2020 Mag photoshoot

You might ask me why I don't run a brush over Mag before my photographer comes for a vist.

Well, I had no idea she'd bring her camera. That's always a risk with a photographer though! Honestly she came so early in the morning I had no time and when she pulled out her camera....oh je.

No, I'm so happy with the photos she took today I don't mind (much) the dirt splotches on Mag. As many of you have told me, a dirty horse is a happy horse. And although it hasn't rained since February, and he's doing his best to become filthy, he's not that successful and I'm good with that.

My photographer friend was supposed to come for a visit in February for Taco Night. She has never had a taco in her life. (!imagine that!) I had a massive menu prepared, in my mind, of Mexican specialties that I can make from scratch. And then C happened and we waited.

Today we kept apart but took the animals for a walk, with her very patient husband in tow, and also had a lovely, exhausting photo session with me running around in 80 degrees with Mag. It was then that we remembered how much that horse loves the camera. He gave her so many "glamour shots" if you will, the equivalent of teenage girls looking promiscuous in front of their cell phones. He seems to understand when there is an enormous camera, he should prance around. Complete opposite of me and Baasha.

In fact, we really pushed the animals by repeatedly calling them to come to the barn, and then back to 72, again and again. For some reason Mag never tired of the ridiculous repetition of running back and forth. He even got more charged up as we continued.

We tried something new today. She told me, "walk over there with Mag and then I'll call him" and to my surprise, even that worked. Mag learned, today, to leave me spectacularly and rush back to the camera. And the way he politely followed me everywhere with no halter, just by request....I love this horse so much. 

She spent 4 hours here with her husband, enjoying our new property and snacking on Mango slices (Aldi sells frozen Mango bits, they are awesome!) I had the hand sanitizer right there, and I literally drizzled it over our forks so we could eat Mango bits without fear, and of course, we kept distance.

Her husband and I "fished" the geocache container out of our walnut tree with our fishing pole (he's a fisher so I knew he'd love our new cache).  If you're into caching, you will know about "sky caching" as I call it. Now you can cache 9 meters above your head. He seemed to like it, I'm sure he needed a break from horse talk. The entire time we cached, his wife cuddled with Bellis, as she remarked about how Bellis was glued to her and she couldn't get a single photo cuz the donkey wouldn't step away.

Bellis began to bray anytime she left her side, and I mean, REALLY bray. It was kind of heartbreaking, cuz Bellis knew she'd go home, and Bellis was having a donkey tantrum at the thought of it. Then Bellis ate one of my cabbage plants that I'd put too close to the fence, and I'm mad at her now. (Not so mad that Bellis and Mag didn't get ice-cold carrots from me this evening.)

I reminded my photographer that if I die from Corona (or anything), Bellis belongs to her, and I told her today where the donkey's passport is in my house.

Backing up: During our walk, we encountered all the Corona trail users.

EVERYONE is in the woods since March Germans are normally in the woods, cuz Germans are less likely to have a backyard of their own, compared to America. But EVERYONE being there has been so annoying to me, I've given up riding Mag since C. I have nowhere to go without there being C-crazies out there.

Which made it fun for my friend. She was thrilled to introduce the donkey to many, many people, and talk about donkey behavior, "It's not that they're stubborn, it's that they're clever.". (Ja, to me, that's clever AND stubborn, same thing.)

It was especially exciting when 2 beekeepers came out of the bee area with their space suits on. OMG, that is not something a horse sees in a lifetime, normally. Mag was taken aback by the outer space people.

A normally very laid back horse from across our street had apparently never seen a donkey in its long life and put on a prancy show for us. My photographer friend enjoyed every single encounter, even telling me, "Do you see how everyone we meet has a huge grin on their face?" Even the group of senior men, gardening, commented, "We're also always as hungry as a donkey" when she told them going on a walk is like going to a buffet.

Our good neighbor stopped us on the street, "Please wait while my husband goes to chop an apple in half. You know how that turned out last time." Yah, last time they didn't chop it in half, and Bellis did not share. How awesome that I live in a place where neighbors bring out snacks for my animals on the street where we have to step asisde for cars, vans, semis!? These are the people who brought me a giant Turkish poppy flower for my birthday last week.

My friend and her husband said it was the best day they've had since Corona, that they feel like they've been to a Spa (recovery health retreat).


***

Now the photos, just a preview, I told her to only send me ONE of the photos I'd selected (I put a star on each photo on her camera). She'd done enough today. I'm beyond thrilled and so grateful to have a friend who can so easily capture wonderful moments with Mag.


The photo below was the first time I ran across the pasture and called to Mag. He was more interested in eating the grass, and my friend said, "He's ASLEEP!" I love this "asleep" photo anyway. Cuz 2 minutes later he was kicking the earth up into the sky with all his might.

     



I'm waiting for those pics too: )