SLEEPING POSITIONS

I may be developing an unhealthy relationship with my animals.


I do have a lap horse - if it were at all possible, he would curl up and sit in my lap... all 1,200 lb. of him.


That's not my fault, that's just the way he is.


And I know cats are attracted to heat, regardless of it's source.


I just don't think of myself as a hot enough person to ALWAYS have the cat asleep right next to me.



But my dog.... that's where it's getting more than a little weird.  She's a cuddler. 




And I'm not.  At least not while sleeping.


But I am becoming very accustomed to having a warm furry body scrunched up right against my back.


With a cat, under the covers, on the other side, asleep behind my knees.

I feel just like the peanut butter in the sandwich.

MAKING FRIENDS

(An old song by Elton John that I had completely forgotten about - check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSfIDT0kJ7s - please ignore the ad)





The landscape around here looks like something from Ireland, not southern Arizona.

We've had a decent monsoon so far this year, and everything around here is furiously blooming and growing and making this arid landscape look like the tropics.

And since I don't believe in mowing the eight acres of land our house is on, it's pretty crazy looking around here.

Since I got rid of our goats a few months back, I only have the horses to graze it down.

So tonight my husband was in charge of Renegade, and I took Najale out.

And I must admit to a completely alternative purpose.

Not just grazing.

But to get Najale and Renegade better acquainted.

If things go as planned, when all the other Arabs I am horse-sitting go back to their rightful owner, Renegade is going to stay with us.

So I need to help these two boys get along with each other.

What better way than to allow them to pig out together for a bit of time?

ESCAPED HORSE

I often feel guilty about the time I spend with Najale, my horse.





Not that it's ever a great deal - a few minutes here and there throughout the day.





But by the fact that he is one of six horses.




Only five aren't mine, I am just taking care of them.







So when I do take Najale outside of his pen, I feel five accusatory sets of eyes following our every move. One in particular, his pen-mate, whinnies almost continually the entire time they are separated.


This afternoon, I took Najale out to graze, and one of the horses, Sammy, took particular offence.

And opened his fence, slipped under the wire, and followed us.

He took some convincing to return to his pen.