Mara likes the neighbor

I was raking poop around in my pasture because with no tractor, I must spread it every few days. It works out well, our pasture is glorious now. And my animals are still on it for a few more weeks until they will be banished to the grazing strips as hay needs to grow. This is the best time of year for them. They don't even come to the barn to eat hay, and there is a spring that flows through the pasture and they can drink from it.

Bellis watches me intensely as I traverse the entire field looking for poop. She knows if I whistle, she'll get something nice to eat.

This day I'd made them a huge amount of warm beet pulp, just to spoil them. It's a holiday today. Germany's Labor Day, "Tag der Arbeit." I intended for my horse to stay in the field all day observing all the people passing by in their horse-drawn carriages, on their bikes, etc. A day of exposure.

So I split the beet pulp between them and they ate amicably together. It took them a very long time to eat it all.

The horse moved to the gate to stand in her favorite spot, and the donkey cleaned up what was left. I had been raking the donkey's coat, which she loves so much (with my plastic garden rake) and then I started raking my horse very gently, avoiding tickling her and trying to simulate how she would scratch herself on a tree.

Then Petra, the good neighbor, came up and stuck her hand through the bars of the gate to greet Mara. She started talking to Mara and Mara stuck her head through the gate to get closer to her. Although Petra did not have any food for her, it was obvious they were friends. Mara kept pushing her head entirely through the bars, sideways, loving on her. Petra said, "You're such a lovely horse, such a good girl..." etc and rubbed her all over her face. I was kind of surprised to see my horse so affectionate with someone. Exactly what Baasha used to do to everyone.

We stood there talking and I was gently raking her and then Mara did something for the first time, she backed into me to ask me to rake her butt. I'd only had the donkey do that, and mares at the farm Baasha came from. "You really want me to rub your butt? OK!" I used my hands and the rake, switching back and forth as Petra and I talked. If I stopped, Mara would back up slightly, aiming at me again.

Then I asked if I could see Petra's garden where her husband was working, and she invited me over. I apologized that I wasn't properly dressed (sweats!) and she said, "It's Labor day!"

She had to go up and make dinner, but I joined her husband in his garden and let him show me everything that is growing. I do this every year with them. We love to look at each other's greenhouses and gardens. This time we spent a long time looking at his lawn mower, and I spent some time trying to discern which chicken it was that visited me overnight. They have such beautiful chickens. I told him that I tried to bake with some eggs they gave me, only to discover they were hard boiled. As I'd tried to crack them open, and discovered they wouldn't crack properly, I immediately thought there must be chicks inside. Oh dear! I freaked out but then realized she'd boiled them. Very funny.

On my way home, I saw Mara and Bellis both lying down close to each other in the grass. I spoke to them and told them not to get up, and they didn't.