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gets a faraway look in her eyes. “I can only imagine.” Mr. Ed’s muzzle nudges against Janni’s hand. She pats the white patch between his eyes. “Okay, okay.” Walking a few feet to her right, Janni scoops a handful of grain from an open burlap bag and gives it to Mr. Ed.
    â€œI’ve invited you to stay with me on more than one occasion, you know,” I say.
    It’s really quite disgusting how that horse’s lips flap over her hand to get the grain.
    â€œI know.” She wipes horse slobber on her coat, and I think I’m going to be sick. Dust and grit grind beneath her feet as she makes her way to the back stall. “It’s just so hard to get away.”
    â€œMaybe you haven’t noticed that your boys’ rooms are empty?”
    â€œTrue, but Daniel can hardly fend for himself, and who would look after the animals?”
    â€œLast time I checked, Daniel was over eighteen. And as far as the animals are concerned, don’t you have an animal-friendly neighbor?”
    â€œYeah, but it’s not that easy to get away.”
    â€œIt’s your call. I’m just saying you’ve been invited. Who’s this?” A bleating white goat peers over the rough, wooden door.
    My sister brightens. “This is Tipsy, our fainting goat.”
    My gaze pins Janni in place. “An inside squirrel and a fainting goat? You’re scaring me.”
    She giggles. “If Tipsy is startled, she’ll faint. Isn’t that right, Tipsy?” Janni coos while scratching the goatee beneath Tipsy’s chin. Poor thing must be menopausal, all that hair. “I fell in love with her when we visited a farm in Tennessee, and Daniel bought her for me.”
    The barn door slides open and we turn. A gust of cold wind follows Daniel inside, stirring hay and dust about the room.
    â€œI see you’ve met Tipsy,” he says, brushing the dust from his hands and stomping clumps of dirt from his feet. “Hey, let’s show Char what Tipsy can do.”
    â€œDaniel, don’t make her do it now. It’s cold,” Janni says with a pout.
    â€œYou know it won’t hurt her. Come on.”
    â€œOh, all right.” Janni unlatches the door in front of the stall and lets the goat out. It’s been too long since I’ve been around farm animals, so I step back. Besides, I don’t want that thing fainting on me.
    â€œTime to eat, Tipsy. Time to eat,” Daniel says with far too much enthusiasm while clapping his hands.
    Tipsy circles in place once then suddenly keels over onto her back, legs shooting straight up like broomstick straw. Her little tail wiggles lickety-split while she’s down, and she’s back on her feet in two seconds flat.
    Everyone laughs.
    â€œNo matter how many times I’ve seen her do that, I still get a kick out of it,” Daniel says with a chuckle, rewarding Tipsy with food.
    I’m beginning to wonder just what kind of life Janni and Daniel have here.
    â€œSo, is it a trick that she does to get food or what?”
    â€œNo, she fell over because she was excited. Food excites her,” Janni says.
    At that very moment I share a sort of Freaky Friday bond with Tipsy.
    Daniel grabs a shovel and scoops into the burlap bag, causing a misty spray of grain to shower the air; then he heaves it over to the feeding trough for Mr. Ed.
    â€œWe’ll have to clean these stalls tomorrow,” he says.
    â€œI know.” Janni lifts a pitchfork and spreads fresh hay in the stall. I grab another one and spread hay in Tipsy’s stall; then Janni leads the fainting goat back inside.
    Once the animals are fed, watered, and bedded with hay, we step outside.
    â€œDid you see much sap in the bags, Janni?” Daniel asks, his boots stomping across the hard ground. Good thing the ants are hiding, or they’d be history.
    â€œYeah, they’re filling up.”
    Daniel pushes his baseball cap further up his