Welcome to Epona Moon Farm

Not two weeks had passed since my last parent-induced panic attack when Matt deemed me ready for more. We were to spend the weekend out at his dad’s ranch/farm. Objective of this mission: To meet Matt’s father (Bob), Bob’s wife (Jeanie), Jeanie’s son (Kevin) and Kevin’s fiancée (Maya). Actually, I had already met Kevin before so let’s scratch him off the list… *audible erasing noises*

PANIC!! Unfortunately, I couldn’t cast Matt in the role of villain since he had only issued the invitation with no coercion involved. And I, the fool that I am, agreed. What can I say? The meeting with Lesley and Tim had gone so well that I somehow managed to convince myself meeting the rest of his family would be just as painless. I had not counted on the fact that my trusty pantyhose would have to be discarded in favor of more casual gear since Bob and Jeanie live out on their horse farm. *cries over abandoned pantyhose*

Before we left, Matt and I stopped at this darling little place called the Stone House Café. Matt had been there for lunch a few times and was in love with their sandwiches. Their breakfast was pretty good too! At last, it was time to go. I could feel a stress ulcer starting to form. *pokes the angry tummy with a tentative finger* The weather was pretty angry too. It was pouring rain the entire ride down there. It finally let up a little as we entered the forest reserve where Bob and Jeanie’s horse farm was located. The trees were beautiful as they towered above us and pierced the clouds with their uppermost branches.

Matt steered the car along a winding dirt road past other properties until we reached the house. The welcoming party of horses stood along the fence line and watched us with inquisitive eyes from under dripping forelocks. We parked car next to the others before stepping into the wet. Immediately, I could feel my hair start to go crazy. (Normally, the slight wave in my hair expresses itself by looking perpetually unbrushed but in the rain it completely takes on a life of its own. Joy.)

We walked unannounced into the house and found everyone in the kitchen. Before we could say a word, my feet were mobbed by a mass of yipping furryness. I was afraid to take a step lest I squash something since the mini-rampage hardly reached the tops of my ankles. After a moment or two, I realized that the vociferous section of shag carpeting was actually five little terriers! Only four belonged to Bob and Jeanie. The fifth belonged to their farrier who was visiting with his wife and daughter. (Disclaimer: I don’t know anything about dogs. It is Google image search that has helped me deduce that these dogs may be Yorkies. I COULD BE COMPLETELY WRONG!)

Introductions concluded, everyone headed outside for a walk. The terriers were put away in their tiny kennels and the three bigger dogs were released from theirs in the garage. (Apparently, there are three cats also in residence not to mention the nine horses we saw outside earlier. These numbers may not be exactly correct but damn near close!) Jeanie was nice enough to lend me a pair of her boots since my sneakers were not up to the task of protecting my feet from the impending threat of mud.

Bob and Jeanie have a gorgeous piece of property. It faintly reminded me of Vermont and tramping through the woods as a child. It was a happy time even though I could feel my hair starting to shoot out in eight different directions of riotous, semi-curling, definitely-no-longer-brushed insanity due to the resurgence of rain. It was fun seeing everything and talking to everyone. Soon it was lunch time and then Matt and Bob headed into the study for a chat about a business idea they’re developing together.

Jeanie, Kevin, Maya and I sat down for a chat on the super comfy couch in the living room. The conversation revolved around Kevin and Maya’s upcoming wedding this summer. I love weddings! Not that I was about to invite myself to theirs but it was fun hearing about it. Then, with no warning, the topic switched to Jeanie’s want of grandchildren. I was surprised to find myself just as much on the receiving end of it as Maya! Uh…Matt and I have only been dating for two months. Isn’t it a little early to be planning for OUR kids?!? *laughs*

Dinner was at a cute Italian place in town. The food was good and so was the conversation. The rain decided to turn into a torrential downpour as soon as we decided to head out to the car after dinner. *looking like a half drowned cat* When we got back, everyone camped out in the living room to watch a movie. It was decidedly strange. The movie, not hanging out. I think it was called The Departed? By the end of the movie, we were all ready to go to bed. Until tomorrow!