A Day of Limited Responsibilities

My husband left very early this morning: he had to drive to Ft. Leonard Wood for a class. I, on the other hand, had no pressing obligations this morning except for my Lucy. She decided it was time to get up and not tolerating being ignored, she got nose to nose with me and barked, demanding my immediate attention. Naturally, I complied with her demands, kicked back the covers and headed downstairs to let her and Baxter outside.

Still drowsy, I laid down on the couch and quickly fell back to sleep. Persistent barking (sorry neighbors) infiltrated my slumber and I readily became aware that my pups were still outside in the freezing cold. They had been for nearly 40 minutes. Brrrrr!

They were cold and ready to get under the covers and snuggle. Like the doting mother that I am, I gave in and invited them onto my lap. I wrapped them under a blanket while I watched the morning news.

Wanna know what is new? The weather and the upcoming Olympics. At least that is what is news for the television viewing audience. My news is much better.

I had my hair done this morning. That is always a nice treat. The military ball is coming up and I just couldn't attend and sit at the head table with my hair looking like the mess it was. Fortunately, I love hats and wear them frequently. I just don't have one that would be appropriate as formal attire. So, a morning in the beauty parlor.

Once my hair was all pretty, I immediately put on a winter hat and headed out to the barn. I did, you'll be happy to know, inform my stylist not to put much effort into styling it because I would be going to the barn and my horse doesn't care if my hair is brushed or not.

So, out to the barn. Way in the back part of the pasture, the horses were munching away thrilled to be outside in the warm sunshine. The air temperature, a brisk 25 degrees, but the sun was warm. My girl barely noticed my approach. I'm certain she knew I was making my way through the pasture careful to avoid muddy spots (not an easy feat) as I was calling for her. She probably was hoping I was a figment of her imagination and that I would go away if she didn't acknowledge my presence.

No such luck, Kadence. Momma is here!

She gave me her typical greeting and sniffed in search of the alfalfa cubes. How does she know? Anyway, of course, I had a treat for her. The other horses wanted in on the action, but my girl was not having any part of the sharing of the treats or the sharing of mom's pets. Her ears pinned back and she, very clearly, warned the others to stay an appropriate distance away. Lots of rubs later and I was covered with horse hair. She is definitely shedding. I suspect she's getting warm in the sun due to her genetics because the quarterhorses and Missouri Foxtrotters were not shedding nearly as bad. Then again, my beautious girl is a warmblood and prefers cooler temperatures. She has a tendency to slow down as the temperature rises. Forget about any strenuous exercise when the thermometer reads above 80 degrees. She hates sweating as much as I do.

I wonder if she would be willing to wade into a pond. If only there were a pond close by to experiment with pony doggie paddle.