To say that I experienced a full and satisfying day yesterday would be an understatement.
In additional to the usual chores, yard cleanup and planning for upcoming responsibilities, we had two sets of visitors yesterday.
One involved a round-up.
The other, a delivery.
One involved a 4-H'er.
The other, some Girl Scouts.
How much more wholesome can you get with who shows up at your house?
It was early afternoon. I was in the midst of giving Foster a haircut as he stood on a towel on the kitchen island.
I had one ear done and had started snipping scraggly hair on the other when Liam started barking really loud and pretending (I thought) that someone was out there.
I looked out the kitchen window several times and saw nothing.
Liam wasn't gonna give up, so I stopped my project with Foster, set down the clippers and put him back on the floor with one scruffy ear and one freshly trimmed.
I walked through the door to the garage, opened its outside door and saw a black and white critter running past the door in the driveway and headed for the barn. Two men were running behind, one with a rope.
Turns out the black white-face was a 4-H steer from over on Selle Road that had decided to turn into a renegade steer. I love that term (actually 'renegade cows') coined by comedian Steve Martin for his book Cruel Shoes.
At first the renegade steer thought it would be good to visit with the horses, all of which were flying around the barnyard with tails in the air, bucking, kicking and snorting at the visitor.
Long story short, cuz it did last for about 25 minutes, the young man who owns the steer showed up, and then Bill showed up and then the roundup crew consisted of one old woman, three grown men and one high school senior.
The steer, named Danny, had a great time getting to know the Lovestead and dropping a few juicy hot plops filled with grain in various places.
Finally, pursuing Renegade Danny from one open field to another, the roundup crew was able to corner the steer, over by the woods.
"Scratch him, tell him you love him," I kept yelling to his owner who immediately complied.
Thankfully Danny settled down-----probably because he was tired and wanted to be caught. But, he didn't mind a good back scratch.
Before the three visiting males and their Renegade Danny left, I asked for a photo op.
"Let's make this look like they do in those fat stock sale photos," I suggested. "Line up behind him and look like you're a bunch of buyers."
They happily complied. We all laughed and the horses quit their snorting as they watched the visitors head out the driveway toward home.
Danny was a nice renegade steer, so if he comes back again, I'll ask him if he's come for another back scratch.
Later in the afternoon, one of my former students a member of the lovely Sandpoint Camp sisters and a friend of Annie's, came by with her three daughters, two of whom are Girl Scouts.
Becca and her girls, Caroline, Marjorie and Bobbie, had cookies which Annie had ordered after seeing Caroline's Facebook appeal for cookie customers.
I had received instructions earlier in the day that it was okay to open the cookies before she arrives this weekend but please leave her plenty of thin mints and the new caramel cookies, which are really good.
I told her that I would pass that message on to her dad who is a perennial Girl Scout cookie fan.
Bill later said he'd just leave the cookies alone until Annie comes home.
We enjoyed a lively visit with Becca and her daughters AND what experience at someone else's house when you are a little girl doesn't involve a need for a band aid?
Of course, I got out the box and did my nursing duties for Marjorie who had scratched her finger with another fingernail.
They're adorable, every one of them, and we hope to see them all again sometime. And, did I say they were lively?
So, the visits from these two groups were both memorable and opportunities to meet people we know and people we'd never met before.
Plus, we got to meet Danny, who needs to stay home if he's gonna get beefed up for the fat stock sale.
That was not all on this action-packed day.
While cooking up some hamburgers for dinner, I looked at my email and saw THE MOST BEAUTIFUL message I've seen in a long time.
It was from Aer Lingus, informing me that I would be getting a refund for my cancelled airline tickets. Earlier in the day, I had received a note saying that my hotel fee from that fraudulent third-party debacle would be refunded---at this time I'm not holding my breath on that one but will remain diligent in seeing that it happens.
Yes, it was a very good day with the company and the good news that a nightmare, which started March 16 with our airline cancellations, is drawing to a close.
By the way, I did have time in between the visitors to trim Foster's other ear.
Happy Tuesday from the Lovestead where life is one continuous adventure and where Marianne is very happy.
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