2007-06-28

Flirt Flash

"I can ride the spookers and the bolters and the rearers and the quitters" Jill said confidently, "but the buckers, well they just have to think about it and I'm flying through the air."

"You're brave" the harness racer'd said, scaring her in fact, because if he thought that she must be missing something. But, she wan not missing the fact he was bringing her an ice cap as a super surprise on such a hot day.

"You can see through those pants when the sun's behind you" he said, teasing and changing the subject. She was actually wearing cream coloured linen pants to muck out the stall that day.  They were hand-me-downs from movie star cousins that she knew she'd never wear outside of the barn, but they were so cool, and felt so comfortable and it was so hot...
"I switched from polka dot underwear to a solid colour this morning in case that happened" Jill retorted, acting less mortified than she actually was...now she tried changing the subject,
"The last time I rode Farah she jumped a big rock in our path like it was a real obstacle.  Isn't that cute? Doesn't that sound like a pony that WANTS to go cross?"
*
Later the same day, Jill was in the barn alone, tackling yet another disgusting corner of the standardbred breeding farm buildings. Cobwebs covered the tack on the hooks on the wall, and as she discovered more tack in the dusty piles on the floor, she just added the bits to the hanging mess, concentrating on "sorting" for the time being. Just to cobweb and sweep with things up of the floor and flat surfaces would be a huge improvement.  She laughed out loud to find a bar of saddle soap on a shelf she was clearing, and Jim peeked around the corner of the doorway, surprising her with his presence, and his quizzical expression...  "As if we need THIS around here" she showed him the unopened box. 

They also had a quick conversation about the whiskey bottle she'd found back there, and flirted in their way as she continued her dirty work and he harnessed his (devil) pony. When the boss came in the barn Jim said, "Jill's been drinking in the barn again" and Jill shrieked and turned to see the boss's face as she told Jim to SHUT UP.

The boss laughed and then said to Jill, "EW, your face is dirty."


Jill shrugged and brought the inside of her t-shirt up to her face to wipe it. As she smeared it around her gritty grimy skin, she felt wet around her nose. Ick, was this a snotty, messy nose? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW. Gross. She was grossed out and it was her own mess. Not to mention, it was mortifiying. And, in front of Jim of all people?  In a way she wanted to die of shame but on the other hand, she tried to think "well, what's wrong with a dose of real life in a romance anyway?" Ug.

2007-06-12

Free Fun

Was Jim joking when he said he didn't like to waste the water, or pollute the environment with the extra shampoo and so only washed his hair once a week?

"we have no preference here" said the large animal vet, to Jill, about the radio. She was thrilled to acknowledge she could put it on whatever station she'd enjoy! And, the small animal vet stocked the fridge with the pop/beverage of her preference... while the other (farrier) brother did his best to make her laugh and lift the heavy things. And, they were a family of SUCH gifted whistlers, Jill didn't even have the words!
*
Farah and I disturbed SOOOOOOOOO many dragonflies today, with our trot round the big feild in two point. my legs hurt today so it MUST have been good for us!

The day after my pony spooked at a butterfly, two huge ugly turkey vultures swooped down from a dead tree we were walking past and she didn’t even flinch (despite the fact that her rider even had a scared vibe)! 

Our last trip out around the fields, we trotted. And, we had to pass a dump truck dumping to get out there! The most exciting part of our ride though, was the section of brush where a huge clatter started happening in the woods and it sounded like a crazy horse eating mammoth on the move towards us, or a scary sasquatch or something…farah spooked and bolted a little and I lost a stirrup and was a tiny bit unseated, though I didn’t fall off, and then what popped out of the forest in front of us (and looking MORE scared of us than we were of him) was a tiny red fox. He then trotted up the path the way we were headed, so we followed him quite a ways, hearts in our throat and all.


The last time Jill had spoken with Jim she remembered him wishing he was still cooking her dinner and complaining that he had no one to give flowers to since she left.

That morning while she sang Farah around the fields new to both of them, with their unexpected trillium, butterflies, tree breezes, rock piles, neighbouring junk and leaping squirrels, all spooking the tiny roan, she remembered singing to Ellie. And she also missed the hacks out with Jim to check on the burn pile.

She used to tell those powerful giants back then that the big pit was a horse coffin and they better be nice to her!