judifilksign

I was behind a big, multi-stall horse trailer pulled by a big red pickup truck. It was driving very slowly and carefully along the icy country roads, and as the lines were doubled, I puttered along behind.

From the side of the trailer, one of the windows suddenly popped out, swinging down on its bottom hinge to open fully. A horse's head, neck and shoulders stuck waaaaay out of the left hand side, checking out the scenery much as a dog will on the highway.

Several cars coming along the opposite direction nearly ran off the road so they wouldn't hit this gawking, lollying horse. I was put in mind of an old Burma Shave advertisement: "Don't stick your nose/ Out too far/ It may go home/ In another car."

So, the trailer tries to make a wide left turn into a farm, but is unable to. It backs up to try again, and is at a full stop, when a pair of big yellow school buses slowly pass by from the opposite direction, as the horse is still hanging out the window, checking out everything.

The first bus driver visibly startles as the horse's head whinnies by her window, and bumps her red STOP sign. I noted that the big yellow bus suddenly started rocking as every child on the bus rocketed to the left side to see the horsey up close. I could actually hear the screams of excitement and delight through the bus's closed windows, and mine. The horse bumped his nose against each window as the bus edged past, whinnying, and shaking its head, and having a marvelous time. The bus rocked as the children jumped up and down.

The bus driver looked mighty angry, and looked as though she might start yelling. Checking out the road as she is still trying to edge past the trailer, she sees me. I wave my hands in deaf applause/ mock excitement, and yell "PONY! PONY!" and point at the horse, and laugh. She looks at me, looks in her rear view mirror, and sees the humor, and laughs with me. What can you do but laugh?

As the second bus started edging past the horse trailer, I could see it, too, was physically rocking and bouncing up and down on its springs from excited children. These bus riders, seeing the fun ahead, had managed to get down a lot of the pull down bus windows, and little hands were waving out, hoping to pet the horse. The horse obliged, and seemed like it was having oodles of fun nuzzling down the row of windows like a politician in a receiving line, greeting everyone. Again, you could hear the squeals and screams of delight, even better since the windows were open!

After the buses passed, the pickup driver gave up on turning right, and pulled ahead into a country church parking lot, where it was turning around, the horse still checking out the world with his head sticking out all goofy. I rolled down my window as I drove by, and waved at the horse starting to come back in the opposite direction, and he whinnied as I drove out of sight.

It was a scream!