This was the day there were a few bands very close together, and SunD was protecting his family – and flirting with little miss Shane.

Isn’t he just gorgeous? Love those dapples!

Mama Chipeta

Not-so-baby anymore Puzzle

Very alike, yes?

Puzzle and half-brother Maiku

Maiku’s half-sister Reya

Reya and possible-brother Corazon

Copper, daddy of Maiku and Puzzle

Ty, daddy of Asher

I mean it! Prepare ye all to smile – if not outright chuckle with delight!

Ready?!

Is she not the most amazing doll of a baby girl horse you’ve ever seen?!

I’ve been dying to share this image with you all. Little Mysterium, of course. I was sitting on the side of a hill, and the horses walked past me away from the commotion of Storm and Shadow. And I got this delightful look from the sweetheart – look at those delicate nostrils! And that fluffy, spiky, every-which-way mane! Those teeny pricked ears! That LOOK!

Continue now with your daily business – smiling, smiling, smiling!

In the foreground, mama Raven and son Apollo (son also of Kreacher); in the background, Bounce and Tenaz.

Just for fun.

Then it turned out to be Grey’s band. Always photogenic and worth a visit! But the sun was sinking …

And! Over yonder, I spotted Sundance’s band … and Aspen’s (who also had been closer earlier) … and, is that Storm and Shadow? Thinking Bounce and co. may have followed Aspen’s, I hit the trail. And yep, found Seven and Tenaz, and Bounce, too.

This was basically my view of Seven, similar to the one I posted earlier, trotting back and forth, wanting terribly to get closer to Mona. My thinking was that he had the advantage over Aspen, but they apparently didn’t see it that way, and Aspen prevailed. (Seven is now with Duke and Kreacher – as of last week.)

This is Bounce and Storm. For all Storm’s youth (he was 3 the end of July), he is big and strong – and he knows it. This is significantly cropped. I love Storm’s eye, framed by a wisp of his forelock and the curve of Bounce’s neck.

Mostly, Bounce and Tenaz watched the proceedings with interest and only minor (none for Tenaz) participation. Bounce was aged at this roundup at about 15; in 2007, he was aged at 20 (I want to be aged that way!). Tenaz will be 2 this spring; mama is Piedra, and daddy is Hollywood (can you see his resemblance to Hollywood??). No longer with mama and daddy (he went with auntie Baylee last spring when Comanche stole them (and Iya, Cougar and Sage)), he and Baylee ended up with Storm for the rest of the year, and Sage, Iya and Cougar ended up with Poco and Roach – who pretty quickly kicked Sage out (and he ended up with some other young bachelors (including Ze) and sometimes with Duke or Bruiser).

Did you follow all of that?

Can you just imagine what elder is teaching younger?

Most recently, of course, we saw it last year with Duke and Twister and Cuatro and Sage and Ze and Milagro and Bruiser. …  Still, it amazes me.

Seven and Bounce, former heads of bands (and don’t underestimate their potential to regain their status) … Tenaz – the future.

And if some of us enjoyed the sunshine’s warmth with eyes closed, who could blame us?

Little mister Killian was lying down when I first walked out to them. Winona laid down beside him – that’s the top pic. Terra and Hayden were standing to the side, faces to the sun.

Terra’s eyes closed; Hayden’s at half-mast.

Chrome’s in dreamland; ‘Nona’s keeping a sleepy eye on me. This was before she laid down beside Killian.

Wake-up time. The other horses had moved off, grazing – except mama Roja, partially seen in the background. Killian shares this funny sort of stretch with big brother Ze, who had already left the family when Killian was born.

He looked at me for just a few moments, then trotted off to his compadres (not mama, interestingly).

Terrific Terra – don’t you love her face? Those amber eyes?

Classic Chrome!

That Hayden, he knows how to put out the happy grin!

Handsome young mister! Such a welcoming little face.

Look how fabulously furry he is!

Light loves the baby.

Loves stepdaddy, too.

I know I have been seriously lacking in the blog department for a couple of weeks now. But the ponies are fabulous. We even got some snow today – first in a month?! Very un-Colorado-, un-January-like. Mother Nature, we’ll forgive you – if you keep it coming. Wet, gooshy, slushy, sloogy snow – just what the dry, exposed soil and veggies (as in vegetation) need.

Only one minor change to report: Seven is currently with Duke and Kreacher. That, of course, could change at whim. He was still with Bounce and Tenaz … then Aspen brought his remaining girl (Mona, and her daughter, Shane) into sight – and sound – and that unleashed the most activity I’ve seen in awhile. And though Seven obviously didn’t regain Mona and Shane, he has two new compadres. No pix, though; I was showing friends … sans camera. Just enjoyment.

Randomness (from when I DID have the camera):

Seven, trotting over to (try to) greet his lost lady-love, Mona. I say, how gorgeous is he!

Meanwhile, Bounce thought he might take advantage of Sundance’s flirtation with Shane to pretend a little stand for Kootenai and Mysterium. Tenaz, at right, shadowed Bounce like his little brown, well, shadow.

Speaking of shadows (har) …

… there she is – Shadow – trotting off toward Mona while Aspen and Seven have a disagreement in the background. And what interest a mare when there’s boy-play to engage in? Storm breaks off from his pursuit of Shadow to harass Seven and Aspen.

Later:

I’m not sure where she wanted to go, but he didn’t want her going there.

Have you kept track of the bands? Aspen’s, Sundance’s, Bounce-Tenaz-and-Seven and Storm and Shadow.

Ah ha!

Sorry, girl. Can’t help you! Silly filly.

I will try to post lots of photos over the next couple of days to make up for the “dry season” – sorry! Hopefully we’ll get more snow, and our upcoming dry season won’t loom so terrifyingly dry. Did you note the appalling lack of snow in these photos??

Three spotted girls and one spotted boy – minus the other boys. From lower right: Reya, Puzzle, Chipeta and Maiku.

Low on this hill, the sunshine was awesome. On top of the hill, the wind was biting!