Smarty Pants

I have not ridden in a few days...again. Lots going on. Prove it, right? Well, I have a road complete with culverts, a barn foundation that has been watered, a 1,000 ft. fence, and quite a few piles of brush that have been cleared. Impressive, huh? I'm dog tired. And the dogs are far from it. They are spending way too much time indoors.

I have been spending a few extra minutes each day in the pasture. I have a new friend. His name is Blue. He's a Siamese cat. Very friendly. Has tapeworms and ear mites, at the least. Treated for that today. If he sticks around he will be missing his man parts and may find himself living the good life indoors. Seriously cool cat. Unfortunately, he has a girlfriend who looks to be about his age and has the same face. Sister? Eek. I talked to her today and she may become friendly so she can find a new home somewhere else, minus her girl parts. We'll see. I first met her a few months ago in the barn- she climbed a wall to get away before my mind even registered that she was a cat and not the boogie monster hiding in the darkness. She is rarely seen. After that first day I did not see her for well over a month. This week she began lurking rather regularly. Blue is waiting for me day and night and screams when I go away. He sits in my lap and honors me with the opportunity to rub his tummy. He'd be stupid to leave, now. I'm a sucker for those blue eyes.

What Smarty Pants are we talking about above? Diesel, of course. I'm getting there. Diesel is a very attentive horse. He watches cars go by. He listens to the neighbors. He jumps to attention for the train that is a mile away. I'm not saying he spooks, he is curious. He pays attention to detail. He not only has a mischevious look at all times, but the brain to go with it. He finds trouble everywhere. He moves the ground poles, he dumps the mounting block, he eats any lead rope within reach. The crazy boy had a foot of lead rope in his mouth the other day when I realized what was going on. He actually turned his body to hide what he was doing. I pulled out the moist, warm lead to find quite a few edges frayed. And it was Prissy's lead! They were cooling off after our ride and Priss kept pinning her ears. I went to check it out and found the goofball sucking on her lead rope. He also eats trees. Hackberry, to be specific. They are trimmed up very high but he stands up and stretches to eat them.

Diesel is very jealous that I am spending time with the cat. He leans over the fence and lays on the charm. Ears perked, head bobs. He has sniffed Blue several times up close. The cat allows it but gives him a look that says, "Do what you must and go away". Wow, what that must seem like to such a small animal? Sometimes I'm in awe of Diesel's size. And Blue is not a very big kitty.

Not all horses think things through the way my boy does. You can see the wheels turning. He is smart and he knows it. Do you know any animals like that? Prissy is smart but is not affectionate. She doesn't seek the attention and so her intelligence is not so obvious. I definitely have a character on hand with the Big Orange Beast around. It makes me kinda proud to have such a unique animal. My life is blessed.