Maybe I'm unusual, but I think a horse belongs either tied up to a trailer or safe inside a fence.
This is Part II to a series I'm calling, "That Horse Isn't Loose, He's Just Grazing." You'll find Part I here under the title "some people are even stupider than me."
Okay, I'll admit it. One day I did turn Lucy out in the back yard -- under my supervision -- because I didn't think she'd go anywhere with Buddy screaming for her from the pasture and me sitting in a chair reading and keeping an eye on her. There was so much grass, so much grass. How could she think of leaving?
It all went well for about ten minutes, with her grazing in the tall grass that has overgrown where our garden should have been, but then with no warning she trotted off to visit the elderly geldings that live behind us.... And I took off after her.
Thankfully, I had my cell phone and called my daughter, Lily, to come help me catch her.
"Mom, are you stupid? You just turned the horse loose?!?"
"Well, yes, but I am right here."
"And she's at the neighbor's. You're just reckless." She always says I'm reckless. I'm not, just a combination of foolish optimism and being slack.
Anyway, it wouldn't have been a big deal if Buddy hadn't made it one. Lucy was just visiting, but then Buddy's screams made her down right alarmed. Listen to him scream! What must have happened while she was gone visiting the neighbors? Lordy, there must be wolves, bears and pigs after her! Alarmed over whatever she imagined was happening, she trotted back and forth through the bushes. And I was beginning to have some good imaginings of some bad stuff myself.
But all it took was one good rattle of the feed bucket and she was back home, nose in the bucket. My stupid exploit was over. Lily returned her to the pasture, lecturing me the whole time. I haven't done something this stupid since. Well, not that I'm going to tell you about.
So, while I'm about to call the kettle black, I'm also the pot. Part III tomorrow.
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