horsing around

This Christmas, Dakota and I had two nice rides around the farm in Granbury. He did great, much better than his rider. There's nothing better than a long walk around 40 acres on the back of a pudgy horse. Especially at dusk, most especially at dusk.
I convinced my Dad to go out and sit on the rusty old tractor while I took some pictures with my Seagull. The light was golden and rich and I knew it wouldn't last long. While it did, the tractor, used long ago by the same people who put in the windmill and the log cabin, now all rusted and still, looked just a little magical.

On Monday morning I ran 6 miles through the cow pasture. The cows couldn't figure out what I was doing there. I think it troubled them. They ran toward me and then stopped and just stood and mooed at me. One, Buffy, is almost tame, she was bottle fed before being turned out to the pasture and still sees people as some sort of "helper herd". (All the cows have good names because Skyler and Annalise named them, we have Cinderella, Sky Gray and Snow Belle.)
On my sixth lap around the pasture, the cows seemed pretty used to me. I love cows.
The cows in the neighboring pasture went crazy every time I ran near their fence. They got very excited and ran back and forth and around. The big steers rushed the fence and the little ones just got silly and ran in circles. I guess they don't get much excitement in the North pasure.

The horses just whinnied at me and the donkey got a little nervous. I ran through their little pack and they ran around a bit. Dakota seemed to think I was a bit nuts to run when I could just graze.

I liked it. I'd only planned to go 4 miles, but I just felt great. The cool morning and the dry pasture and the quiet. I could have gone farther, that is a feeling for which I am grateful.