THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

Human reactions are very strange about certain things.

Why are we scared of thunder, when it can do nothing to hurt us?

Reaction to loud noises seems to be a built-in reaction, at least to judge from an infant's immediate screams when startled by a clamor.

But even as adults, we jump a foot and a half (at least I do) when the thunder crashes over our heads.

And it's even sillier that lightning, despite it's obvious danger, is so beautiful in form - we pour over photographs of it.

We're finally in our monsoon season here in southern Arizona, and as you have probably guessed by now, our afternoon clouds have moved in and are just beginning to drop their load on our mountains.

And I'm jumping.

And also oohing and ahhing.

ONE VERY QUICK QUESTION

Why is Barack Obama's eligibility to be President of the United States being questioned (once again) because of his birth in the state of Hawaii ....

... and I don't recall ONCE hearing any squawk about Presidential candidate John McCain being born in (drum roll here) Panama.

So Hawaii isn't a state, but Panama is? Since when?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Yesterday evening, I was allowing both horse some grazing time, and something spooked them both at the same instant.

Now, horses are large, strong and extremely powerful animals who nevertheless can panic and bolt at a rude gesture from a passing monarch butterfly.

So when you have a horse on a lead rope, and he or she decides to bolt, you do have a few choices:

1. You can hang on to the rope and be drug on the ground for... well, for as long as you want or can.
2. You can risk serious rope burn and try to slow down 900+ lbs. of force scampering off.
3. You can drop the rope, and rely on training and/or voice to cause the horse to stop and come back.
4. You can drop the rope, let the horse race, buck and run around until he gets tired enough to come back home.

Option 4 is normally the one I have to resort to.

And yesterday, my two horses actually did respond to my voice, came to a halt, and waited for me to catch up and get hold of the lead ropes.

Unfortunately, today both horses obviously remembered how much fun that unrestrained frolic has been and decided to take off again right when I opened the pasture gate to feed them.