I just got done reading a series of books by Roger Welsch which were recommended to me by one of our regular blog readers. The series was excellent; any book that can make me laugh out loud less than five pages in to it gets high praise. On the surface, the books were about some of the funny stories the author got up to while restoring old Allis Chalmers tractors, but underneath the theme was the age old man-trying-to-understand-woman (in this case the author’s wife and daughter), and not doing a particularly good job of it.
As I have mentioned before, I spent most of my life as a pretty naive country boy. When I met Melissa I had absolutely no clue about interacting with either horses or horse people, beyond studying the physiology and nutrition of the former while I was in college. Being wed to a horse person, hindsight says I might have done well to take a few less animal science and nutrition courses and a whole bunch more psychology.
I was 33 years old the first time I sat on a horse (Melissa interjects here – it was also the last time you sat on a horse . . . ) and I’ve got to tell you that having a living, thinking animal under me was a little unnerving. If I’m truthful, it still is. Melissa prepared me for meeting her female horse friends the first time by saying that I would be fine as long as I didn’t try to apply my version of economics, common sense or logic to anything they said. In one of my moments of regretful candor, I referred to Melissa’s horse hobby as a form of brain damage. I found that this did not immediately lead to marital harmony, although it returned after a couple of lengthy months. Now I know better. After saying hello, the wisest course of action is for me to leave the area quietly and go fix on my tractor/truck/farm. (Melissa interjects again. Jason has come so far that now when he sees yet another box from Dover, Bit of Britain, VTO Saddlery, or any other tack retailer he no longer asks with a groan “how much did you spend” but instead asks with faked but at least attempted enthusiasn “what did you get this time?”)
SO, topic for the day is how did you meet your significant other, and more importantly, how did you introduce him/her to your horse habit and your (likely very strange and perplexing) horse friends ?
Norman (the cuteness that is Norman!)
Jason hanging out with my horse Bonnie
Jason is Bonnie’s favorite person ever; he used to play “water games” with her when she was a foal (they played with the water horse together). They still have fun with their water games but Bonnie thinks it is always play time when Jason is around.
Cinnamon
Traveller coming through the woods
Cuff Links taking a nap
Sebastian
Grand and Leo
I couldn’t resist this picture; B-Rad, Alex and Ogie
Snappy, Slinky, Lucky, O’Reilly, Spike, Lightening