Yesterday I went for a ride. It was supposed to storm hail and damaging winds so my crew begrudgingly went out into the vines to start to control the growth of these crazy vines. By the time 4:30 hit and they all had retreated, I was chomping at the bit to clear my head of the million marbles rolling around colliding with each other with the growing snot and mucus. It was time for a different point of view, and using someone's legs other than my own.

I'm terrible at saddling up. Jimmy's back is so high that I have to hoist the heavy saddle over my head to get it on. He just chomped at grain and sized me up to see how this round was going to go. He's strong willed. I'm strong willed. He weighs 9 times what I do. But I put a bit in his mouth and then proceeded to do the most hillbilly thing I think I've ever done: I lead him over to my truck and jumped on the saddle from the tailgate. Yup. That takes the cake, but usually he wanders away from any bucket, step, or block I set next to him. So it worked this time. Good start

I always love watching those elephants with people saddled up on them. I just wonder why something that size would allow themselves to be brought down by a tiny little human.
I think for that same reason, I like riding horses. I've been riding since I was young, jumping English at the barn up the street until the money ran out and then I would muck stalls for hours in exchange for a short trail ride at the exhausted end.
Cars are boring, despite the exciting possibility that someone else would collide and kill you at any minute. Roller coasters are cool, but you always know which way they are going.
In the heat of the day, watching the sweat lather up the neck as his mane started sticking in between quizzical looks, I like the understanding between horse and rider. I like the thousand pounds of flesh underneath me. I like the kick and the run or the pull and the stop and the way that old leather and barnyard are brought together with heat and sweat.

Jimmy wanted to run. I was sick of staying tight on the reins. And I finally knew that I had the stirrups high enough. (I always feel odd using someone else's saddle that I'm reluctant to change, like borrowing someone's car and forgetting to put the seat back.) So after the first few fields, loosened the reins and let him open up, as Nick would say.
We tore through a newly planted soybean field and then followed the tracks through the briars and into a Roundup ready corn field where my new black hat flew off. I thought maybe that was an appropriate place to plant it for a bit and crossed the street to the vineyard. The storm clouds were gathering, but it was nice to get that reprieve from the heat. We walked up to the rows that were finished today, about 1 inch growth on the buds that didn't get hit with last Sunday's hard freeze. Down into the frost pocket and then back up to the other side to look at the pumpkin patch that needs planted soon and then we took off again, tearing up along the creek and back for my hat.

I'm glad Jimmy and I are on good terms now. Right after my DUI, I might have had fantasies about throwing all cars away and only riding everywhere. That thought was quickly squelched by a terribly disobedient horse and lead to many very unpleasant rides where he wanted to go back to the barn and I wanted to go anywhere but. So we'd just stand there, him pawing at the ground as my thighs held on tight in a pissed off dance of wills.

Anyway, I think I've revised my new fantasy. It's getting sketched in, bit by bit. Yes, it involves a new car (or truck?)  I think now along with my few chickens and my well trained heeler pup and my flock of well behaved sheep on some acreage with fruit trees, I've now drawn in the picture of a horse as a vehicle to check on the flock. The sheep may look confused, but then again, when do they not.