Baby It's Cold Outside

Saturday February 25 2012

It's blowing a blue gale through Owyhee.


It's so cold the snowflakes that defy the wind storm are shivering. They blow at least seven miles horizontally from the Owyhee mountains before they ever hit the ground.

It's so cold the hurricane-force winds force tears out of my eyes then freeze them on my face.

It's so cold I get frostbite on my ears, even under my hat.

It's so cold the wind slices right through however many layers you can manage to put on and seizes up your joints.

It's so cold the horses are hunkered back against an old canal bank that deflects some of the wind, with their butts to the gale. The horse tails blow horizontally between their legs.


They crowd close together, using each other for wind blocks. They are probably thinking twice now about the coat shedding they started this week.


It's so cold, Jose is a bit irritated.


Some old hard-weather hands, like Rushcreek Mac, know to put their heads down to the ground.


Baby, it is COLD outside. It's a day to be thankful we're not out on an endurance ride!