The weather continues to be good. I wish that we’d bred the goats last fall – they’d be off and running and jumping right now. I’ll bet that Sassy and Swampy wish this too. They probably feel like their lives are in some kind of strange holding pattern.

And the horses – today I took them all for a walk. I got this sense that the three mares wished that they lived in a large pasture and had foals by their sides. If all the breedings took, this would be six horses. I’d have liked this too.

Jim's driveway

Instead, mares minus foals must now content themselves with living in an enclosure and being taken for mile long walks. They all seemed a bit bored to me today. Raudi was looking for something to get her heart rate up there, and she did find it. We had just come around the turn on Murphy, and were on Sybarite, passing Jim’s old place when her eyes widened, and she got snorty. I had her on lead because I didn’t want her to run up Jim’s driveway. If Jim were still there, it would have been okay, but I do not know the new people.

She was off lead. She raced on ahead, and I looked back. I saw the green truck cab. I caught Raudi, put her on her lead and led her partway up Jim’s driveway. The truck didn’t move, so I finally decided to continue our walk. I was a ways down the road when the truck again began moving. I trotted alongside Raudi, every so often looking back. The truck stopped, and we continued on. It did not follow.

I put Raudi in her enclosure, and once inside the house, I told Pete what happened. I said that I thought it was the Crowley oil truck driver. Pete said no, he saw the truck, and it belonged to Shamrock Septic. “No shit Sherlock,” I said to him, wishing that I’d been the one with the correct identifier. (I should give up; I never am right.)

I decided right then and there to call Shamrock Septic, which I did. I told the receptionist to thank the driver. She said there were two, Chris and Richard, and that she’d pass the word on.

This was the second time lately that I’ve done this. I also called Alaska Airlines customer service a few months back and thanked them for their excellent baggage service. And several years back I called the dentist’s office and thanked the receptionist for the good care I received when I had an extraction.

Does doing this make a difference? Or do those on the receiving end just think that the person calling is someone on happy drugs? Heck, I don’t even do coffee, which I suppose would surprise them all.

I think that being positive makes the world a better place. Or, I’d like to think so. Imagine, if there was a cease fire in the Middle East and those soldiers on both sides shook hands and gave one another a pat on the back. Imagine, because most likely this won’t happen.

Next: 46. 2/17/24: Tangled Up in Blue