[SerenWish]

Day Three- Thursday, July 4th

So Happy Independence Day to America! (Though, as my dad never forgets to inform me, Independence Day should really be the 2nd or 9th of July, not the 4th.) I'm not really a huge fan of fireworks, so I ended up not staying for many this evening, which is why I'm writing this outside, as twilight is beginning to turn into night.

This morning I did my chores as usual, and spent some time hanging around the pen. The mare doesn't seem too upset by my presence as long as I stay pretty still and don't approach her. I haven't entered the pen really, other than to scrub out the water trough and make sure the automatic pump was working this morning. She,of course, hung around the opposite end of the pen then, in the shade of the trees.

As time goes on, she is becoming more and more concerned about the other horses in the area. She pricks up her ears whenever she hears a snort, nicker, or whinny, but she's pretty quiet about responding. The most I've heard out of her was that squeal yesterday when I surprised her. She was picking at some dried grass today, looking bored- but she cheered up once I tossed some hay over for her to munch on.

Unfortunately I had a fence to repair midmorning, and then I had to go into town after lunch for a family picnic that lasted all afternoon. I love my family and all, but they can be rather tiring, and I was swiftly wishing to be back with my mare and other animals. I snuck away as soon as I could, just as they started letting off fireworks, and I did the run of evening chores later than normal. Everybody was hungry, so it was no surprise that the mare perked up when she saw me approaching with her dinner. Here's the amazing thing though- as I approached, so did she! She hurried over to the fence, ears forward and eye intent on me. I tossed over her hay, but I misjudged the distance and some ended up on her head! She snorted and shook her head, sending some of the hay fluttering down, but some of it stayed piled up on her head and back. She briskly trotting around, still munching on hay as she went, before she returned to settle down and eat. It was really cute, honestly, and I spent a few more minutes sitting there and watching her eat and nose around in the hay. Once she calms down, she actually seems rather playful. It's a fun little thing to watch.

The night is so beautiful- no fireworks needed. The purples, blues, and grays of the sky with the twinkling of stars and the shadow of the mountains... it takes your breath away. Still thinking about that name though...

Schedule
6:30 AM : Woke up.
6:30 - 7:00 AM : Ate breakfast and fed inside animals.
7:00 - 8:30 AM : Did chores, fed everyone.
8:30 - 10:00 AM : Hung around and observed the mare, cleaned out her water trough and pen.
10:00 - 11:30 AM : Fixed broken pasture fencing, gave a bit of love to the animals.
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM : Got cleaned up, ate lunch and went into town.
1:00 - 7:00 PM : Family picnic, got away just as the fireworks started, drove home.
7:00 - 8:00 PM : Evening chores, fed everybody, ended with mustang.
8:00 - 9:00 PM : Watched the mare and enjoyed the evening.
9:00 - 9:30 PM : Got ready for bed then hit the sack- time to start brainstorming about the mare tomorrow!