Saturday, June 21, 2008

These Are The Things I Think About...

While I am riding my horse. Yes, that is right, you are going to get a brief peek into the mind of Caitlin (a scary concept alone) while she is horseback.

I think everybody has a weird place where weird things just pop up in their mind. It's just one of those things; for me it's riding. When I'm riding it's like... perfect freedom. And so I guess that somehow releases my mind and funky thoughts along with it that I have subconsciously locked away. And when I step up on my horse, all those weird little thoughts just go flittering around and... Well you get a blog post out of it.

Yesterday I got up to help Daddy and Grandpa get some mamas and their calves out of Mountain Pasture. Which is a rather large pasture. We trailered to the back of the pasture, and split up. Grandpa went to cover most of the East side of the pasture, Daddy took the West fence and I just meandered in the middle. We were looking for 3 pair; there were, of course, many more than 3 in the pasture. But there were 3 smaller, unbranded calves. So off we went! Daddy found two in one bunch, and I could see that, so I trotted off to count cows in another bunch- 11. Then on I went some more til I reached the basin. I could see Daddy coming up with the cows and their calves and we herded them on up to the mountain and tossed them into Adobe Trap. Grandpa had the other pair by a dirt tank, and we tossed them in there as well. Then Daddy went to get the rig and Grandpa and I gave the cows and calves a push towards water, then drifted on into Plains. Where I mostly went along the road and checked cattle at the dirt tanks; all seemed to be well. Then we got to the corner where Daddy met us right on time, and we were done.

While I was still meandering between Grandpa and Daddy, I was- what was I doing? Oh yeah, singing. Don't laugh! That's something I do when I ride.. alot. I always sing. Always. It's very strange really. This time I had, "I Wanna Be Loved Like That" by Shenandoah in my head. Ever since I heard Joey and Rory sing it on "Can You Duet" it has been lodged in my brain and I can't seem to get rid of it. So here I was, just walking along, minding my own business, singing a beautiful ballad, stunning the entire creation with my star-quality voice when I heard the unmistakable sound of... a rattler.

That's right folks, about a yard from Wyatt's front feet was a mature rattler writhing under a javelina bush. Scared the liver outta me but Wyatt just sits there and stares at it, the dunce. I turn him away and walk on; every time I see a snake I think of Mama. I know everybody has their fears, but Mama is deathly scared of snakes. I don't know why, I guess she doesn't need a reason. I'm not paticularly fond of them but I don't despise them, I mean, I leave them alone, they leave me alone. Well, every now and then you get the stubborn one that doesn't mind it's own business, but that's no biggie. You just go get a shovel or hoe and... "Off with your head, I say, off with it!!" But after seeing that snake I got to thinking... I bet those women snakes feel pretty good about themselves. They're long and skinny, isn't that what most women folk desire to be? Long and slender without a care in the world, eh? Except for that mad woman with the shovel. Quite unlike toads... See toads are fat and squishy. I bet those toads have a complex, being all chubbers like that. But it's cute on a toad. I mean you go pick up a toad, poke it's belly and say, "Awww ain't she cute?! Just look at how fats she is, awww...." I don't believe I've ever heard of a man saying that to a woman.

I told you I had weird thoughts.

More snake thoughts. Do snakes get headaches? I mean really, humans do. Do snakes? Or dogs or horses for that matter. I mean I get headaches when I read too much, don't wear my glasses, are around loud noises for an extended period of time, in the heat too long... Or run into something. Yeah it happens all the time. The other day I was mixing the chocolate chip granola bar dough with the electric mixer, and Mama was seasoning something. Chicken I think. And she got the seasons out of a cupboard tot he left of my head, leaving the cupboard door open, which swings away from me. I turn off the mixer, and turn and walk- right into that cabinet, that's right, knocked me right in the dang forehead, made a good BONK too. I had a headache for an hour.

Do snakes do that? I mean I can just imagine one just slithering alone, hum dee dum, maybe singing "Delta Dawn" or something, right, and then BONK it just runs into a mesquite tree trunk. I can imagine it telling it's buddies, "Man that mesquite just came outta nowhere!"

And then I was trotting after counting that herd of eleven, and just enjoying the cool breeze while it would last, and I thought about Sara. And how she must miss riding so badly and how right about then, normally, she would be at work riding a horse. But nope, right then she was in Budapest. Buda and Pest are two seperate towns right? Well something strange occurred to me; Pest. Pesto. Pesto is like a garnishing paste stuff. It has basil in it, and olive oil I do believe. So did pesto originate from Pest? Sounds like a job for Google.

And then I was just riding along, la dee da dee dah, when one of those dang tarantula spiders comes whizzing up. I had seen them all morning; you know those huge fuzzy black wasps with the orange wings? Yeah I've heard many a tale of those things, and they aren't a creature you fool with. So here comes this tarantula wasp, I figured he would just whizz on by like the rest of 'em had. But noooo this tarantula had to land right on my dang rope, right there by my leg.

Well yea, heck yeah I freaked out! I bailed from my trusty steed, abandoning all thoughts of snakes with headaches, toads with a complex and pesto's native country and stood and stared at the dang creature, hoping it would fly off. It didn't. So I snapped a branch from a javelina bush and swatted at it, and off it went. Mission accomplished!

As you can tell, I have a warped mind. With that said, I must bid adieu. Have a wonderful Saturday!

4 comments:

Sara said...

You know, I have always wondered such things myself...

I am going to go now, because I am trying very hard at this moment to contain laughter, and I am sitting here grinning like a idiot. Don't want people to think there is something wrong with me, :P

-leaves laughing-

Anonymous said...

EWW!! I don't like snakes; but I certainly don't like RATTLERS. I can't sing on horse back though. I don't know why, I ride kinda stupid horses and I have to be relaxed to sing. Can't relax on stupid horses.

BAILEY

Ranch Wife said...

LOL! You made your snake-phobic Mama laugh. Always wondered what was going through your mind as you rode off on your trusy steed. Thanks for the insight...funny stuff. Should I be concerned?

Ranch Kiddo said...

LOL Sara I'm glad it made you laugh that was a stupid post. Haha good to know others share those thoughts and I'm not completely weird! Oh, wait, you're completely weird as well, so we ARE weird. =P

Haha Bailey yeah rattlers aren't much fun. I have never encountered a stupid horse, just lazy horses, or ones with obnoxious habits, or nervous ones, etc. Yeah singing horseback is nice! The only creatures to hear you are your horse and the pasture critters.

Glad I made you laugh Mama. =D Haha must you ask that question? It's such a rhetorical one indeed.