The guys continued to fill me in on Mystic Valley and it’s inhabitants. The farm is home to Ray and his family, Lance, dogs, cows, lambs, and horses. The dogs mainly stayed up at the house we first passed when entering the property and the cows were far out on the land, but the the lambs were always nearby. Once situated, we proceeded to see how Neville feels about the two baby lambs, JJ and Spot. He is eager to get a good sniff in and comes on strong, as usual. The lambs are unsure about him, rearing up to headbutt him whenever he comes close. They were indifferent toward me, but loved their Lance.
The horses were only a fence away from where I was staying. My experience with these animals is somewhat limited- I have ridden them in my younger years and Aunt Joyce used to have some on the property at Autumn Olive. Attempts at horseback riding were made in Colorado down the side of a mountain and over a bunch of loose rocks, in New Zealand where the horse took off under a low hanging branch that scratched the side of my face, and in Cozumel where we were all hungover and the guide was a little too into the view of us on our trotting horses.
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| Young Bex |
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| Autumn Olive Camping |
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| Dad & I in Colorado |
It’s one giant animal that I have never really clicked with; however, the horses here were different. Right away Lightning Bug and Cinnamon were my buddies. The first time I walked out to the barn they were right there with me. They gave me the tour of the barn, other horses, and open field. The horses out in the pasture, including a mama and baby, came closer for a look, but that was about the extent of it. These two were my favorites. They followed me, nuzzled me, and kissed my hand, and I loved, pet, and talked to them as long as I was out there each day. I didn’t bring Neville out there with me to meet them, because remember how much he loves horses? One morning I saw a woman and big headed dog going out to the barn and I tagged along. This dog. He was adorable, friendly, and well behaved. He did not give a single care that there were horses all around and stayed put. I wandered around taking photos and petting noses. It seemed as if Lightning especially liked me, but I think he was just a fat kid like me and kept hoping I would have treats for him. Next time, buddy.
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| Cinnamon and Lightning Bug |
Most times when I went wandering around the property I kept Neville on the stake outside the camper. There was a morning I was cleaning up inside and got a whiff of a terrible smell. I thought maybe one of the animals roaming around pooped in front of the door, but I looked around and nothing. But I could smell it even stronger. I checked the bottom of my shoes and the mats covering the steps to the trailer to see if something was tracked in, but no again. Hmmm. That’s when I spotted Neville rolling around in the yard… Never a good sign. I have only ever seen him do that for two reasons. 1) He saw another dog roll in that spot so he needs to give it a go and 2) Something disgusting is there and he needs it on him. Considering the fact that no other dogs were hanging out in this area and something was stinking the area up something awful, I assumed it was the latter of the two options. Sure enough, I call him and he stands up, happy as could be, and some unknown substance is smeared into his coat. His coat, his collar, and his leash, actually. Spectacular. I load up with soap and rags and reprimand him all the way to the creek. This pup and his items get washed as best I can until I see and smell nothing on them. Thanks to the heat he is basically dry by the time we get back to the Drag Queen and lo and behold, I can already smell the stank again. I gave him a secondary baby wipe bath and spray him with anti-shed stuff that has a good smell to it. It’s no use, the stank is here to stay. And it wasn’t even one of those smells a person can get used to, like a musty smelling room. No, this is one of those stenches that permeates your nostrils and makes itself an unwelcome guest in your home. After about a day and a half, it begins to subside, lingering in memory only. That was a long day and a half.
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