Relaxation with Friends, Horses, and Dogs

What a lovely day it’s been! We’ve enjoyed a visit from our friend, Jeff, who helped me with my kids and house during some challenging years. we had just enough time to do laundry after our Red House guests for the weekend so he can spend the night there in dog-free peace.

We had lunch at our favorite local Mexican restaurant, then showed Jeff all the town improvements, followed by a good time catching up and chatting.

We also visited my son and enjoyed their deck, where the trees were covered by dozens of beautiful butterflies who were busy getting ready to make more butterflies.

We ended the day with pizza. We had six guests and I’d planned for ten. Oops. Lots of pizza I don’t like is left. Everyone ate the spinach one! But it was really pleasant to hear the lively conversation and laughter in the house. It did me a lot of good.

My day started all Zen in a weird way. When I went downstairs, there was Drew, noshing away between the dog fence and the driveway. That was not his assigned grazing area. I put on shoes and went out.

He was all happy to see me and rubbed his muddy self on me. I decided since we were out already, we might as well do his exercises and ground work. He was happy to do that, though it’s still a bit slippery.

After we were done, I thought to myself that I could either go clean the house or hang out with a sweet horse. Easy decision! I got out the grooming supplies and took my time taking the mud off my boy. There was a lot. He was happy because I fly sprayed him, too.

I spent a very long time on his mane, which usually annoys him. But I chatted with him and told him random compliments, which got him quite relaxed. I enjoyed the mud removal, actually. I felt like one of those apes picking bugs off their friends.

Then, when I was finished, I just rubbed on him. I have his poll (top of head) some nice rubs. Out of the blue, Drew gently placed his dear head on my shoulder. I thought it was nice. I realized his breathing was more and more regular. He took a nap on me! Such a gentle, trusting interlude.

When he woke back up, we just stood together, rubbing our faces softly on each other. It was like a dream. What a good boy.

We have not figured out how he got out. All gates were locked. He may have jumped the fence.

As if one napping animal wasn’t enough, while we were chatting with everyone after dinner, Lee was sitting next to Goldie. She’s known for resting her head on people’s arms. Tonight, though, she put her head in Lee’s hand. He said, “I’m seeing her inner eyelid,” then someone else gasped, “She’s dreaming!” Yes, Goldie napped in Lee’s hands, with all sorts of conversations going on around her.

We were all charmed by our big, sweet dog.

Ah, this weekend has made up for the weekday stressors! We hope Jeff can visit more often now that we have a nice place to stay. Maybe we will get other guests, too!