Know Thine Enemy

Sabrina and Horseback Riding
Originally uploaded by Uncle Mikey.

My wife is not a fan of horses. Her last ride was an attempt by the horse (a former racehorse) to scrape/throw her off, a hellride under and through tree limbs that ended with an abrupt stop at the top of a hill, launching my poor sweetheart down a long way before she stopped. The instructor insisted she get back on, which she did, and after that never rode again.

I have ridden a bit but don't trust a horse not to do something crazy at exactly the time you don't want it to. They're tall, heavy, amazingly strong, and more than smart enough to kill you if they are of a mind to do so. More importantly, motorcycles do most things horses can do and a lot they can't, although you'll never be able to eat a motorcycle, or gut it and crawl inside for warmth.

Fortunately, my only hellride on a horse was down a beach in North Africa when I was 12, and it was a pretty half-hearted hellride if you ask me. I didn't fall off but my wallet did, and I'm almost sure the horse was put up to it by the guys who were renting it so they could sell my wallet back to my father. I hope he got a good deal, it was empty.

What I'm getting at is that while my wife and I both appreciate horses for their beauty and service to the human race, we're not horsey people. And by her expression in this picture, I think Sabrina shares our mixed feelings about the whole equestrian thing. Soon I will post a picture of her actually on this horse, which is forthcoming from Deirdre's awesome friend Catherine C. from New York City, who visited recently for four days and was a big help to us around the house as well as fun to be with.

Catherine is not just a left liberal New Yawker but an actual socialist. You can imagine the fun we had talking about politics . . . seriously, we did have a great time. I love to discuss heavy topics with anyone who doesn't get mad and freak out in the process, and although I couldn't be more distant from Catherine politically, she's very rational about her worldview and doesn't get any pissier than one ought in such a discussion (translation: any pissier than I get). Thanks, Catherine!