The Open House went over the top today, it was a feast, a celebration, and even something more than that. The big white horses from Blue Star – Piper and Foxy – brought home with great power the human connection to horses, and the need to connect with them and keep them in our world rather than banish them to rescue farms or slaughterhouses in the name of animal rights.
They are gorgeous animals, they are curious, intelligent and gentle. How foolish and misuided is the argument that these domesticable creatures do not belong in our cities. Brian and Mithra from Blue Star took our some metal panels, attached them to our fence, the horses stool calmly while people petted them, fed them carrots, came into their enclosure to pet them and touch them.
The animals arrived this morning, Maria escorted Piper out of the trailer and guided him to his paneled enclosure.
Fate and I just went out to check on the horses before going to sleep, they are standing quietly right by our farmhouse, eating hay. Fate almost fainted dead away when she saw them, she settled down. Chloe seemed very drawn to the horses, the donkeys vanished for several hours, large crowds of people came to touch them and see them, they were content in the middle of a big crowed making lots of noise.
This Open House went over the top. There was so much to do, to see, good things to talk about, great people to meet, beautiful poems to be read, lots of very creative and inexpensive art to look at our buy. Maria is selling a lot of art. Ed Gulley sold three pieces, Rachel Barlow sold a lot of her prints and sketches, Maria was busy all day long.
Pamela Rickenbach’s talk to the people at the Open House was powerful and revealing, she spoke so eloquently of the horses history with humans and of our need for them. My head is spinning, and I am so tired right now. Pamela is staying with us, Brian and Mithra from Blue Star were fascinated by sheep-herding, we took the sheep out into the far pasture, they saw me work Red and train fate.
Jim McRae, our shearer and and well-known border collie herding trainer, watched me work with the two dogs, and he said Red was an exceptional dog. He said I had a lovely way with dogs, and that my training with Fate was going very well, she was confident and responsive and showed a lot of instinct. She also did not quit, he said, she was determined to work it out.
He suggested I permit Fate to “meet the sheep,” to work with her in enclosed spaces so she could have a chance to strengthen her eye and gain more confidence. I know very well what he means, I am beginning to do that, but not enough. I am grateful for his advice (I asked for it.)
So there has never been an Open House like this, gorgeous weather, flocks of people, many things to feel and witness. More tomorrow. A friend took me aside and said he was worried about me, I looked exhausted. I am exhausted, I said. But in this content, it isn’t a bad thing. I had many good things to be exhausted about.
The horses will be here all day tomorrow, farrier comes just after noon. Sheep-herding is done on and off all day. And I am nodding off, right at the typewriter.