Sleeping Through the Rodeo

My husband woke up early this morning and rounded up the pony in the dark on his way to a VIP (Very Important Proposal). He lost the dog in the meantime. But don't worry, both the dog and pony shows are back to their regularly scheduled programming around here.

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Also, because I am practicing looking at the bright side, I'll have you know my husband made it to the office with his khakis unblemished by mud or pony poop. I think. It was dark, and I was sleeping. I only became aware of the breakout upon his wake-up call to me. That wake-up call being literal, not figurative. You know, the call where your honey gets to work and you're still snor--I mean, snoozing?

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It's been awhile since Little Houdini (otherwise known as Sarah's beloved pony Dolly) staged a midnight raid on the neighbors' lawns. In fact, it hasn't happened since I was so pregnant as to add an element of clown to the rodeo as I galumphed around after the stinker.

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Ponies, Shetlands in particular, are notorious for their -- a-hem -- independent spirits. Dolly is of the age when a lady no longer wants to advertise her age, but she's not retiring gracefully into a peaceful pasture ornament. Oh, no. She's of the feisty retiree variety, jumping fences or commando-crawling under them, as the case requires.

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We were JUST DISCUSSING new-and-improved fences, thank you very much, upon the occasion of our Saturday drive. I took so many fence and gate and falling-down-barn photos that I flat wore out the Nikon's batteries. Both of them.

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The fence pictures were research. Split rail, woven wire, corner bracing research. The barn pictures are just an obsession. I have my own little barn, thanks, and it's not of the falling down variety nor am I about to aspire to owning one.

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Also I am declaring a moratorium on hyphens in this here post. Just in case you hit your limit.

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So our place needs some new fencing. There's an old farm and ranch (crikey, but the hyphen urge was strong with that one) adage that says you build your fences before you get your livestock. Also, good fences in any neighborhood, as anyone knows, make "good neighbors." Maybe because that way the pony can't eat the B&B's flowers and I won't have to delete the snippy post I put up just the other day. (Yes, I did delete it. I never should have posted it. It doesn't reflect well on me to snipe at the greenhorns.)

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I hate when I get snarky and no one smacks me around about it.

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But I sure love it when I don't have to chase the pony through flowerbeds in the wee hours of the morning.