Superartists

Memorial weekend is Round Up at the Ranch. We headed to Colorado after I got off work Wednesday with Ben, Kathy and Eva smashed into the back seat. I did switch with Kathy at some point and it was cramped. Eva is a big girl. Got to the Ranch just after Ed had to give it up for the night and chatted before doing the same.

Thursday morning welcomed the chicken slaughter. 25 young roosters killed, plucked, gutted and butchered. We all agreed they were pretty small and so next time will be ordered a few weeks earlier for more meat. We fried 4 and grilled 2 that night, yummy and tender little chickens.

The plan for Friday was to herd the heifers away from where we were later going to pass by with the cows. I helped saddle and mounted my trusty Barney. We did a few circles just to test out the steering. With everything seemingly fine, we headed off. Barney was slow. Super slow like he didn't want to go. I encouraged him. Made it past one gate and were faced with the heifers. Our job was to keep them on the fence as Shelby pushed them toward Wade who would direct them through the gate. They came right at Barney and I. Kicking and yelling at Barney, I sat there helpless. Suddenly, Barney decided he wanted me off and started bucking. I tried to hold on but realized I couldn't and my only thought was to get my feet out of the stirrups. I landed well in hay and poop.

Shelby caught Barney by the gate we'd passed through and I remounted with the thought to get the heifers back. He had some other thought and ran faster than I'd ever experienced Barney running straight at the head of the heifers. Not at all the plan. I think he was trying to prove something to me, he is bigger and can do as he wishes. I got him to stop, Shelby got the heifers going in the right direction and I struggled with Barney to get moving with the group. He didn't want to go. We sat. I got off and pulled him by the reins for a bit, got on and plodded. Stopped. Got off and pulled. The struggle continued for about 100 yards then he just stopped. Everyone else was way ahead. I kicked and yelled. Barney stood. The only direction he would take a step toward was the house. He'd look that way and whinny. I made him turn around and look toward where we should go. This went on for a while until I started getting a little worried as he more and more looked at me. I thought he was either going to bite or just buck me off so I got off and we stood there. I was unwilling to let him go home and he was unwilling to chase cows. We waited for everyone to come back and Barney was lead by Shelby and Iron Jaw back to the house where he stood saddled at the barn until everyone was done with the second round up for the day.

Barney and I are no longer friends. I think he's a stubborn old jackass and I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm something awful too.

The fall was as good a fall as you can get. It was where Wade had hauled in hay so it was padded. We'd talked the night before about how to fall off a horse for Ben's potential ride so it was fresh in my mind not to reach for the ground and to roll away from the horse. It really happens too fast to have any real plan in the moment. I was sore but fine. No one got a good look at what happened and I was up by the time anyone saw Barney heading off without me. I found out later that Barney was peeing while I was kicking him to get the heifers. I'm not horsey enough to sense these things, my experience is that Barney usually does the job that needs to be done and was confused that he wasn't moving. I figure it just adds to the Ranch experience.

This morning I cut up a package of strawberries for lunch. I also brought some yogurt for breakfast. I ate the yogurt but wanted to taste a strawberry. I got out of hand. My lunch was gone before 10:30 am.

Last week on my way to work I noticed that traffic was slowing so I changed lanes to the far left on the 3 lane highway. Then I realized that traffic was potentially going to stop, so I thought I'd move back to the right so that I could exit if need be. I turned on my blinker, and looked. A convertable Mustang had taken my place so I stayed where I was and slowed. Just at that moment, I heard screaching tires and looked over to my right and just behind to see cars flying. One car had flipped on its top and I could see the driver hanging from the seat belt. I saw a guy getting off his motorcycle by the exit yelling at the car behind him to call 911. I was at that moment also reaching for my phone to call 911. I imagined all the cars behind the accident running right into it. I reported the accident. I made it to my exit slowly, traffic had continued on but everyone had slowed. Once I exited, I let out a big sob and called Tzam. I tried to work but couldn't concentrate so I went home to contemplate my mortality.

The accident was awful and could happen on a daily basis because people are in a rush and forget that we're sitting in metal containers going over 60 miles an hour. The driver I saw was dead when the amublance arrived. She had a kid with her, the news reports he's physically okay.

The following day, people went the speed limit and gave each other room. They've forgotten and things are back to normal on the commute.

In a public restroom, if there are 7 stalls and one is busy, I usually go for a stall that is at least one (and probably more) away from the other user. Why would someone pick the one right next to the other user? Someone does. I'd bet that same someone wouldn't sit right next to the other user on a bus or at a movie theater if all the other seats were empty.