What were you doing at 10:00pm?

While many of you were probably gearing down for bed,  watching tv, or perhaps sipping hot cocoa by a warm fire...i was doing this...

The newly roofed mini horse barn (or at least temporarily roofed)

Yes that is sleet you see coming down in the camera.

That's right I was putting a tarp on the top of the half finished mini horse barn in my backyard. You see my sweet husband and his good friends started this project about a month ago, but have yet to finish it. So we had three lovely walls up, but no roof. Well tonight after the temperature dropped 40+ degrees and we got an onslaught of freezing rain, I started to feel bad for the minis. Where are they going to sleep in this cold, cold weather? The trees they typically sleep under have lost their leaves, so not much protection there. And the mini horse barn, sans roof, provides absolutely no protection from the brutal downpour of sleeting rain. 

So in comes mini farmer Brooke to save the day. I decided that I am going to put a roof on the mini horse barn. I head out to the garage grab the tarp and some rope and trapse out onto the back pasture (mini pasture that is). Well just as I throw the tarp up ontop of the frame, the freezing rain comes pouring down. Note to self: Don't be looking up throwing a tarp over a mini horse barn roof when it starts sleeting....that stuff really stings your face. 

So I battle with the trusty blue tarp in the gale forces winds, all the while trying to remember the knots Ben has taught me over the years. Finally, I get the back of the tarp tied down only to have the front of the tarp come slapping back at my face. So I run around to the front and try to secure it, but I realize I have cut the piece of rope too short. Then I can't find the scissors to cut a new length, so I have to let go of the tarp and it goes slapping back. Finally after finding the scissors, cutting several lengths of rope, tying some crazy non-boyscout knots, and a few bad words, the mini horse barn has a temporary roof. 

So I think to myself, the minis are going to be so excited that mom fixed them up a shelter. They will come bolting over and take refuge under their new roof...but no...this is what they are doing. 

That's right, just chowing down while the sleet comes pelting down. Oh well...at least I feel better now. 

And you might be asking where is Ben in all of this...in Stratford hunting...yea away from the farm. Seriously, I think everytime he leaves, G-d tests my menagerie endurance. The big horses in the backyard and now this. See Ben, I do like the minis, I gave them a roof!!

That's the sleet collecting on the deck. Seriously, it was 75 degrees this morning.