Separation Anxiety

I almost burst into tears today when a  dramatic and emotional song came on my iPod while I was  thinking about leaving E Z Dollar for the summer.  There was a dangerous welling of the eyes.  I think I suffer from a guilt complex anyway, I very often tend in that direction.  It's a Catholic thing.  Even though I'm not Catholic.  I was able to pull myself together, though, and realize I was being ridiculous.

My flight for Dubois leaves at 6am tomorrow morning, which puts dad's and my departure time from the house at 3:30am.  Good thing I can sleep in the car! (Love you, dad!)
This meant that today was my last day of E Z Dollarlove time.  Unfortunately, this morning he looked a little ouchie on his feetsies, I think as a result of his farrier visit yesterday.  I did ride him yesterday after his trim, which might have compounded the soreness (Sorry, Dollar!) but I am glad I got a last good ride in.  It makes me nervous to leave him when he's not in tip-top shape, but I'm 99.5% sure it's just trimming tenderness and I know he's in good hands.  Cathleen will be here daily, as usual, to do the normal chores, and mama and papa are always around, and I contracted Renee, who is home from her first year at UNH studying Equine Science, to ride him once a week, to remind him he is a horse and not a wild thing.  See how I have to rationalize things so I don't feel like a negligent parent?

Anyway, that meant that today was just a straight love fest.  A spa day.  It's pretty warm out so he didn't mind the grooming like he  usually does.  And of course, we had entertainment.  Like Donker, eating the tack box.

Delicious.

"Who, me?"

"But I'm just an innocent little Donkey..."

It is one of my favorite things to do, to harass Donker.  Because he is so harassable, as well as harassing.

E Z is long suffering of the shenanigans, as well as appearing somewhat skeptical.

He is so jaded to the cuteness of it all that he mostly just tried to nap.

Don't you love his new halter?

It's a nod to our Western heritage.  A Western heritage which is entirely faux, but I keep trying, nontheless.  On a somewhat related note, if/when we event again, what should our colors be?  Ponder that one.

Most of my time was spent in this position, hugging him fervently and sobbing apologetically into his neck that I was sorry I was leaving him for so long.  Neither he nor Donker seemed to care all that much.

When I was done with the goodbye shnuggles E Z didn't quite seem to believe that I was truly done with him.  He was sure there was going to be more of something.

"Now what?"

 Let's get a close-up of that sleepy, grass-flecked, hanging lower lip.

 I think it looks like a puffer fish.

 It looks like it was a long night, EZpie.

No, you're right, I'm sorry.  You're beautiful.  So beautiful.  The most beautiful.

Let's try to get a full body shot of all that beauty.

His summertime hairdo includes what almost looks like darling little dapples.  So cute.

 Not one to stand around and model for any length of time, it was off to the hill with Donkerpoo to eat some nommy grass.

 With this little guy, who must be their friend because he was unabashedly not shy at all.


 As it was obvious that everyone had had enough of me (except maybe the bunbun), I whispered some more sweet nothings in EZ's direction before heading out, where I encountered this lovely visage.

She had actually been laying with her cute little legs all sprawled, but hurried into a treat-eating-readiness position at my approach.  So of course, I obliged her.

Now it's off to the Wyoming wilds to spend some weeks with the Bitterroot herd.  I know I will love them, and I know I will love the Indian Pond Farm herd when I return.  Love them hard.