Surprise!

The first visitor of the day wasn't a total surprise; I'd heard Fritz calling for Faye soon after I got down to the barn.  I knew Faye was here before I saw her because the herd that had been feeding on alfalfa up at the corner of the pen suddenly came thundering past the Dutch door to the far end.  Sure enough, the neighborhood rover was prancing along the fence line, quite pleased with the uproar she'd caused.  In the middle of milking Cindy, I couldn't leave, but this time Fritz was able to hear me yell, "Faye - is - HERE!," and he quickly showed up in his car to retrieve his naughty girl.  Calm restored, the herd went back to finish their breakfast.

I'd actually been forewarned of the next visitors' arrival by an early-morning email, but it was the nicest surprise that my brother- and sister-in-law were going to stop by in the afternoon.  Glenn and Jerri are very special to me, and I don't see them very often.  Still in the throes of pumpkin pulp, I didn't have time to bake anything for them, but a cup of cocoa took away the chill as we talked.  They live a rather nomadic life now in a huge fifth-wheel trailer, their home away from home, that "camping" doesn't begin to describe.  This latest outing was with friends to a campground down in Plymouth, and Glenn and Jerri took advantage of being so close to come here.  They'll also be "camping" with family over the Thanksgiving holiday in nearby Pine Grove, and I accepted an invitation to join them earlier on that day for midday snacks.  Since it will be getting dark so early, I'll need to get back to put the kids to bed before dinner.  It was a perfect fall day for a walk around to see the chickens, goats and sheep before they left.  Yesterday was an anniversary of sorts that could have had me down, but these most welcome surprise visitors were just what the doctor ordered.