Spring is on the way...

Even though -20 with windchills of -30 still may not feel like spring is just around the corner, I know that now, officially, spring is almost here....

That right of passage in the turning of the seasons, which used to dictate the pace of our lives has once again come to pass: They've opened the track for spring training!

Once upon a past life, this would have meant long, cold, dirty days in the shedrow getting the horses ready for another season. It would have meant dragging my sore, tired body out of bed in the pre-dawn to knock ice off water buckets... and endless brushing of sweaty, matted, shedding horses. It would have meant the end of our winter break and the resumption of 7 days a week of toil in the hopes of a strong season and the money it would bring.

But not any more.

All it means to me now is that the meat of the winter is behind us.... and the stirrings of a new season have begun - even if I can't see them under the mounds of snow as I race from buildings to vehicle trying not to freeze my ass off still.

It also means a chance for my daughter to try and catch glimpses of her favorite animals in the world when we drive to daycare in the morning again. It means I can stop saying "They're not here honey, they're at home on their farms" when she asks where the horses are. It's like driving through a frozen ghost town on the backstretch in the winter here....

There aren't very many here yet - I was really excited to see someone walking one outside the barn as I waited for the light to change so I could drive across and into the barn area.... I told my girl and she got all excited to see it.... but when we finally drove around to where it had been, the groom had already led it back into the barn. She was crushed.

She also didn't understand that our friend, along with her favorite horse, Pal, from last year are not here yet.... she made a beeline for his still-empty barn when I opened the door and released her from her seat this morning. I felt bad disappointing her....

Put it'll change quick. This small trickle of horses over the past couple of weeks will quickly turn into a flood, and by next month the barns will be filled again and our mornings will again include waiting for horses going to and from the training track to clear our path so that we can cross and my favorite: those little snatches of time to watch a few gallop before getting on with our day.

It's nice that I can still expose her to the "fun" side of this world, without the early mornings and 7 days a week ;)

C'mon spring... you're almost here!