A Busy Day on the Farm & a Picnic on the Parkway

I finally found something to post with a specific subject! *is very happy* :D
Yesterday, Stacey came to pick up the horses. It all started out with him calling as we were finishing up breakfast, and Nathan and I had to rush up to the pasture to feed and get the horses ready. He was coming at nine, and it was already eight thirty. (It usually takes us about forty-five minutes to feed.) As soon as we got up there, I rushed into the tack room and grabbed the three halters, impatiently waiting for the horses to come so I could put them on my babies. Silkie came first, (as usual:) and I put her halter on. Then Red, then Belle. Filling the bowls as quickly as possible, I threw a pain pill for Red's knee into his food and we got them situated. As we were waiting, I went around to each stall as they chomped away at their grain and brushed them off quickly but thoroughly. Soon, the neighbor's dog started barking, and then Marshall; we heard a big truck coming. Yup. They were here. I walked out to the front gate to greet them as they pulled over to the side of the road, horse trailer and all.
"Hi! Um, the horses just started eating; do you think you could wait a few minutes?"
"Sure."
After they were done, we got them all loaded and heading down the road. Stacey was going to take Belle to the stables first, and then take Red and Silkie to another pasture close to his house. We were going to follow him to the pasture, but mom had to go down to the house and get the car. Stacey went on, and we were going to meet him at the stables. I waited up by the mailbox, sitting there in the grass and gazing at the empty pasture. It was weird. My horses were gone. It happened so fast. I knew that they would be very well taken care of, and it wasn't like I would never see them again, but, it was still weird. (To tell you the truth...I ALREADY missed them!)
Anyway, on with the story. We went on over to the stables, and Stacey let me take Belle to her stall and get her settled. She was very nervous, and when Silkie saw her leave the trailer, she began to whinny for her. We got her in the stall, and she kept on whinnying for Silkie and Red and walking around in circles. (There were no other horses in the barn.) After that, we left from there to take Silkie and Red to the other pasture. It's really close to Stacey's house, so I feel better. :) They began to eat grass immediately. It was a fairly big pasture with, in places, knee deep grass, and then a bunch of woods. Stacey asked if I and Andrew (Stacey's nephew) would like to take the horses down to the creek to show them the water. It was way in the woods, and when we got down there, we let them go. It was funny to watch them run around in the woods like wild horses. Silkie was having a ball, and wherever Red went, she went trotting along. They followed us all the way back up the path and into the field.

From there, we left and went to ANOTHER pasture to pick up the stallion, El Dorado, and take him to the stables. He is SO pretty! Andrew went out to call him and the other stallions, and he came running across the hill whinnying. They got him loaded, and we went back to the stable, unloaded him, and took him around the barn. Belle was in the barn at the far end, but as soon as El Dorado got to the entrance, he could smell her, and began to prance about and neigh. They put him in a stall about three down from Belle, and they both started to neigh at each other back and forth. Now in this picture, what they had to do was take ANOTHER gate and put it above the first one, securing it tightly. Why? The stallion will do ANYTHING to get to that mare. They'll jump over arena fences, or, in this case, this stall gate. He actually tried pushing it down. I took a video of him, and you can hear Belle neigh at him, and then he replies. Stacey said that this morning and again this afternoon he'll introduce the stallion and mare to see if Belle's in cycle. If she is, she'll be covered Monday. It was so much fun, and I can't wait to see them again! We're going to try and visit them twice a week; they'll end up being there for about a month or so.

To wrap up an exciting day, mom, Nathan and I planned to surprise daddy by going up to the Park Way with a picnic dinner. We didn't tell him where we were going, but packed everything in the car and mom got some KFC. We got up there and had a REALLY good time. It was very relaxing, and there was no one there. And...(here's my favorite part of the day,)....I took my first driving lesson. There was no one there, so dad and I got in the car and he let me drive around the loop. I was SO nervous...you wouldn't believe it. We drove up to the restroom, and then he made me back out of the parking lot. Joy. :) I told him after I got out, "I think I'm happy to stay a passenger for the next few years!" :D
I took a bunch of pictures, and then we went for a small hike up to the top of a hill close by. It was amazing to see some of God's most beautiful creation. Rebekah had her picture taken on a huge fallen log, but she wouldn't look up at me. Silly goose. :) We had a wonderful time, and we're hoping to do it every Friday or so.

Anyway, I guess I'd better close. Thanks for reading! :D

In Christ,
~Miss Rose