Well, since my last posting, it has been a quiet few weeks. I have reacquainted myself with life back at the ranch. I have also enjoyed celebrating a friend's birthday and was treated by another dear horsey friend to lunch, then I called to action an early breakfast before work for the full horsey-girl group and this was also spirit uplifting. Friends are part of my happiest moments in life. Which reminds me I have a few friends I need to call because they made my life so wonderful when I was in MA working for the month.

While I was away, a call came to me on my cell phone from my husband's office, so I got off the land phone and quickly picked up. It was a secretary in his office who received a call from one of our neighbors who told her ALL EIGHT of our horses had escaped and had crossed the road over to the middle school's soccer field. Being far away, I was helpless, but I told her to get my husband out of his meeting. I called our horse caretaker and she was already on her way to get them with two others. I called everyone I knew who might be close enough to be there to help and what a great group of horsey friends we have here. Everyone flew over as fast as they could and one dear friend had arrived in time to actually help lead in two of the herd.

My helper was so apologetic I couldn't even ask how it happened, but I later learned a stall door was left open and that's all it takes as they conga-line-it outa there, looking for greener pastures. I am still getting jokes about how the horses went on a field trip. We are just lucky nothing bad happened. Just the week before, two horses had escaped in a nearby town and they were killed and some passengers in the car that hit them, as well. So, this is a very serious thing when it happens and this is a tragic ending to the same story. Not only do those horse owners suffer the loss of their horses, they have to mourn the people their horses killed.

So, sometimes no news IS good news, as they say. I am glad to be home to oversee things and hopefully things will be a little more secured, now that we were lucky enough to have the safe return of all of our horses. I thank God that no one was hurt.

n.

Part of the fun of owning animals is the unknown factors their curiosity sometimes create. One of the not so nice ones is being sprayed by a skunk. They return to your door and you know immediately that distinct smell. Reilly's curiosity got the best of him all over, the other night. I slam the door on him, hoping he'll head for the hills and live the rest of his life with a wolf pack. Think...tomato juice, shampoo and shower. And, of course, I love showers with a dog at l a.m. after entertaining a friend all evening.

Well, it's been a week already and he still stinks. Of course, he is always underfoot. Right now he is sleeping under my desk at my feet. The smell also gets worse when he gets wet. Of course, a nor' easter blew through here. When it is not raining on him he is licking himself, trying to rid himself of skunk. Oh well, I find myself apologizing to all that get a whiff, so they don't think it's me. Today, I will try some perfume on him and try and mask the smell.

I've been asking advice from friends. One told me Borax or something mixed with hydrogen peroxide. I'm afraid of mixing things up and having an explosion. One friend said it will take months for the oils from the skunk spray to dry up. I've even gotten some good herbal remedies suggested,like eucalyptus to get rid of fleas.He doesn't have fleas. Today I realized I liked the smell of the open garbage bag more then Reilly's stink. Ugh. Oh, and I almost forgot, he attracts flies, so I am always swatting away an annoying buzzer flying overhead. Ugh, again.
n.