Ann’s Weblog

After my glib comments about winter in the earlier blog post today, it was decided that we needed to go into town after all. The highway is just awful, the wind blowing the drifted snow and the falling snow into a moonscape. It’s hard to see, turn safely or stop. I worry about customers and others who have to brave the conditions on a day like this.

Gary bought diesel for the tractor and has gone back out to plough; the driveway had drifted back in so much it just looked like a luge track.

Well, okay.. it doesn’t look so bad in this photo. There is blowing snow on the highway, but that’s not very visible. Gary on the tractor is just a dot in the “distant” bottom of the driveway. The sun is shining and that makes the weather seem not so nasty, and besides, it is WARM… barely freezing.

Gary’s truck is “in the shop”, so we went to get my older truck out of the parkade of the garage where some work was done on it. Perhaps if Gary is driving my truck around the valley for a day or so, people will see how cute and handy it is… and someone might BUY it!

We are babysitting the little dog Murphy for a few days:

We are also boarding the other dog in the family, Louie, who is a handsome border collie. I’ll add a picture when I can. Our friend Sharon is travelling to Regina to be a “Writer in Residence” at the university for the rest of the school year, and her husband Zev is helping her get there.

A friend who has been intensely involved with the Renshaw horse rescue has shared an article and an editorial, this time from the Jasper newspaper:

Renshaw Horse article

Editorial…

I have my own opinion about the “owner” of the horses who almost died on the remote Renshaw mountainside. Although some articles describe public opinion as “divided”,  I don’t believe there are many who sympathize with the owner. His attitude speaks of a unique brand of “class”.

Okay, on with my day. ~ Ann

Jubilation! The horses have walked out, and have been trailered to a safe haven.

We had contact with friends on the morning of December 24, and they confirmed that, not only had the horses been freed from the “bowl” (the area in which the trench was dug), but that the horses had been led all the way down the path, almost 20 miles. Though it is well recognized that the horses are in weak condition, they nearly ran over the human foot traffic walking out on the same trail. They must have recognized their freedom! One of our friends who helped with the rescue had frost bite on his face in several places, and stated that he knew others who had much worse injury.

We might not hear much more about this saga, this tale of abandonment and suffering, discovery, liberation and relief. There are dozens of horse lovers willing to adopt and care for the two animals, and we also hope to hear that some retribution has come to the original owner. He stated on the radio yesterday that he had done what he could for the horses, however, no one we talk to accepts his story. He told someone in McBride that he was ready to come and get his animals “once they’re out”, and of course that will not be allowed.

I tried to post some links today, and it didn’t work as expected. Google “Renshaw + horses”, without the quotes, to find news articles from McBride, B.C., to Montreal, Quebec.

~ Ann