Animal Speak

It's a Saturday morning in May and when I went to bed last night, very late, I told myself I would sleep in a bit. This past week, I have been going to bed much too late as just about every evening I've been binging on astrology charts and reminding myself of all the glyphs involved. When a Sagittarius dives into the next topic of interest, it is all consuming.

As it goes in life with animals, your plans are mere pipe dreams.

So it was at some time shortly before 7:00 a.m. that something woke me up and got me out of bed to look out my window. And there he was, Alibi, standing still but whipping and winding his neck around the way he does when he's got something to say.

A couple of weeks ago, just as I was heading to bed a little earlier than usual and feeling proud of that, I feel him trotting back and forth across the paddock. Then I hear his high pitched and forceful nostril snort. Something is not right out there and Alibi wants everyone to know.

I went out onto the deck, the goodles were standing back and watching Alibi for any signal telling them what to do next. I turned on all the outside lights while I hurried back in to put on jeans, grab my mag light, headlamp, gloves because you never know, sturdy shoes ready for whatever. Out with me go the dogs. In the event it's a cougar or coyote, or wandering human, I hope their barking will disrupt the intruder's thinking.

Alibi comes up to me but not taking his eyes off behind him. He's making sure I'm fully aware that he is not comfortable. With his energetic tether, he leads me to the corner of the paddock and directs me to look across the road to the treed landscape. Like any momma protecting her herd, I put a gentle hand on him recognizing his skin is tense and twitching, but just enough so he can feel that I have things under control now and he can let down a bit. He knows this.

With fresh batteries in my headlamp, I head out through the gate onto the road shining my mag light through the bushes and up into the trees, back and forth, looking for any reflective eyes looking back at me. I check back with Alibi to see where his gaze is focused and explore further.

In the end, I find nothing and I head back through the gate not knowing what caused his alarm. He came back over to me and over came the goats. The four of us stood together in the quiet night, letting go of any fear. When I could feel their tension slip away and I could hear Alibi's breath soften, I knew I could start contemplating bedtime again.

Getting back to this morning, unlike the other night, Alibi was not snorting. There was no audible sound from him but he most certainly called me. As I noted his neck wringing, with really really tired eyes I started to take in the scene. He had managed to get his hind leg caught in the electric net fencing around the pear trees.

For my convenience only, I do not have the fence energized. For the most part, they all assume it's always hot...until they don't.

Here we go again, dress up, head out. The goodles are once again standing back and side by side, not in fear this time but in concern. They understand that getting closer to him may stress him out.

Alibi knows me so well he knows I'm there to solve his every problem. He recognizes his hind leg is caught. If you know anything about an animal, you know that anything around their legs generally sets them to panic, particularly animals considered prey. Their legs are their escape. But rather than panic and try to pull out of the fence, which really would be typical of many other horses, he was standing still trusting I would hear his call.

As I approach, not speaking a word, he poops. Ha! Finally he can relax. He cooperates and lifts his hind leg for me so I can untangle the fence and kiss him with reassurance that he is safe to move. Once again, the goodles come over now that everything is clear, and the morning carries on like any other day.

The thinking goes that I might as well scoop poop, let the girls out, and put out some hay while I'm out there.

Tomorrow. Maybe I'll sleep in tomorrow.

If you want to hear what a horse snort sounds like to alert others to danger, this is a good example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtxecUYUH8A

Alibi freezing mid-bite to key in on a deer friend across the road

How I Love Thee

Where does one begin to count the ways?  I simply adore my friend, Alibi.  I love him from the deepest recesses of my heart.  Why?  What is it about an animal that would make me feel this way?  His soul is so pure and his intentions so honest, to break it down into human constructed numbers would belittle his magnitude.

Tonight, Alibi's favorite farrier, Randy, was here to clean up his hooves.  While Randy trimmed, picked and finished up with the rasp, I brushed out Alibi's wind knotted mane.  The three of us have great conversations every eight weeks.  Alibi always turns around and gives Randy's hat a tug or nudges his back in the gentlest of ways just to let him know he appreciates the care with which Randy works.  And then Alibi and I cuddle, stare into each other's eyes, breathe into each other's noses.  It's such a harmonious and calm half hour.

It was dark by the time Randy got here this evening so we worked under the light at the barn.  Alibi was alert to the night movements out yonder, Faramir and Hy Note were at the fence, not only keeping us company but prepared to take any cue from their alpha. The goodles were bedded down chewing their cud not far from the herd, the hens closed in for the night and the dogs in their kennel until I'd have time to pick up the hoof trimmings.  Quiet.  Peaceful. Safe.

As Alibi and I were heading back to the paddock, we stopped so I could hear what Randy was saying and Alibi could stare off into what seemed like the black abyss to me.  I said to Alibi, "how about a thank you to Randy?"  Around he bends his neck, deep eyes wide open, nostrils large and relaxed, and he's looking at Randy who is packing his truck, not for second taking his eyes off of him.  I said, "Randy, Alibi says thank you."  Randy turned around, saw and felt the gratitude being extended to him and came right back over to give his thanks as well.  Then went back to the truck to get a cookie.

For another moment we shared a few things about Alibi that we mutually admire and respect.  It doesn't take confirmation from someone else to let me know how special this horse is, but when it comes from someone who can recognize and appreciate the most subtle of unique qualities, I am again honored and humbled to have this precious being in my life every day.

The Sweetest Kiss

My right arm over Hy Note's back, my left arm cradling his chest, I am resting my head on his withers.

  

As he chews hay out of the feed cart, I gaze up.  

The night is perfectly adorned with magnificent stars dancing around the waxing moon.  

Quiet. Pure. Precious.  

Holding him tight, dreaming I disappear into his nobility.

I inhale deeply, the corners of my mouth turned up, 

so glad that I know the earthy candy-like smell of a horse.  

Holding him tighter to move with his breath, I close my eyes.

This is my sweetest kiss goodnight.

1:11

When I pulled out of Maverick's parking lot this evening, or this morning, it was 1:11am.  I thought, "Oh Noelle, pay attention to those numbers!"  Something is amiss.

It was a first, I believe, for me to leave at such an hour.  My feet are actually sore and feeling well spent.

The drive home was mine.  Only 3 other cars on the road between the tired dance floor and the return to my animals.  The sky was radiant with moonshine and the clouds were remnants of a recent rain shower.  In between the billowy sky characters, the stars and planets were peeking out.  To really make the moment clutch, I was listening to a little Cheryl Lynn, Got to Be Real, on my 70s on 7, courtesy of Sirius XM.

After getting inside and being greeted by the dogs who have no sense of time, something told me to step onto the deck and just listen.  Maybe Scout, my reliable Great Horned Owl, would be around.  Now, the clouds were really thinning out, much like a celestial archipelago.  The air refreshed by the light rainfall.  The earth had softened under the sunny agreeable days of late, and it is such a rich, fertile smell, one of sprouting life not far off.

And then, hmmmmm?  What is that most unusual sound?  It sounds like it's coming from the goat pen.  With my super sized mag light I looked out and I could the reflector patch on Alibi's rain sheet, in the goat pen.  I just had that feeling that my evening was not going to be considered complete without additional horse and goat love.

So, at 1:30am with a change of clothes and rubber boots to navigate the mud, I head out to assess the tomfoolery of my hoofed ones.  They really did it!  I cannot begin to imagine how or who but the panel attached to the tin sided goat shed was pulled away, straps broken, and completely perpendicular to the perimeter fence.  When things are secure, the panels meet at a V and create a haven for my goodles.  It was the most preposterous arrangement.  And so, enter the horses, or shall I say King Alibi, to shoo away the cashmered ones in order to eat their hay.

On my way out to the dry lot, I passed my little sleepy goodles giving me a drowsy "ma'aaaa" from inside the horse shelter.  The big bad boys had chased the little bad boys from their pen and they were telling me of the injustice.

Fortunately, that 1:11 was telling me I've got time but don't dawdle.  From the amount of the remaining hay in the feed bag, it could be reasoned that their seizure of the otherwise cordoned goat domain was recent.  Whew! A greedy consumption of herbage by one dominant equine averted.

Thinking about the clock, I took advantage of being out there and spread some green love for my Arab princes.  I am hopeful I can take advantage of a little extra shut-eye on a weekend morning as well.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!