3 a.m.

Woke up at 2:30 a.m. for the usual reason but snuggling back down into bed, my brain is just racing. Randy wasn’t snoring (for once!) and I was thinking great, he will be well-rested then, he is sleeping good… and that got me thinking about how much he deserved a good night’s sleep, for all the reasons I had put in the blog I was going to post today about him, which I spent a good part of the day writing and editing. That led me to thinking about this blog in general, how it was going so far, future plans… and hey wow, I remembered several cool websites I need to add to my links!!! Hearing the clocks chime 2:15 (yeah I have two of those in my bedroom, I love the sound of them) I tell myself turn off the brain and go back to sleep! But it ain’t happening. So OK, what’s got me going? For some reason the little foal we lost a few years ago popped into my head and I start thinking about all the critters outside and how for the last couple of days for various reasons I haven’t had much time with them. Then I start thinking about how Susie Q is getting REALLY big even though she can’t be due until at least March, and I start worrying: Is there a reason I can’t sleep? Hearing the clocks chime 3:00 a.m. I’m thinking THIS IS RIDICULOUS, if I don’t get some sleep I am going to be miserable tomorrow… so I’d better just get up and go check everybody. It’s cold out and I don’t want to get out of my nice warm bed but if I keep tossing and turning I’m going to wake Randy up… so up and out I go. First stop the back porch, Shasta gets up wondering what the heck I am doing out there, so I tell her it’s ok, mom’s just checking on everyone. I cover Grace up with her blankie because she has no hair and is probably cold, and give Tank a quick scratch. (The rest of the dogs are all sleeping in the house, and Tanner in his pen, which is why they aren't mentioned!)
Down the steps, Shasta tagging along, and into the first section of pens.
This is Shasta:

I hate to blind the critters with my flashlight but I can’t see a thing… Betty Lou is standing guard over Moses, but he gets up when he sees the light. They come over for a quick hello but Betty Lou’s a little suspicious, I’m coming from the wrong direction, no golf cart noises and I don’t have any food for her! Next is Mary Ellen and Ellie Mae, they are both snuggled down tight but Ellie Mae jumps up just in case because mom is doing something weird… Abby gives me a quick nicker and Dream is almost invisible behind her (she’s black). OK nothing wrong here. On to Trooper and although I speak to him as I approach, he must have been sound asleep because I startled him and he started to bray and back away from me. OMG it’s 3 a.m. Trooper SSSHHHHHHHHHH! He gets off one loud bugle and then I guess he recognizes me because he grumbles a bit and eventually comes to the fence to sniff my hand.
This is Trooper:
Meanwhile Fred next door is gearing up so I go on over hoping to keep him from going off as well, and I get there quick enough, WHEW. Bad enough for the neighbors when they are going off at 6 a.m.!
Trying to shine the light over the big pasture out back, really hard to tell if anyone’s out there but I don’t think so. Everything’s quiet. Around the corner to Austin – WHERE’S AUSTIN? Ok there he is, hiding behind his little house. Ozzie next door is fine too. I can see Susie Q behind Austin laying down, but nothing seems to be happening with her. When I get over there she has gotten up and she and her mom Betty Jean have come to see what I am doing… got any cookies??? Just in case I do, they are threatening Dillon, who is trying to come up behind them, with a snort and blow, so he veers off to the side so he can get to me for a quick bit of love. Next pen, OK I see Eve and Sunshine and Maggie and Holly and Wiley – where’s Foxy… HEY! WAIT A MINUTE!! What are Holly and Wiley doing IN HERE? Sure enough the gate is open between the two pens… oh yeah, and swinging the light back, there’s Foxy in the corner by the water. So I climb through the fence and shoo Holly and Wiley back where they belong and shut the gate. Now I know why it’s open, the pin is gone and Little Miss Maggie can open latches…

This is Maggie:
A quick swing of the flashlight and I see the other three girls, Taffy Jo, Becky Lynn and Peggy Sue, in the far corner. Looking around on the ground, no pin in sight, GREAT! I’ll have to figure something else out until I can get out there in the daylight and look for it. On to the big horse pen, there’s Paint Mare and Thorn head to tail, but where are the little girls? Katie’s ok and there, Destiny and Skeye behind her. Darn kids left the pens open again so I am sure they are in there “filling up my wheelbarrow” if you know what I mean, GGRRR! But where is Luna? Back toward the south, past Paint and Thorn, still no Luna. Where could she be? Finally I spot her – she’s solid dark bay so also really hard to see in the dark, even with a flashlight. She comes over to the fence so I give her a quick bit of love before heading to the barn for a haystring to tie the gate shut.
This is Luna (playing with Zacchaeus):
Back to the house, Shasta tagging along still, Tank has moved to the dogs’ ”couch” so I sit for a minute and love on him, he’s into that! Then in the house and still wide awake, darn it. So yes I added some new websites to my blog links at about 3:30 this morning! And now you will have to wait to hear about my wonderful husband…