This message is from: "saskia schoofs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> dearest friends,
I was very moved by your kind re-reception! thank you all! just a quick note to tell you about the Zeno I saw on Saturday (and -spoiler!- bought on Sunday!). Sunday-evening, I was thinking about Zeno and what to do, so I thought I'd drive by where he lived, 5 miles from my house to see if I still liked him (I hoped he was in the pasture). If not, I could stop thinking about him! I thought this a very smart and non-risky idea, ;-), so, I went, but in the meadow boarding the street, there was only his mother. Zeno himself was behind the farm, I saw his tail and stood patiently waiting for him to fully appear, when the farmer (his owner) arrived. He invited me to come and look nearer... It was not at all my intention, when I left home, to come back with a Zeno, but I liked him even more than the day before and half an hour and a wild drive to a banking machine later, he was in the farmers van... I was very nervous about Sybren, but I shouldn't have been! After some minutes of showing who was the boss (Kitty) and who wasn't (Sybren and Zeno), though one of them (Sybren) thought he was :-), "the boys" decided they liked eachother immensely. They are great to watch! They play, groom eachother, rest with their heads on each others back... Kitty (my Haflinger mare) is still very busy showing she's the alpha mare, so when Zeno comes too close, she chases him, but only a few yards. Janosch, my little Shetland pony, is in his usual gloomy mood and gives me looks full of reproach: "O NO!!! not again such a big one!!! when will you get one of my size??? this is NOT FUNNY!!!", but when Sybren is too close to Kitty for Zeno to follow him, he pairs up with little Janosch, who than looks as if he's very responisble for the welfare of the new one! Zeno (who'll be 14 months next week) is already taller than Sybren (28 months next week). Very strange... (In width, however, Sybren is 2 x Zeno's :-)). I will have them gelded together in October. He, I'm so happy!!! Not only with Zeno and of course sweetest Sybren and the Kittenish (= Kitty) and Janosch, but also with this list! This is an exceptional collection of extroardinary nice people! I've missed writing to you, but reading the stories about Tank, Ellinor, Emily, Taffy, Bjorn, Vedas, Pookie, Sylvi, Dorina, Aagot, Malla, Bjarne, Stella, Bjorken, Adel, Bas, Lilla, Mira, Lars, Buller, "the unfriendly one" (sorry Jean, I forgot his name! But in Belgium this would be called a "geuzennaam", it begins as a not very loving name, but gets said with more and more tenderness until it's like the sweetest nick-name) and forgive me for all of those I don't mention, though I'm thinking of them too, all those Fjords we're so happy to be owned by!,has helped me through the most difficult moments. Thank you all! I wish you all every happiness and good luck in everything! (this sounds like an adieu, but in fact I plan to write more in the future, only maybe I will not sound like an "old sentimental" then, so I do it fully now! ;-)) I think very hard of those manaced by the hurricane Floyd and hope everybody will be safe and everything undamaged. Happy Fjording! Saskia and Sybren, Zeno, Kitty and Janosch
