It all started with a TWWWISSSTTTTNOOOOOOO!!!!

OK. Actually it all started much earlier than that... with a "woof" not a whisper. (That'd be Twist reminding me as I was leaving the house that I promised him he could go with me and Stan to put the sheep away today.) So, we three trekked to the barn. But first, I put a baggie of grapes in my pocket.

Grapes. See... my next door neighbor - you know, the guy whose back pasture the sheep have so kindly been keeping meticulously mowed for the summer - well... anyway, Jose has a pony. I don't know his name (the pony's. I clearly know Jose's name), so I started calling him (the pony)... well... Pony. Don't judge. He (the equine in question) answers to it. Anywho, Pony the pony and I have become friends of a sort. I bring him goodies. He lets me love on him and pretend that I have a horse... or pony in this case.

Pony... the... uhmmm... pony.

He's a small creature (as ponies most often are), but it brings me great pleasure to see Pony the pony come trotting over nickering to me for his goodies. Usually by the time I'm at the gate between his back pasture and ours, he's trotting over, or, more often than not, already there waiting for me, demanding I pick up the pace. Today Twist, Stan and I made a special trip over to see him because there were no sheep over there nibbling on Jose's grass today. But, I like to bring him something every day or three, and today, being my birthday, seemed like a good day to share the wealth, so to speak. Hence the grapes for Pony.

So, we enter the pasture, and Twist, in a most unusual move, rushes the fence to Pony barking. Twist knows Pony. Pony knows Twist. I've no idea *what* that was all about. I called Twist off, and then gave Pony some grapes and got a snuffle on the nose from him in return. Nothing in the world like exchanging carbon dioxide with a several hundred pound pony named Pony. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black dog taking off in a shot.

 (This is where the TWWISSSTTTNOOOOOOO!!!! comes in to play) 

I looked up to see the black dog racing for all he's worth after a Twinkie. (I mentioned grapes. Did I mention Twinkies? Oh. Sorry). Not like a Hostess cream-filled Twinkie though, but like a cute little German Shepherd girl named Twinkie.

 TWWISSSTTTNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

 I looked down and felt a nip and a nudge and here sits Twist. HARRROOOOO! You need Me? Roo? What No? No WHAT???  WHAAATTTT???

STANNNNNTHEBOOOYYYYYNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!! 

 Poor Twinkie. She was racing around trying to escape the rude STAN THE BOY!!!! Stan really likes Twinkie. Pretty Girl. Cute. Little. Kinda shy. Right up his alley. He's been oogling her from across the fence for a year now. And they being on the other side of the pasture, Well... I was thinking "CRAP! How am I gonna keep Twistie from getting involved in that reindeer game?!!! AND rescue poor Twinkie from the doofus STAN?!"

I reached down and grabbed Twistie by his cheek to keep him from bolting off to join the game and started walking over when...

 Jose to the rescue!!! 

Out from behind a big covered trailer pops Jose, who calls Twinkie, startles Stan, who finally hears me say GET OVER HERE NOW!!!! (which he does), and Twinkie is saved! PHEW!!!!

GRAPES! GIMMEEE!

Jose and Twinkie return to the trailer to finish painting it. Stan and Twist are banished to the other pasture (ours), and the other side of the gate from good dogs named Twinkie and the pon... oh yeah, back to Pony. 

Pony watched it all impatiently and when the hoopla was done, he promptly reminded me that I had not finished giving him his goodies. His nose knew. So he started whinnying to remind me (Woof. Whinny. Reminders are all the same language, right?) Jose laughed when I told him Pony was being quite a pushy boy when it came to his goodies. Apparently Pony *really* likes grapes. :)

 It started with a "woof" and ended in a nicker.

As I was leaving, Pony softly called out to me. Jose chuckled and said "He is saying thanks for the grapes!"

Thanks Jose! I got that one! See ya soon Pony!