Storm Xaver kicks us but I'm late in responding

I admit it, I didn't go check my fences for a couple days, simply because there was so much snow, and Mara and Bellis didn't really go out to our field much. I checked from the street, and everything looked good. I was wrong.


I hope some of you, at least, realize how painful it is for me to look out at this scene from my front door, this horse hanging her head over that gate. I miss him.

But here is our reality. This horse nickers in the morning to my husband on his way to his car....


....maybe because of this little box of horsey treats by our front door. Not everyday, but often he grabs some and goes over and says to her, "Na Pferd?" (All OK, horse?)

I dreamt about Baasha this week. This is normal, I just have a hard time talking about it. I know she knows, on some level.


Then...



Well....crap. I shoulda checked everywhere. The good news is, it fell on the end of our electric fence circuit - meaning, it only affected a part near the end, which I could easily disengage from the power. If it had fallen 5 meters down hill, it would have shorted out the entire electric fence.

Another good thing: It fell on the fence between our field and the wooded lot between our house and our field, so if the animals would have decided to escape, they would not have gotten far. Back home, really.

I think Mara is like Mac - his fence fell down one day, and Princess Buttercup left happily, and he stood there snorting over the boards, "No, this isn't right, it just isn't right!" However, I should have been more careful, it could have been one of the oaks in the lower corner, Bill and Pat, and if they fell on that fence, my horse would have gone away. But not before the sheep would have gotten to her.








I hate to anthropomorphize but I can only take this as Bellis' opinion, "Yes, tree down. No biggie."





And the horse, although I hate to speak for her, seems to say, "The only problem here is this shut gate. We prefer to have the entire field all year long, but you seem to give us only half of it, in 2 week increments, all Winter. I think you should consider changing that system to one where we get full freedom, yearround." *sigh* This location is actually a gate that controls access to the upper or lower pasture. I had asked our contracter to dump gravel here, but he is such a slacker, despite our timely bill payments, he never got back to me before I lost my job. So, too bad for him, and for me too. : ( Mara saw me standing at this gate and was frustrated because I didn't seem to be doing anything normal like scooping poop. She was actually tossing her head in big circles as I stood there with the camera, she was trying to show me how wrong this is. I've never head a head-tossing horse before.)



She found a little branch on their side and picked it up with her mouth. So cute.


I hate to speak for her again, but she really wants me to open that gate.




At this point I say, Morrissey style, "Good night, and thank you" and the horse is fully disgusted with me and my little blue pocket camera. She, like Baasha, finds cameras suspicious. Just wait, Mara. In another hour, you'll get to see your first Bergisches Land Heissluftballon. (Hot air balloon).