February is upon us! Leap for joy!

From Jim: This month holds a lot of meaning for us. Donna and I will celebrate our 48th anniversary. I'll never understand how I got so lucky to have her as my bride. Our son will turn 40. Valentine's day will see little candy hearts with silly things written on them, classrooms will exchange cut out cards (maybe punch out?) and florists will arrange roses in the dozens. The sanctuary finds February to be a month of hard decisions. Many of seniors will have spent their last winter with us and will soon get their wings. It seems they hang on tenaciously through winter and quickly fade in the spring. It's their way and we've come to accept it. Hay will get scarcer and more costly. The calls for assistance with suffering animals will increase. We will continue to ask for your help and donations and many of you will be there. A special Valentine's wish for you! The edge that winter brings seems to bring folks together. Sitting in front of the wood stove, cup of tea in hand, and several dogs at you feet and kitties in your lap-That's February. The ground is a little crunchy in the morning-some frost in the straw. The hoses need awhile to thaw and every now and again the water tanks need the ice broken. Winter colic from not drinking enough is a constant issue. The horse committee for "new ways to ruin horse blankets" is hard at work. The mix of mud and manure is impossible to clean up. There isn't a recognizable grey or white horse on the place. The least warm sunny spot will attract the nappers-sometimes resting their nose on the ground, feet folded, sometimes flat out, neck stretched out-on their side. The guards will doze and startle themselves awake for a quick look around. Flannel shirts and felt hats-rubber muck boots and thick socks-that's the uniform of the day. February is a special time for us. Leap years let us catch up on our trip around sun. Without the added day every fourth year, February could slip into Fly Time and that would just be wrong! Hope you enjoy every single day of this month!