Thanksgiving is almost here. Today I was in my usual spot…the Woods when I noticed quite a bit of dung on the ground. Now I am not an expert but after some time exploring I can determine certain manure and this was horse. Not long after there came a line of horses with their riders attached. I moved off of the path and the procession stopped and stared at me for a moment…then proceeded. The lead person of the horse line asked that I speak to each one that went by for them to individually determine that I was a human. Thus I assumed that I was a Horse Whisperer. As I greeted each horse with a Hello…Hello…they nodded and the riders smiled or laughed a little. I told one of the proud animals that they need not worry as I was just an old man in the woods…whereby the horse stopped dead in his tracks released more manure and then proceeded.

Animals intrigue me. They have their own analytical systems culture and language. They are many steps ahead of us humans in a multitude of ways. We wonder what our mission in life is while the animal kingdom is settled on that question and happy with the answer. We hope for more gold for our watch fobs and diamonds for our fingers while the horses I saw this morning were happy for a Horse Hello and a moment to study the curious Old Man in the Woods.