A mellow day.

Yesterday we didn't get to the ranch until around 2pm, so there wasn't time to do a whole lot.

Solomon needed some Mom Time for sure though. He was rather overdue.

He's barefoot again now. We're trying it out... I just cannot afford shoes any more. :( He is tender on gravel but otherwise actually seems pretty okay. We'll see.

Bo suggested that I take him for a walk, so that's what we did! I found that having a second person along helped immensely. Sensei walked behind him and gently kissed at him whenever he would freeze up. He was actually a lot more interested in walking down the road than he used to be. I think retirement agrees with him, and his mind has healed a lot.

We went father than we ever had before!

Down the road there were some bulls. HUGE bulls. I wasn't sure what Solomon would make of them- his head got high, but not TOO high, and his ears perked quite a bit. I gave him a moment to pause and absorb their existence, then we continued on, walking right up to them. How did he react?



That's my boy!

Solomon just wanted to eat grass. He didn't care at all about the giant beasts in front of him.



Some views of the country road we walked down.







Solomon was actually pretty well behaved most of the time. He wanted to stop and eat a lot, but mostly didn't get to do so. With my old boy, I am willing to compromise a bit. He's retired, he's ancient, and I just want him to enjoy life, you know? So I'm pretty indulgent. But we still went just as far down the road as I wanted us to. And he stood quietly while pickups drove by.

Sensei, laughing.



Sensei, giving me a "you're in trouble" look and trying to not laugh.



I am happy!



My pretty boy.



Remember how the cattle didn't spook him at all? Well the accoustice in that little spot in front of the tack room did make him spook when Bo and DeDe came riding down the road. His method of spooking is to spin in place and stare at whatever spooked him.

Heh, silly hoss.

I chatted with Bo and DeDe, drank some tea, groomed and loved on Magic the Arab, and did some more ranch aerobics with DeDe.



I also had a little lesson with sensei while Solomon grazed, much of which consisted of me attempting ill-advised attacks and staring at the ground with my arm behind my back, hah!

Also, if you sensei is asleep in his car, and you happen to find just the most perfect turkey feather EVER? No matter how tempting it is, do not stick the feather in his ear. The consequences are dire. Hah!

It was a nice, relaxing day.