My Barn is a Hammock

Hey, I saw a show about Amish kids that want to get out of being Amish. Basically, they're just a bunch of 8th grade educated kids that feed chickens all day and dream of wearing jeans and going to New York City. The joke is that I'd give up NYC to go and feed chickens all day and lay in the grass looking up at the wide Amish sky. I do like books, though. So Amish isn't the answer, but open land, reading, and animals (and kids) and exploring are certainly becoming important. Leave New York to the Amish. Week Three for Dewey and Waffles. I am doing everything differently than I did with Maggie. Now I feel bad that Mags had to live here all by herself. It's really better for her where she is, surrounded by her herd. I asked her to do too much. Dewey and Waffles are becoming solid as a team, and we're also starting to take them out on walks by themselves, so they get used to what they need to do, and to behave themselves. My friend Mary says its like they're your new employees, and you have to show them what to expect, what stuff they'll be doing, and then they'll enjoy the routine. Just like raising kids, I guess. Set up the track, and then make it a reliable track. And enjoy the time together. Every morning at 8:30, I get to go out and play with the horses, and it's the greatest time of day. Anxiety is starting to dissipate each time. Replaced by gratitude. And fun. We get to go out into the "wilderness" and cross water, a running stream and a sort of hidden fairy pool. It's so nice, to ride to the water. They did eat 6 bales of hay in 2 weeks. That's scary. But I'll fatten them up and then maintain them at a good weight. Hopefully I can get some people in here for riding lessons, and then buy hay with the proceeds. Or take Barry and the kids to dinner. Anyway, being out with the horses makes me want to have a pig and a tiny cow, and a duck. And better hair, that I can make into braids. I like being out with the horses because it feels like lost time, like time when I was a kid and hanging out with my Thoroughbred. It was never wasted time, it was like time just opened up and I fell in. It makes things very relaxed, my barn is a hammock. I hang everything out to dry and then I just sway there.