We were contacted by a gentleman who wanted to sell us some running bred quarter horses, so we loaded the boys up in the old beater and headed out to check out the stock. Not only did this guy have horses to sell - he had a baby pygmy goat. Those two boys zeroed in on the little guy and the next thing we knew they were asking our host how much money he had to have for the goat. This guy was horse trader deluxe, or maybe a used car dealer on the side. He carefully extracted the amount they had to spend, and gee whiz - that goat cost just that much.
So, we loaded the goat, named Frisky, into the back seat of the car and hauled him home. He was put in a stall at the track, and the boys and their two friends started "training" him. They made him a halter out of some baling twine and broke him to lead. They asked for an old saddle cloth and an ace bandage and created a racing saddle for him. They wrapped his legs, groomed him, and were very proud of their accomplishments.
Then the day came when they took him to the paddock to teach him how to stand to be saddled for a race. They had all four legs wrapped, and managed to get his "saddle" on him before he started jumping around and got loose. That was when we got the page over the loud speaker system - would we please come to the racing office immediately!!!
Now, the ladies in the racing office were okay, but they wore dresses and heels to work, had their hair and nails done, and didn't get dirty. When we got to the racing office, there were the four boys trying to catch Frisky. Frisky was standing in the middle of the racing secretary's desk chewing on an entry form with a bunch of screaming women around him.
The goat was captured and returned to his stall. The boys were properly reprimanded (although it was hard to keep a straight face), and they had to help pick up the mess. The trainers re-entered their horses, and most of them didn't even try to keep a straight face.
And here I thought snakes and mice were trouble!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Mouse Invasion
Within a few weeks, the two mice had 23 baby mice. We got an aquarium for the whole gang, and a short time later, there were 22 more mice. About this time we moved to Oklahoma which had parimutuel racing, and another batch of baby mice appeared. We had moved into a duplex and when I walked into the boys' room and found mice crawling up the curtains, I knew we had another crisis. I do not like mice particularly well either, and I sure didn't want them crawling around the house.
We negotiated a settlement with the boys. They could take the mice to the pet store, sell them, keep the money for something they wanted. They agreed. So, the mice were gone, Snakey was gone - no complaints from mom. If I only knew what their next investment would be!!
We negotiated a settlement with the boys. They could take the mice to the pet store, sell them, keep the money for something they wanted. They agreed. So, the mice were gone, Snakey was gone - no complaints from mom. If I only knew what their next investment would be!!
Snakey
The boys enjoyed going with their dad to the track to gate break horses. One day a gallop boy found a corn snake and gave it to the boys in an instant coffee jar. They were so proud and happy, unlike their mother. I hate snakes!
That was when terrariums were popular, so "Snakey" was given a home therein, and I promised them if he got loose I would be forced to eliminate him in self defense. So, who got to stop at the pet store and buy baby mice for Snakey - yep, me. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, one time they only had baby mice that had white fur on them. Most of the time they were still naked and it didn't bother the boys, but this time they cried and didn't want Snakey to eat the baby mice. While I secretly prayed that this would be Snakey's last night in our home, I explained to the boys that if they were going to have Snakey, they would have to feed him, white mice or not, or let him go. They chose to keep the mice and let him go. Amen. I got their dad up from a sound sleep to take Snakey outside, with proper parting ceremony, and turn him loose.
Ah, life was better - no snake, just two white mice. Be careful what you wish for.
That was when terrariums were popular, so "Snakey" was given a home therein, and I promised them if he got loose I would be forced to eliminate him in self defense. So, who got to stop at the pet store and buy baby mice for Snakey - yep, me. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, one time they only had baby mice that had white fur on them. Most of the time they were still naked and it didn't bother the boys, but this time they cried and didn't want Snakey to eat the baby mice. While I secretly prayed that this would be Snakey's last night in our home, I explained to the boys that if they were going to have Snakey, they would have to feed him, white mice or not, or let him go. They chose to keep the mice and let him go. Amen. I got their dad up from a sound sleep to take Snakey outside, with proper parting ceremony, and turn him loose.
Ah, life was better - no snake, just two white mice. Be careful what you wish for.
Who Would Have Thought?
My husband and I met at an Arabian horse farm. He worked there part time starting colts, and I was offered a job finishing and showing. I didn't take the job, but I did get the guy.
On our first date we went to a movie called "Casey's Shadow" in a car he borrowed from his brother so that I wouldn't know he had an old beater station wagon. Little did either one of us know that our lives would parallel many of the events in the movie. As our children tell their friends to this day, we were not conventional parents.
We had two boys, and he had two girls by his first marriage, and one summer we picked up the girls for their visit, and all the kids got chicken pox. I was working as an office manager and secretary for a cardiologist, and the sitter wouldn't keep the boys, so hubby worked out of the home and took care of the kids. Somehow along the way, his brother talked him into training race horses, which he had done briefly in the past.
He bought a pink tractor for $50 and made a horse walker to cool the horses out, built some stalls, and created a training track. He bought an old truck to replace the station wagon, and even came up with a two horse trailer to haul to the track. Then we made one of the best purchases ever - Custer, a 23 year old horse that anyone could ride. He became the pony horse and babysitter for the boys.
On our first date we went to a movie called "Casey's Shadow" in a car he borrowed from his brother so that I wouldn't know he had an old beater station wagon. Little did either one of us know that our lives would parallel many of the events in the movie. As our children tell their friends to this day, we were not conventional parents.
We had two boys, and he had two girls by his first marriage, and one summer we picked up the girls for their visit, and all the kids got chicken pox. I was working as an office manager and secretary for a cardiologist, and the sitter wouldn't keep the boys, so hubby worked out of the home and took care of the kids. Somehow along the way, his brother talked him into training race horses, which he had done briefly in the past.
He bought a pink tractor for $50 and made a horse walker to cool the horses out, built some stalls, and created a training track. He bought an old truck to replace the station wagon, and even came up with a two horse trailer to haul to the track. Then we made one of the best purchases ever - Custer, a 23 year old horse that anyone could ride. He became the pony horse and babysitter for the boys.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
