Uh oh. Winter's Coming.

I arrived back home in Lexington yesterday morning after a much-enjoyed week of sunny relaxation on the Florida Gulf. Because of friends' status updates on Facebook (sad but true), I knew Kentucky had experienced a week of non-stop rain, and that the temperatures had dropped a bit. I guess I sort of ignored the news though (it was in the 90s and sunny on my little island, after all). And so it was a bit of a shock to find my girls -- Thoroughbreds from yearlings to 16 years old -- with a distinct fuzz, one that hadn't been there a week before. The arrival of a heavy coat is one of the surest signs that winter weather is quickly approaching.

So I'm wondering what the season will bring this year. It's been a wet, cool year from spring to autumn... does that translate to a snowy, cold winter?  I like to think of the first nine months of 2009 as "mild" in hopes that the winter before us is mild, too. 

I have a lot to do in preparation for the winter.  Still need to buy and put up the hay. Weatherproof the blankets and make sure that I have something that'll fit the yearlings and 2-year-old. Scrape the run-in shelter again. Check the water pipes for insulation. The list is at about 20 right now and sure to grow. Tonight is supposed to be the first "really" cold weather but it'll be awhile before winter is actually here.  Enough time to get all those chores completed, at least, and try to enjoy the last of the sun with some riding and lots of grooming off the fall mud. 

So, what's on your agenda to prepare for the winter ahead? 

(I'll be back tomorrow with a post about the Keeneland yearling sale.  Just got a bit of a surprise when I saw the long hair starting on my Thoroughbreds and wanted to share!)