Lovestead moments

Our neighbors Angela and her daughter Jenay

Angela called it "lovely." 

What's not to love about a scene like this:  a pleasant summer evening, a mom and daughter out for a ride, tall grass, magnificent forests, manicured trails!

I was picking blueberries in the front yard last evening---the sixth of my picking segments throughout the day (service berries, strawberries, raspberries, peas and green beans).

The sound of clip clops echoed through the early evening air.  

Somebody's coming down the road on horses, I thought.  Think I'll hang around and see who it is.

As the clip clops got louder and closer, Lily whinnied, then one of Gary Finney's Percherons in the field north of us.

Horses know and respond when other horses are coming into their territory.

Rather than just standing at the blueberry patch and waiting, I walked over to the road and recognized Angela and Jenay who live over on North Kootenai Road.

Trotting alongside their horses was Mike, their Border Collie named for a local horse shoer.

I greeted them, as did Annie Dog who immediately shows up any time I visit with anyone coming down the road. 

Fortunate for Annie, the only vehicle coming by at the time was Jim Taylor on his tractor, heading home from a hayfield up north.

Angela, Jenay and Mike moved on into the driveway.  

We talked nice places around the area to ride and agreed we like the logging road trails over the narrow up-and-down pathways. 

Then, it dawned on me.  

We have a nice little riding area in the woods.  Bill just trimmed the grass along the trails this past weekend with the brush hog.  

So, I led them to the lawn area and sent them on into the woods.  It's a short ride--maybe 15-20 minutes but a beautiful one through Bill's forest.  

They enjoyed themselves, and I thoroughly enjoyed clicking a few photos with the evening back light. 

Moments like this on the Lovestead totally fit the famous Mastercard commercial:  priceless. 

And, then there's our bird feeder, squirrel feeder, turkey feeder.  

We never quite know what to expect when we look out the windows. 

This morning a little pine squirrel hopped its way over to the feeder.  

Yesterday the resident turkey herd spent some time grabbing sunflower seeds before falling into step and heading back into the woods.

Yes, these days offer many priceless moments at the Lovestead, and I still pinch myself.