Relative Something

We were told to expect delivery of a load of hay bales by 7:30 a.m. That meant getting ourselves going a little earlier than usual. Asher didn’t mind one bit and happily darted into the semi-dark woods to see if any straggling raccoons hadn’t made it back to their daytime hiding spots up in our trees.

Wisps of fog rolled around the lowest points of the terrain, giving the predawn atmosphere a mystical feel. We had enlisted the help of my sister’s grandson, Drew (making him my grand-nephew, but that doesn’t roll off the tongue), a student at nearby UWRF, to help toss bales. He had to drive through patches of that same fog to get here, with the added challenge of the sun showing up right at eye level.

The next to arrive was Tom, one of the founders of This Old Horse, followed soon after by Paul, the farmer bringing hay all the way from up north near Hayward.

Many hands made for light work, and in no time we had a little over 150 bales stacked on pallets in the hay shed.

When the work was done, Light came over to thank Tom for making sure the horses always have all their needs taken care of. We now feel the satisfaction of knowing there is a good reserve of hay in the shed for whatever the coming months throw our way in terms of weather.

I don’t recall if I’ve written about it yet, but it sounds like everything is proceeding on schedule with a plan for our friend and nearby resident, Michelle, to adopt Mia before the end of this month. Tom talked with Cyndie about the possibility of bringing another horse to replace Mia and keep our herd number at four. It doesn’t sound like he had a specific horse in mind yet, but they are giving it thought.

We are thrilled for both Mia and Michelle. They developed an instant bond on the first day they encountered each other here. We anticipate some initial objections from the horses upon her removal. Horses can be uncomfortable with the change of having their herd separated. We’ll strive to assure them there is no need to be concerned.

With the job of stacking hay behind us, Cyndie and I took a relaxing walk with Asher through the woods and then came back to the horses to hang out. I brought a book and sat outside the fence while Cyndie enjoyed an extended interaction with Mia.

We scored another glorious fall day with temperatures in the 70s (F). I’m not complaining, but I can’t help shaking a feeling that this nice weather is a symptom of the much bigger problem caused by short-sighted human behaviors. I sense that climate scientists know this feeling well.

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