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Leaning close to the window, an elderly resident pressed her palm flat against the glass &mdash; and if the pane hadn&rsquo;t been there, she would have been able to reach out and touch two beautiful horses named Lady and Sweet Pea.
				Another older woman, peeking through another window, blew kisses to these two most unusual visitors to Wesley Village.
				In a third room, an elderly man tapped his fingers against his window, and Sweet Pea nuzzled her nose againt the other side of the pane.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like he&rsquo;s petting her,&rdquo; said Kimberly Ann Sickler, who had accompanied her cousin, 20-year-old farmer Dakota Wilson, of Tunkhannock and his friend, 26-year-old Paige Cuba, of Wilkes-Barre, to Wesley Village in Jenkins Township early Thursday afternoon.
				Wilson and Cuba, who often ride together, explained that they were riding horses near the Tunkhannock campus of Wesley Village earlier this summer when a staffer spotted them and invited them to linger so the residents could admire the horses.
				They enjoyed seeing how happy it made the residents, and have made themselves available to visit other assisted living facilities. Thursday marked their third such visit.
				&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s the best thing we can do for them,&rdquo; said Wilson, who owns both Sweet Pea and Lady, who are, respectively, a quarterhorse and a standardbred.
				The residents couldn&rsquo;t actually touch the horses, because the windows had to stay closed, but they could look into those big brown eyes and maybe remember other animals they had loved.
				Jim Baker, a Wesley Village resident who lives independently, was out for a walk with his walker when he spotted the horses and he was able to pet them.
				&ldquo;I used to muck out stalls,&rdquo; he said, reminiscing about working on a farm in his youth, before he became a minister. &ldquo;My granddaughter-in-law likes to ride, and now I can brag to her that I was with horses today,&rdquo; he added with a chuckle.
				Katie Downs, a marketer for Geisinger Home Health, who arranged the visit, and Wesley Village activities director Tami Chesniak were pleased to see how the residents responded, waving happily to Wilson and Cuba as the pair rode the horses from window to window in the facility.
				If other assisted living facilities are interested in a visit with the horses, Wilson said, they may call him at 570-836-3289.

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Horses brighten spirits at Wesley Village