"He Looked Up and She Was Gone"

Howdy Folks,

Thought I'd share a story I wrote a while back for a "Writer's Prompt Contest." The story had to begin, "He looked up and she was gone," and be 550 words. Enjoy!

He looked up and she was gone.

He looked up and she was gone. Even though their relationship had been amazingly brief, her sudden departure saddened him. From the very moment he met her under the giant mimosa tree he knew she was special. She had a unique kind of magnificence that could hold any admirer's attention, man or woman. He remembered her sitting there so poised, so angelic. From the first glace she had held him captive with her dainty, yet commanding beauty.

It wasn't like him to be so overwhelmed by a chance meeting, most of the time it took effort for him to become interested on the level she had stirred. She was different. She was the epitome of natures own splendor. And grace. She held a speechless trance over him. In her presence he could scarcely afford even an instant to look away. He knew God had made her special, no one need tell him that. It was the power of her fragile beauty that engulfed him and made him her prisoner, if only for too brief a time. He shook his head and closed his eyes remembering, as best he could, every detail of their time together under the spreading bows of the ancient mimosa.

Her dark eyes had seemed so inquisitive, they held him transfixed. While their encounter had been fleeting, her ability to hold him prisoner with her quiet stare was overwhelming. He focused a lonely gaze where she had last sat. If he tried hard enough he could imagine her there, still. He touched the grass where she had rested in the one sun spot made possible by a break in the massive mimosa's canopy. She loved the sun. She'd never told him that, but he knew. She was different in the sun. She glistened.

Certain things about life had always been hard for him to understand. He wrung his hands, then pounded the ground beside him, frustrated at the sense of loss. He felt a tinge of bitterness force its way inside him as he questioned the fairness of allowing such a tender, yet short-lived encounter to happen. He had known of course when he discovered her, their relationship would not long endure. They came from different worlds. Worlds that could intertwine, interact, but never truly embrace each other.

Why was that? He felt the urge to yell at the sky and demand an answer, but he fought it. Silly, stupid question. He cussed himself. He knew the answer. It wasn't that complicated, even if it was unfair. She had her world, he had his. And each must abide by the rigid rules set in place by powers more powerful and unwavering than anything a mere man could understand. Still he wondered about the callousness of it.

Lying back onto the grass he allowed his eyes to weave a path through the soft leaves of the mimosa and stared at the blue sky. He reasoned perhaps it wasn't so callous, that rule. Of course they would need to each live the life so destined for them, she and he, by some omniscient power that had chartered their separate paths through life. But he thanked that power for allowing him to have known her for even the briefest of time. He knew he would be forever enriched by that meeting. He reached for his diary and recorded the day's date, time and location of this once in a lifetime find. The rarest of rare almost impossible finds, a butterfly so splendid he thanked God out loud for sharing this beauty. He stifled a question though, why had he made so few?

**********************

PS- Please if you leave a comment, no spoilers ... THANKS!

Gitty Up
Dutch Henry

I called Annabelle..

Howdy Folks,

I called Annabelle this morning to tell her about yesterday's sighting here of the 2 Hermit Thrushes. Oh my, she was so happy to hear from me, and she said she'd never seen a Hermit Thrush. Of course I told her this was my first too. I told her the whole story about hearing them, "pip-pip-pip" and how Kessy and Saturday just had to tag along as I searched the tree branches for the mysterious "pippers" and dear Annabelle laughed so hard she said her sides hurt. So then I read her yesterday's blog and by golly she got a good laugh!

It's snowing a little today, up in PA where here nursing home is, and she said the bird feeders the staff put up outside her window is pretty busy. She told me she has House Finches, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Cardinals and even a Tufted Titmouse. She's so excited they finally positioned the feeders just right so she can see them without getting out of bed, which sometimes now is becoming a bother. I teased her and said she always loved those warm covers. Of course she sternly let me know she'd always been an early riser! I said yea, when she smelt the coffee brewing! That made her laugh good, too.

The nurses came and interrupted us, and Annabelle told them her sweety was on the phone and they'd need to come back, so we had a few more minutes of yakking and laughing. Together we remembered a time we went birding and saw a flock of Meadowlarks, the only time either of us had seen anything like that .... She told me to say hi to all her facebook & blog friends and wish you all good birding!

If you have a chance today, give a call to someone you think might enjoy a visit...

And Annabelle says, have fun today and here's hoping you see a good bird or two!

Gitty Up
Dutch Henry

Mystery Guest

Howdy Folks,

Above Kessy's eager tugging and munching on her breakfast hay I heard a "pip-pip-pip." Settled in my Coffee Clutch chair, Saturday curled on my feet, I was enjoying my first cup this bright and cheery, yet cold 28 degree morning. Today was the first day this fall I'd donned long-johns and insulated coveralls, sparkling sunbeams danced on the thick morning frost. Chickens and their winter guests, the Juncos busily hopped and scratched together at the cracked corn. Today a wary rabbit huddled off to the side nibbling corn, too, but scurried into the brush when Mr. Guinea decided that was his breakfast and charged the rabbit, wings wide in a threatening display.

Still chuckling at bossy guinea I heard that, "pip-pip-pip" again. I tried to zero in on the direction it came from, but Kessy's chomping seemed louder than normal, and even with a cupped hand behind my ear I could not. Two Cardinals and about a dozen doves joined the chickens and Juncos for a breakfast buffet. Mr. Rabbit returned, too and I suppose it was a coincidence that a squirrel joined him – Or did Rabbit bring him along for defense against Mr. Guinea?

It's not uncommon to have such a busy breakfast feast at the 3 grain smorgasbord, but usually they take turns. I reckon they were all running on empty after last night's temperature dip. It was, after all, chilly enough to keep Tigger and Miss Kitty in the house this morning.

Once again I heard, "pip-pip-pip," and once again Kessy's munching made it difficult to identify, or even get a handle on the direction from where it came. I poured a refill from my thermos, and steaming cup in hand, set out to identify our mystery guest. But of course it would help if whomever it was would, "Pip up again" … Get it, "Pip up?" I thought that was funny …

I stationed myself just outside the barn and stood leaning on the door jamb next to Kessy. In a few seconds it called again. "pip-pip-pip," again Kessy's chomping kept me from hearing clearly where, and who? So, seeking to distance myself from her loud chewing, I set out in the direction it seemed to come from … Of course Saturday and Kessy felt the need to tag along. How am I going to sneak up on a reclusive bird with an entourage of a beagle and horse?

"Pip-pip-pip-pip" floated down from a tall pine. Years of volunteering for breeding bird surveys had trained my eyes to zero in on almost exactly where "Call Notes" come from. I must admit though, these eyes and ears are a bit rusty, and I never did a survey accompanied by a dog and horse … But locate our mystery guest I did. In fact it was two! ... Two beautiful Hermit Thrushes! What a joy! At first I'd suspected Wood Thrushes, but they are usually gone from our neck of the woods by late August.

For the next five minutes Saturday, Kessy and I tagged along as they flitted about "Pipping" from one treetop perch and then another. What a delight! ... Hermit Thrushes will winter in our area and I hope they become regular visitors to our Coffee Clutch.

If you'd like to read about the Hermit Thrush & hear their song & call notes go here - http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hermit_Thrush/id

Have a perfect day and God Bless!

Gitty Up
Dutch Henry

A Perfect Day!

Howdy Folks,

Ah what a fun day Kessy had yesterday as she continues to expand her boundaries and explore the world. We loaded onto the trailer to go our friend Chris Cooper's house and ride a little, in the company of other horses. I'm the kind of fellow who likes to take things slow, some would say, too slow. But I'm most comfortable with baby steps ... And I've always felt most horses are, too. So yesterday's adventure was a big deal to Kessy and me. It is so wonderful to have a friend willing to be help out.

Kessy's getting pretty good at loading here at home, still need the "rattling grain can" and I expect we will for a long time, but it's the loading away from home that worries me, especially when there are other horses she'd like to visit longer. But all went well. We got there and rode about a half hour around the barn and in the pasture, near but not with other horses. Even though Kessy was very nervous she was wonderfully obedient, with only a few high stepping moments, and one "almost crow-hop." Chris walked with us as a companion for Kessy, showing us the way, and Kessy loved that! They've got a beautiful pasture that meanders up and down hills and around and through lovely trees. Kessy was tempted to run a few times, but with a head shake, to let me know she disapproved of my request to keep it a walk, she did, with a slight bounce or two tossed in, just to make her point. She knows how to make me laugh.

Time to go home, back at the trailer, Kessy balked a bit about loading. It took about 5 minutes of "grain can rattling" for her to step in. For a moment I was worried she would not leave the other horses, but all at once she just stepped right in. That was a big deal for me, and her.

Back at home I decided she should have a chance to hit the trail on familiar grounds, so Kessy, Saturday and I set out for a hike. With hunting in full swing right now, and the bad weather, it had been 10 days since we'd been out and I know she missed it ... And I wanted her to end the day with working a bit on trails she was fully confident on because she was still a bit nervous even when she got off the trailer at home ... And here at home I said yes to her request for a stone tossing flat out run ... Head low, ears pinned, her beautiful black mane flying in my face, the wind whistled in my ears as we flew down the trail. Of course we had to wait a spell for Saturday to catch up after her light-speed dash.

We had a delightful ride. Saw plenty of birds, a few beautiful fall asters, some brilliant red maple leaves … and a set of really big bear tracks. I mean granddaddy size bear tracks ... I stood Kessy next to them in the mud so she could make a track to compare, and by golly those tracks are slightly bigger than her hoof print!

All in all a perfect day, and I hope you have one today too!

Gitty Up,
Dutch Henry

Feature Friday-Mary Ann Kennedy, "Singing to Help"

Howdy Folks,

There are people who travel life's path with a song in their heart and on their lips, all the while trying to help others who may not have a voice of their own. Mary Ann Kennedy is one of those people. Mary Ann's life has been filled with music, her whole life. She remembers a childhood filled with song. "I come from a very musical family. That's where I got my gift." Horses and all animals have always been part of her spirit, too. "I'm so grateful to have been born with the love of music and animals."

In 1978 Mary Ann struck out on her own moving to Nashville. She spent the next twenty years writing and performing the music she loves, earning two Grammy nominations, and producing a number of hit singles. "I had the honor of getting to know and work with wonderful people like, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Emmylou Harris and many more of the finest people in Music City."

Tragedy touched her life in 2000 when within a few days of each other she lost her beloved horse Tonka, whom she'd bred and raised, and Choy, her little pug. In an effort to manage her grief she picked up her guitar and started singing about it. It was at that time she wrote, "The Trail Less Traveled." Driven by the way these events had so deeply touched her spirit and urging from her friends, Mary Ann embarked on a new journey. She started writing songs about the animal loves and angels in our lives. Since that moment Mary Ann has been creating songs that touch, comfort and inspire horse and animal lovers young and old. She celebrates in song and lyric our animal friends hoofed and pawed. "My hope is that hearing this music will inspire healing, joy and celebration of life."

Her first CD, "The Trail Less Traveled" and its title song, introduced many to the growing popularity of natural horsemanship. It was while attending a Ray Hunt Clinic in 1999 that Mary Ann realized that while she had been handling and riding horses her entire life, she did not understand horses very much at all. "It was the way Ray told us when he pointed to a massive oak, 'If that tree was a horse, he knew two leaves,' that made me realize just how much we could all learn from these true horsemen and women." Mary Ann told herself one day she would write a song for that moment and Ray Hunt.

She devoted herself to learning all she could about honoring the horse by learning their language and quickly became a major advocate for conscious natural horsemanship, natural horse keeping and barefoot trimming. "What we are trying to achieve is compensation for domestication." Mary Ann said.

Her second CD, "Hoofbeats, Heartbeats and Wings," celebrates everything from Palominos to Jack Russells, the fun to be found in cleaning stalls and making hay and "Spirit Horses." It also celebrates in song two people who have helped shape her own, and thousands of other lives. For Linda Parelli she wrote, "When You Carry Me." And for Pat Parelli, "Green On Green."

"Rhythm Of The Ride" was her third CD and in song teaches us, "The Language Of Love" and how our horses can leave "Hoofprints on our Hearts." She also declares she is a, "Horse Addict," and in "Tennessee" she celebrates the natural movement of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Another of Mary Ann's causes it to promote soundness in Tennessee Walkers and she asks that if you believe in this, join the marvelous organization, Friends Of Sound Horses (FOSH) and help the cause.

As a lifelong advocate for those among us who have no voice of their own she had assembled a large family of horses, dogs and cats who needed loving care and homes. She realized there was a limit to how many she could take in and she had reached it. But there would be no limit on her efforts to help those who are in the trenches every day running the rescues, the shelters and the therapeutic riding centers. She actively supports a horse rescue in Tennessee, Horse Haven of Tennessee and other local animal shelters. Her fourth CD, "Who Saved Who," is a theme album for loving a rescued animal.

Each year Mary Ann donates her time to perform at numerous fund raising events and concerts to help raise much needed money for them to operate. She also donates generous portions of her proceeds to horse and animal charities, and has given hundreds of her CDs to charity auctions, and sent hundreds more to therapeutic riding centers around the world.

Her fifth CD, "This Love Of Horses". … If you love horses, this is your music! Hurry and order it! Recorded acoustically Mary Ann's passion shines through. The songs are intimate and stirring. "I wanted these songs to be all about the message." Mary Ann said. There are fun songs like, "Cowboy Girl" and "Get Up and Go." "Big Love" tells of the deep and powerful love in a horse or dog's heart, no matter their size. For Pat Parelli, "Slow and Right, (beats fast and wrong)."…

For the gentle man who started Mary Ann on the journey to understand horses, and to help others understand horses through her music, Ray Hunt, she recorded "Two Leaves," a powerful, inspirational and touching song ... "All these years later, when I wrote and sang this song, I could see Ray pointing to that big oak and saying, 'If that tree was a horse, I know two leaves.' ... This song is for you, Ray. Thank you. We miss you."

Mary Ann lives her life caring and giving help to those who need help. She is actively involved in many organizations that do so much to help others. She is devoted to helping those who have discovered or want to discover the natural way, the listening way. She lives the life and leads by example. On her web site she has a page listing the links of others who can help folks learn to honor the horse and all animals. To learn more about Mary Ann Kennedy and to order her music go to www.maryannkennedy.com .

Mary Ann's motto is, "Making the world a better place for the horses and animals we love." Her songs help to guide us ... Her CDs will make great Christmas gifts!

Gitty Up
Dutch Henry

Finding the Release

While giving a horse a little therapy the other day I was surprised at the amount of heat released when I started doing the TELLINGTON TEAM TTOUCH circles across her back. This is a sweet mare who always does what she's asked, even if she is a bit timid, so even though I could see before touching her that there was plenty going on in her back, I was a still surprised at the deep muscle soreness I found.


As friends who have been following our little Coffee Clutch chats, since pre-blog days on Facebook know, my "therapy for therapy horses," is a combination of Peggy Cummings, Linda Tellington-Jones and Diane Sept's teachings, and a few tweaks of my own. But I almost always start with TTOUCH circles along the neck, back, rump, and down along the big muscles in the hind legs.

I rested my hands on the withers and examined her back. I saw a few problem areas and began to plan my approach. Sensing she was more sore than she was letting on I started with tiny circles just behind her ears, so she might get used to this brand new feeling and touch. Even horses well cared for and handled gently and correctly, as this one is, take a few seconds to understand the new sensation of release the circles give, so it is important to start at a place not sore, giving plenty of time for the horse to understand and appreciate this new sensation.

As my fingertips floated in little circles from her ears down her neck toward her withers, she began to fidget and worry about me touching her back ... Now this does two things, it distracts the horse's concentration and it keeps her from enjoying the release from even the area not sore. So I knew I had to stop. Sensing her controlled, but deep seated worry about me touching her biggest ouchy, I paused at her withers, laid my hands flat, and took a breath. I told her what I was about to do, and with my hands still resting on her, I waited for her to accept them where they were. I rocked her ever so gently as I waited.

When she signaled with a softer eye, and big breath, that we might continue, I did. But, because she was so over stimulated with worry about her back muscles, instead of using my fingertips, I used the flat of my hand, the first time over. That pleased her, and she began to go along with it. After a pass all along her back muscles to her rump, I gave her a few minutes to process, then repeated the whole thing again, using my fingertips.

It was then that I felt the big release of heat. It felt like the heat you'd feel holding your hand over a hot cup of coffee. The more I worked, the more heat came out. I've felt this before, even expect it sometimes, but still was surprised at it this time because the mare is so pleasant, and never showed signs of disagreement. I even asked the owner to feel the heat. The little mare softened and softened and we continued along through all the therapy exercises and all went well.

I just wanted to share this story because it is not uncommon for some horses to internalize their discomfort and just do their job. It is another reason I highly recommend these exercises to get to know the things you might miss about your horse's comfort.

Hungry Birds

This morning's serenity and beauty actually started with last night's sky. As I made my way to the barn with Kessy's night-night apple my path was lighted in silver by a moon nearly full, and more dazzling than an exploding rocket. The stars too shimmered and shined with such gusto and brilliance it was as if the long arms of Sandy had indeed reached into the heavens to scrub and polish the space dust from each of them allowing their lights to flaunt and amaze. For a moment I stood, my arm draped over Kessy's back and admired the night sky.

The past three mornings our Coffee Clutch was a bit windy, cold and soggy so today's stillness was welcomed by all parties. From somewhere though, clouds had rolled in to drape the morning sky with a dull gray that held the sounds close to the ground. As I poured my first cup the distant train whistle blew and its rumbling of giant wheels drifted into our snug barn. Hadn't heard the train for a few days, so I welcomed its tune.

The Juncos, whose numbers have really increased, hopped and pecked right alongside the chickens. If you want a chuckle, picture a tiny gray-black Junco busily pecking the cracked corn, shoulder to shoulder with a giant Guinea chicken.

The birds must have built up a good appetite these past few rainy days, as soon there were Cardinals, Chickadees, Nuthatches and about a dozen Doves all darting and dashing in and out to snare a kernel or three. Even when a roster would decide it had had enough of the wild birds and chase them, cackling and squawking, they flew but a few feet to light on brushy branches. Then one by one they'd sneak back to the feast. When the chickens had their fill they lined up on the fallen log, which serves as a sort of backdrop, to preen and strut leaving the corn wide open for the wild birds, who took advantage and immediately their numbers tripled!  

Kessy, Saturday and I enjoyed the show a while longer. Well actually, Saturday snored at my feet, Tigger curled tight on my lap, and Kessy tugged at her hay … But I took in all the feathered hijinks with a few chuckles.

Have a fun day and God Bless!