Evening with Horses and a Good Dog

Last night, at Chuck's insistence (for my own good and well-being), Anya and I went to spend an hour with Heffie and the other horses.

Heffie came right over to me when he heard my voice.  He let me groom him all over, scratch his ears, brush & pat his face and neck...  without a halter, without cross-ties, without even a crop!

WITHOUT nuzzling me and demanding peppermints or other treats.

We spent a lot of time with me singing the 'Mom song' to him, and then we walked around the paddock together.  I DID have treats in my hand then, but he did exactly as I asked.  Walked when I walked.  Stopped when I stopped.  Stayed on my right side, fairly close.  Would that my dogs would heel so faithfully!

Then we came back to the NE corner of the paddock and just spent some time BE-ing together.  Nose to nose and chin to chin.

Then Anya and I went down to the ring to watch Bev work with Ebony and someone I don't know working with her paint, Princess.

We watched the horses, Ebony and Princess, and their people, Bev and someone I don't know, who had a photographer daughter along.  We watched the sunset over the pond, behind the fields...

And then we headed home, quietly, happy and fulfilled.

Linnlets!

It took nearly three years, but the kids are now truly 'Linnlets!'  

Let me explain.

On Friday (while I was in class), V, D, & Chuck:

1) Drove to the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks (about 2 hours each way),
2) climbed Mount Jo,
3) watched the acrobatic skiers practice at the Olympic Training Center at Lake Placid,
4) swam in Mirror Lake,
5) ate at a HoJo's,
6) drove back to Potsdam.
7) actually came into Betsy and David's house and spoke to them...
8) and then went back to our apartment and to sleep...

On Saturday I realized we'd arrived, however, when I was sitting in a pool in the middle of Lampson's Falls with Chuck, Vika and Diana.

We had
1) gotten lost looking for Lampson's Falls (no panicking girls!)
2) walked the half mile trail to the falls, 3) waded, then swum, in the pool just below the falls.

4) Then I climbed out onto the rocks of the falls, and the others followed me.  There was a lovely little crevice in the rock, with a refreshing pool, and the falls rushing down just 20 feet away...  We all were sitting there and we were chatting and enjoying the beautiful day.

We watched Cedar Waxwings hawking for insects at the lip of the falls, found a few flukes on Vika and Chuck, admired the complexity and beauty of the roots of two big trees that had been blown down, signed into and out of the trail log...

It has taken three years to influence their perspective enough that they could enjoy all these activities!

Family Day THIRD ANNIVERSARY 21 July 2011!

The kids will still be at camp, so we'll celebrate when we all get home.