As the weather has shifted from cold to warm, so has my favorite time of day. In fall and winter, I find a small burst of joy when the sun is rising, and I go out in the morning chill to feed the horses. Now that it feels as muggy and humid as a sweaty armpit when I carry my buckets to the barn at the crack of dawn, I realize that my magic moment comes at night around 9 pm.
Before I go to sleep, I like to go out and check on the girls, hoping to cross paths with a firefly or two. Silk and Siete are glad to have their water buckets topped off one more time and to split a flake of hay. I’ve started to leave the top of the Dutch doors in the back of the barn open at night so they can get a little extra air circulation.
One of the advantages of summer is that we can open the window over our bed. Even though I’m upstairs in the house, it allows me to hear everything going on out back by the barn. Most of the time, the only sound is the big orchestra of frogs, crickets and locusts, but once in a while, one of the horses will blow contentedly and make me smile. The rest of the house still holds the heat of the day, but there’s usually a soft, cool breeze blowing across my face and shoulders. That’s when it’s perfect. As I switch off the orange glow of the lamp next to my bed, I imagine Silk stretched out snoozing in her stall and Siete watching out the open window as our neighbor’s cat crosses the pasture. Sweet dreams, you good little horses.
7 comments:
I loved this imagery. Nothing is better than sleeping where you can keep a window open, hear the frogs....feel the breeze. I can't do that where I live now, but I do it whenever I housesit!
I have never seen a firefly. Would love to, someday!
I hope your sweet little horses have sweet dreams! And you, too! :)
Sleeping with the window open and listening to the sweet, pleasant sounds coming from the barn. Ah, yes...Lyle kicking, toppling and beating on the metal stock tank in which his hay is served (think kettle drum). George and Alan picking up their rubber feed tubs and tossing them against the side of the metal barn... Maybe it's another one of those mare/gelding differences?
After a hard day, I'm sure the night sounds of the critters and horses is a relaxing reminder to just let the stresses of the day fade to nothingness and fall into the peacefulness of dream land.
Funny, I went out late last night to check on my girls and just enjoy! I love summer!
Ahhhh.... lovely.
There's nothing like sleeping with the window open at night. I refuse to get air conditioning in my house. Even if I need a fan running on those hot nights...
I love the air and the crickets!
This was a great post and I plan to live in a place where I can hear those night noises from my horses as I lie in bed with my window open.
We have sort of the opposite ritual. In the winter, night-time is the special time for saying goodnight and giving out the night-time hay, but now, when they go to evening turn-out, the mornings when they come in are the quiet sweet times for us - we set up with hay and fans during the heat of the day.
I too love having the windows open and listening to them snort and blow. (and neigh and bray and gallop and splash in the water tanks)
And the fireflies are out here too! When they start up each evening, it's a sure sign the biting bugs are done for the day, so I let the fireflies be the cue for turning out.
Sweet dreams to you and your horses. You deserve some quiet time now.
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