That looks like so much fun! minus the cold -_-
That was an excellent “play by play” account:)