Wasn't it just a week ago that I was describing a lovely ride on Dash on a 72 degree day? Yesterday had a high of 46 following a night of cold rain and chilling winds. Based on the accumulation in empty buckets, we got close to an inch of rain that night.
Well . . . tomorrow's forecast says "Chance of snow showers." To be sure, if we get it at all it is likely to be a dusting that will melt within seconds to minutes of hitting the ground -- no "horses and dogs playing in the snow" photo ops. But there is something significant about the first snowfall of the season.
Any unprotected plants will freeze. The last apples clinging to the trees will probably drop, adding to the collection already on the ground. Flies and most other insects will disappear until spring -- unless we get another warm spell, which often happens in Arizona just before Thanksgiving. The remaining leaves on the deciduous trees will fall.
And given that the overnight low tomorrow night is expected to be 20 degrees . . . it's time to start blanketing old Dottie. I don't blanket the young horses but Dottie is a hard keeper and I don't want her wasting expensive feed keeping warm when I can throw a blanket on her instead. I hope to bring her through winter without any ribs showing.
And that's how winters at the Ranch go.
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