This and that (cold toes edition)

Several takeaways from the past 4 days since we got back from our February break, visiting my parents in the warmer climes of the Caribbean.

1. This is the first winter out of the last 10 at least where we came home from being away in February and had as much snow on the ground, if not more, as when we left. I’m not sure our kids know what to make of it! Might be a longer winter this time around.

2. I cannot fully express the loathing I felt towards our treadmill on Monday morning after a week of walking on the beach instead. At least it only hurt badly that first day. That and I have that sadistic bastard, Frank Underwood, to entertain me for at least a week or so while I binge through the latest season of House of Cards.

3. While there was significant boot-lipping throughout the ranks of the family upon our return — the boys were back at school less than 12 hours after returning home — not the least of which was coming from yours truly, my liver at least was happy to be back even if it did start to wonder on Sunday night where its slow drip of wine and rum had gone. When we work, we work, when we play we play.

4. Even though Dan Brown’s novels are rather formulaic, I still can’t put his most recent one down which I started while we were away. I love me some trashy fiction.

5. With the AOA (still getting used to that new acronym) National Show staring us down in just 2 weeks time now, Jen and Kim have been busy training a bunch of the new weaners at the Main Barn. Actually to Kimmy’s credit, she was already doing some last week while we were still away frolicking in the azure-colored waters of the french west indies (chokes back mild sob). In any case, their minimum goal is to round-pen 4 new animals every day. Seeing as how it’s a toasty 18 degrees outside (and now snowing) as I write this, never have I been happier to NOT be trusted with that initial phase of our newbies’ halter/show training. By early next week at the latest my luck will run out though, as some of the novitiates will reach the point where they will just need to simply be walked. I suppose walking up and down the icy hillside may have to end up standing in as a pseudo obstacle (as in obstacle course obstacle) of it’s own, seeing as how most of our usual obstacles are under 2′ of the white stuff. Rumor has it that we have another major winter storm headed this way Sunday/Monday/Tuesday so that could certainly add to the excitement too.

6. Speaking of which, this whole need of the National Weather Service to now name the winter storms is stupid and hyperbolic in the worst way. As though there’s not enough real drama in the world, let’s just gin up some more.

7. March represents the final cold weather month of the winter in which we do toenail trimming. Since we only trim nails every other month, the next time we do herd-wide pedicures, the alpacas will in fact be on the shearing mats in May. Toenails get trimmed, shots and vaccines are given, the critters get summer hair-dos, and we get to eat lots of cookies and donuts. We like May. May is a good heard health month…March, not so much. Here’s hoping for a mild couple of days early next week even though at this moment that seems rather unlikely.

8. We’ve never had to maneuver our large trailer (32′ on the floor) when there was still ice and snow on the ground, to say nothing of 5’+ snowbanks at all of the barns. It’ll be an adventure. As long as we can get the darn thing out the place where we parked it last fall in the first place of course…

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