spring! it's sprung!

And i've seen daffodils and crocuses (croci?) and a small deer in the field up the lane from my house. There hasn't been snow for over a week now and everyone and everything are breathing sighs of relief. Our horses were able to be turned out nekkid yesterday in the outdoor school, for a scritch and a groom and a 'shed our coats everywhere', except Luke, who is far too refined to shed much at all. Frankie and Jack shed indiscriminately all over, all the time. They look like old, bedraggled toys, despite grooming with the scraper, until about May, then they start to become sleek and shiny and their heads take back their shape from their beardy chins and jaws. Frankie has a decent speckling of grey now on his muzzle and whiskers, as well as around his hind end whorls and big star. He's getting older, but he doesn't mind. Life's pretty easy for him as alpha gelding, even if Jack is trying it on a bit these days.