Felicity's birthday this past Thursday came and went rather uneventfully. It did not snow, though it had been just three days earlier! Her day was one of the nicer days of the week, topping out around 60 degrees without much rain. Everybody was super busy all day, and between the game needing to update and then having to redo our graphics settings, we only had time to lasso one wild horse before hitting the hay. It was a pretty one, though:
We already have a bay curly in the herd that looks a lot like her, Bethany's Corduroy, so she did not stick around long.
It wasn't until today that we lassoed our two herd contenders for the month. Both came in quick succession.
First up is "Sudden Explosion." (We haven't seen this randomly-generated name before. XD)
He's not particularly amazing in terms of his genetic stats or his performance metrics, but he's quite handsome and - contrary to his name - has a great personality. I love his coloring, his big star, and his mismatched white sock and stocking.
Here he is in action:
Herd hopeful #2 also hails from the fall forest biome. He was part of this band of 4. And no, he's not either of the big greys. He's the small, dark one farthest away from Pepsi and Ossagon.
He doesn't look so small and dark up close - he's actually just tall enough to be a horse. A very... round horse.
No blaze, but he does have a big star like "Sudden Explosion." He also happens to have the second-highest genetic stat total of any wild we've ever lassoed, bumping my Pringles with his +1055 into third place. Bethany's ornery Tide still reigns solidly supreme with her +1103.
As you could probably tell from his build, he is not particularly amazing in terms of speed, jump power, or maneuverability, but he's still solid in all 3 areas. More importantly, he is not ornery enough to buck, nor is he skittish or lazy.
Even though neither of these cool stallions is a pinto, Felicity is a fan of both (as are Bethany and I). "Solar Blaze" is staying, obviously, but how can we turn away "Sudden Explosion" when many of his performance metrics are superior? I'm hoping April can be a 2-horse month, but we'll see. =)
Shifting gears now back a week and to real-life events. Feel free to move along if you only came for the virtual horses, but there are a few more cute animals, I promise. ;^)
On Easter weekend, the humans took their first weekend getaway since the pandemic began. They traveled to the lakeshore just in time for some unusually cold mid-April weather. It didn't even make it out of the 30's on Saturday! The little cottage they stayed in was nice and cozy, fortunately. The hot tub got a workout. (Its brand name: SpaGuts. If I was naming a line of hot tubs, that would not have been my first choice, but ok, then...)
They were greeted by this daffodil growing through the front porch. =)
Mom shared this comfy room with her sister. You can tell which side was hers.
This was Mom's spot of choice for much of the weekend. Perfect for curling up with a good book! She got most of the way through The Maid.
They also bundled up and walked down to the Lake Michigan shoreline, where they had the chilly, windy beach all to themselves.
Mom spent most of the walk looking down at the abundant rocks.
Here are the ones that ended up coming back in her pocket. (An upside of wearing a winter coat to the beach: deep pockets.)
My favorite is the gray one that has the pink chunk embedded inside it, though that brown crackly one is really cool too!They also made an excursion into some of the local shops. Mom saw this bag in a window and went in hoping to find more for sale, but alas.
The highlight for her was a rock shop, where she could've spent ages. We're bummed she did not bring us back any of the little stone animals they had on display, but as none of them were horses, we've forgiven her, ha ha.
They also visited a home goods type shop, where they each bough a machine washable, reusable paper-towel-like square. I'm not sure it was wise for Mom to get one this cute!
They visited a dog-themed shop as well, coincidentally. Nala got two new toys, and the humans got these:
The pittie is for our aunt, Nala's technical owner. Shep is Mom's, as it bears a striking resemblance to the late Summer. <3 Sadly, the shop was all out of black labs to represent the late Pepsi. Mom considered buying a chocolate lab and painting it black. Probably should have, because they're considerably more expensive online. *Sighs*
It was different for the fam to be away from home on Easter Sunday. Normally it's been all about attending church and then heading to a family gathering for an elaborate meal followed by an egg hunt and tons of candy.
This year, it was virtual church, a crockpot lunch for 3, and a little sundae with bunny-shaped chocolates on top for dessert.
This was followed by a final soak in the hot tub, a walk down the pier, and a long drive home while listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on audiobook.
Certainly a memorable Easter!
This Saturday, it made it over 80 degrees. If they'd booked their visit just one week later, they could've been exploring the lakeshore in shorts and t-shirts instead of in winter coats and gloves. Oh, Midwest, you and your dramatic weather swings!
