This Is It

I’m getting so much out of this un-farm. Not in terms of crops or harvests. I’ve eaten a few bananas,  guavas, and tomatoes from the farm. The new chickens laid two eggs when they got here, but nothing since. And all my worms either died or went away. But still, I have such great moments there!

Great moments from this week:

Moment #1 –  Getting nuzzled by Batman
I used to refer to Batman as “the bitey one”. Now all of a sudden, he’s the nuzzly one! I don’t know how or why this happened. We arrived at the un-farm in the afternoon. The horses were in their shelter. I went inside to greet them. Batman started licking my hand. He just licked and licked. Takoy nuzzled my hair, something he’s done before. But the licking! I just let Batman lick, curious to see what would happen. Would he bite me? No, he didn’t. Horses have very sensitive and dexterous lips. They can pick up single blades of grass. He seemed to be inspecting me with his lips. I also noticed that their salt lick was gone. So either Batman is simply no longer bitey or he lacks minerals. But I wasn’t even sweaty!

Moment #2 – Running in the moonlight
The husband and I were sitting on the veranda drinking wine. There was a cool wind blowing. This was a treat and a relief. I was expecting a hot, breeze less summer evening. Summer had not yet laid its oppressive hand on the farm! I was feeling joyful. The moon was out. I ran out into the field with the dogs. I ran as fast as I could, trying to outrun the dogs so I could hide in behind some trees and make them find me.  I was like a crazy lady running in the moonlight. Did I mention we were drinking wine?

Moment # 3 – The dogs and horses mingling peacefully
We usually keep the dogs leashed when I work with the horses, just to be safe. Barkley sometimes rushes up to them and jumps for their noses. Batman once chased Momo for no apparent reason. Momo wasn’t even looking at him. I screamed “Batman, nooooo!” and he stopped. It’s pretty scary. This time though, we couldn’t find the dogs’ harnesses and leashes. So the husband put them inside the house while I was riding Takoy. When I was done with Takoy, I went inside the house to use the bathroom before riding Batman. The dogs were very hyper and ran out the door as I stepped out. I had already unsaddled Takoy, but he hadn’t walked away and was just hanging out near the kitchen. Batman was also nearby. I figured that if he had his rope and harness on, we could still do the groundwork exercises safely even with the dogs loose. I was about to start lunging him, when I suddenly remembered a tidbit of advice I had heard some time back. I should let the horse rest and relax when the dogs are near so the horses learn to associate the dogs’ presence with good, happy, relaxing moments! So I just stood beside Batman, rubbing and scratching him. Then it happened! The portent of all good things that are possible! Everyone relaxed. We were in a small patch of grass in between the veranda in front of the kitchen and the garage. Takoy was munching on grass. Barkley was walking around, sniffing the ground and occasionally sniffing the horses. Momo was walking near the horses, sniffing them, and occasionally walking up to greet me. And Batman! He eventually put his head down and started eating grass. For horses, putting the head down is a sign of relaxation!

And that’s my harvest!

I couldn’t draw any of those scenes, so here are pictures of Momo and Barkley instead: