Horses in the moonlight...

Horses in the moonlight...  This morning when I got up at 3 am to take Mo'i for a walk, I didn't turn the outside lights on – there was no need.  The moon was nearly full, and quite high, the sky was crystal clear, and there's snow covering most of the ground.  The result was fairly bright lighting outside, more than enough to see the color of our flags, our orange trailer and FJ, etc. Walking was no problem at all.  The temperature outside was around 20°F, cold enough to make the snow crunchy.

As Mo'i and I walked around the yard, I noticed a dim light across the street from me, along the dirt road that borders the property belonging to my neighbor to the east (Gary and Elaine S.).  Thinking that it might be someone broken down in a car, I walked over there with Mo'i.  It was a beautiful walk in the moonlight, just a few hundred yards but full of sensory delights.  In addition to the cool white moonlight there was the crunch of my boots on the ice and snow, the occasional sound of ice falling off a tree, the snuffling of my neighbor's two horses, and the aroma of their pasture.

When we got to the light, I discovered it was a small round sign that said “Vivint”.  I'd never heard of Vivint before, but with a little googling I discovered it was a home security company.  Apparently there's an alarm system in the adjacent horse barn.  I'd never noticed the lit sign before; perhaps it was recently installed, or perhaps I just never noticed it in the glare of the outside lights I usually have on when I walk the dogs at night.

As I checked out the light, my neighbor's two horses came trotting over to greet us; black shapes in the moonlight, accompanied by horsey sounds and smells.  One of them is entirely black, the other also black except for a small white blaze on its forehead.  They looked a little spooky in the moonlight; a bit like the black horses ridden by the Nazgûl of the Lord of the Rings.  Both of the horses remembered me from previous encounters, but both were leery of Mo'i at first.  Within a minute or so, though, both of them were rubbing noses with a delighted Mo'i, who's always been interested in large animals.  I think the horses were very happy to have some company on a cold morning; they complained a little bit when we left...