Winter

"Where now are the horse and rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain..." - Theoden, Lord of the Rings

I thought I'd share some pictures and clips from December 29th in celebration of the winter season. Though to be perfectly honest, it's already been in the 70s for a few days here and there and I already have a tan. Though currently we're back to rain, rain, rain, which is good. I'm hoping this year won't be another drought year.

Mr. Chee (the brilliant actor who plays "Old Man Mr. Hairy" in our fan films) covets his beloved stick.

Old fence.

Beautiful Sparrow with Alex on her back.

Kissing my buddy and my big brother, Mickey.

In case my face isn't scary enough, look at Mickey's. I didn't notice his eye and ear at first... he looks like a hippo!

The barn roof.

Sweet Chee Chee.

I've been blessed to have been raised with horses and to grow up reading their language, though I know many who haven't been exposed as I have are curious, so here are some clips that you might enjoy. The first is Houdini, a Quarter Horse gelding, revealing his OCD side. Since he's still pretty green he isn't usually ridden or worked with at the same time as his momma, Sparrow... so instead he incessantly paces back and forth, back and forth, his hooves kicking up and piling sand against his stall wall. You can hear us bemoaning his antics since Sparrow was literally a few feet from him! The herd instinct is stronger than logic.

And this is Mickey making many noises as he enjoys a small piece of hay. I honestly don't remember him being so loud when I filmed this so the mic on the camera probably just picked it up a lot better than my ears. It's still very amusing, though.

And finally, here's Houdini rolling after his pacing. For those of you who don't know, unlike cats and dogs, horses sweat. All that sticky fur is pretty itchy, so usually a horse will roll after it has worked up a sweat. The dirt also helps them dry and serves as a natural defense against insects.

Enjoy!