Checking Out the Neighborhood

Sunday morning, Brett and I drove from my apartment in downtown Sacramento out to Oak Creek Ranch to feed the donkeys, goats and dogs.  It's a good hour from the apartment to the ranch.  Brett was leaving in the afternoon to go back to Aspen Meadows.  The moving truck was coming Monday and he needed to be there for that.  Today, he drove back up with the horses.  The new owners take possession of Aspen Meadows today as well.  I hope they enjoy it there as much as we have.  Yesterday and today, I've been driving out to the ranch before work to feed and then back out again after work.  It makes for long days, but I'm not complaining.

Sunday morning, we fed and then worked on the place until Brett decided to hit the road.  We won't own the ranch until sometime this week so we just have access to the barn.  Brett fixed the goat fence and weed whacked a path to their gate.  I swept the barn aisle and set up the feed room.  Passage looked out the window at her new world.  So many varmits to hunt!

In a few days, we'll let her start exploring the rest of the barn.  We want her to feel comfortable and safe in her new feed room first.

The dogs did a thorough check of the property line in the morning.

Sedona takes her patrol seriously.  Kersey follows her, happy to be doing anything, smiling at the world with all her might.

After Brett left, I ran some errands and then read my Kindle on the porch swing.  I let the dogs back out to run around while I read.  They blew past the porch a few times, checked out the dry creek bed, and then it got very quiet.  Too quiet.  I looked up from my book and there was a dog the same color and size as Sedona, walking down the lane toward our driveway.  I walked down to the road and she walked over to me.  Following behind, a good distance back, was Kersey and a grey haired woman.  Sedona rested at my feet, hot and tired, while the neighbor told me she had found Kersey swimming in her pool.  Kersey was drenched -- and happy.  I put the dogs back in their dog run and found a gate that someone had opened in one of the pastures.  I latched it back shut, topped off everyone's water, fed the dogs and headed back to the apartment.