It Snowed on Mauna Kea!

Here's a link to all the observatory cams up on the mountain....which is as close as I am going to get, probably: Snow on Mauna Kea

I don't like the elevation.  It makes me feel dizzy and headachy, so I prefer not to head up there.  I like to look at it from down here, though.  It is very beautiful on a sunny, relatively warm day on the Big Island and look up at a snow capped mountain.  They say Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on earth if you measure it from the bottom of the sea, but I think that's cheating!

Even though it is 7:20, I haven't gone out to feed.  Bad farmer.  I did take my oldest to work, and the usual crowd of suspects wasn't lined up at the door, so everyone must be a little sleepy.  Generally, when I drop her off, there are a number of customers impatiently waiting for 7 am, but today, no one.

I am trying to decide between baking Christmas cookies and cleaning animal pens and the house.  I am sure my 11 year old will vote for cookies.  She's had those cookie cutters waiting for a couple of weeks now!  When I was little, I learned to do the work first and play later, but for her sake, my little girl who works pretty hard, I may just do those cookies and save the cleaning for later.

Ohia the laminitic paint horse is having a better day, and if the rain stays away for a bit, I may walk him and the mare  out to the "arena" (flat, unfenced, cinder area I laughingly call arena), and work with her.  She is more comfortable if he is there, and there is some good grass out there.  The trainer fell through for the third time, and since using a trainer was more of a convenience/lazy me thing, I guess I am going to have to do it myself.  I am feeling a little old and stiff to deal with a feisty TB/WB cross, but she already had her ground work with me and she trusts me.  It shouldn't be that bad.  If worse comes to worst, I can rig up some kind of electric fence round pen out there - the lack of fencing and barriers on the arena was worrying me, but I should be able to think of something.

Last night, I decided to check in on the ewe by flashlight.  She didn't look like labor was starting, but all of them were quite diverted by the flashlight.  I stood watching them for a long time, even singing them some Christmas carols.  "Away in the Manger" felt appropriate.  I don't sing that well, but the barn was seemed quite pleased- or maybe they were just startled.  My mare came to exchange muzzle rubs with the ram, and the adolescent lamb and the non-pregnant ewe came and stood looking up at me at the fence.  I confused the rooster, because when I stopped singing, he started crowing.  I guess I am just lucky the dog didn't start howling.