2 comments have been posted...

1. dawndi Post author15/12/2018 at 19:14

   I’ve never been to Iowa… but glad you are in Colorado now.
2. Calvin48 15/12/2018 at 18:32

   I know what you mean about the poor footing. I spent most of my life in Iowa. It used to freeze and snow, and the ground would be covered all winter, but climate change has not improved Iowa. Now it snows and melts, then there will be some rain that turns into freezing rain and sleet. Then everything freezes rock hard for a few days until it snows and the cycle starts over. The footing alternates between mud and frozen mud. The last winter I was there was 2015-2016. Both horses and the pony had a terrible time getting around; their legs were swollen and puffy from the strain of negotiating the mess. I have January photos of them standing in mud up to their fetlocks and we never used to have mud or bare ground in January. I leased a property for 18 years and I spent a lot of money buying limestone to spread around the gates and waterers. That made a huge difference for the horses, but the property was sold and my horses had to live at a boarding stable for two years before we moved to Colorado. The owners of the boarding facility did not wish to spend the money on limestone, so the horses suffered. The cost of limestone is not much in Iowa; the real expense is paying for the dump truck to get it delivered. I do not miss anything about Iowa, except perhaps the fireflies.