Lovely, . . .

. . . a word and a state of being that is not so easy to find or attain in a modern world that values activity, image, fantasy and speed above all. But the other day, lovely was the best way to describe a few moments I had standing on a levy in Missouri City with Walker and Bingo.

I arrived at the barn knowing I had only about 90 minutes to get Walker, and maybe Bingo out of their stalls after another day stuck there away from their soggy turnouts. I took Walker to the small indoor arena and we played on line together, lots of moving circles, falling leaf pattern, and all at a good pace. Walker, though wanting to be a bit snotty, could not help himself but to enjoy the movement, the dance. I have to admit, that as a dance team on the ground, Walker is a bit more athletic than I am, but we had fun nonetheless. He forgives me for being 51!
Then I got Bingo out of his stall and we walked over to the levy for some grazing. As Wendy and I had done this over the weekend, I knew they would behave themselves up there without needing any micromanaging from me.

We went through an opening in the fence, and I tossed the 12 foot lead ropes over their backs so they would be free to graze without hindrance.

They moved away from me and tucked right into the grass, which had grown up to their hocks. Now and again, they would come over to me to touch base and get a cookie and then they would move off again, bending their necks to the grass and eating eagerly. Bingo seemed especially willing to stay with me versus eating the grass, so as a reward, I used the end of my carrot stick to scratch his neck, to which he hung his head all the way to the ground in complete surrender.

There was a wonderful breeze at the top of the levy compared to the stifling heat in the stalls. Walker and Bingo, both covered in sweat when we left the barn, soon dried off. It must have felt really good to them.

While they ate, I gently leaned on my carrot stick and read a novel. I glanced at my phone to determine what time it was and was happy to see we still had an hour to spend time together. What a lovely hour it was. Poor Bingo, when it was time to go, he followed me like a big sad puppy dog! Still, I like to think they appreciated the time out. I know I did . . .