Friday, April 4, 2008

TJ Has (Another) Bad Day

Well, that's it for spring. Today dawned cold, rainy and sometimes snowy. I stayed in all morning and breakfasted in my room but then the woman appeared and threw me out into the elements. She's probably still harbouring a grudge about the tack room incident yesterday.

The cat hates rain and cold as much as I do, but she's drawn outside by the sounds of endless bird chattering these days. She feels their ranks need thinning and simply ignores the humans when they become upset at the gift of bird carcasses. She's also had a long standing feud with a chipmunk who lives in the driveshed. He's as mouthy as she is and we all dread their screaming matches. Might as well be in a fish market, the woman says.

The cat was on the second rail of the fence closest to the house when TJ spotted her. He pinned his ears and charged at her. Normally she would wait till the last minute and then spring to safety. Today, annoyed at the weather, she stood her ground. She has a full complement of long, sharp needles hidden inside each foot. Today, as TJ tried to shove her off the fence, she said "yeeeeoooowwwww" and swiped his muzzle with the needles fully extended. TJ said "OWWWW", and reeled back, "That cat thing knifed me in the face!"

Later, he and the horses had another fit of madness and tore around the paddock. TJ loves to charge under the low-lying trees because the others don't fit, but this time he came out with a huge branch tangled in his tail. "Help", he screamed, running toward Doc and Molly, "A monsta's got my tail!" They took one look and bolted off, TJ hot on their heels. The woman saw this from the house and rushed out, coatless and wearing sandals. She hoisted herself over the fence and immediately sank into the mire. She got Doc and Molly to stop running and this persuaded TJ to stop as well. She moved up to him slowly and sideways, making sure not to look directly at him (that's one of his many phobias). When she got near, he would whirl around and the branch would hit him on the side. He was convinced she was somehow striking him with invisible hands. It was now raining heavily. There they stood, a sodden tableau of human and equines. Finally, TJ moved up close to the fence and the branch was pulled off when it snagged on the post. Needless to say, I watched it all unfold from the shelter of the run-in.

All that running and drama hasn't depleted TJ's energy one bit. He galloped back to the run-in to tell me his version. "Didja see the maniac? She went mental an tried to beat me ta death but I excaped again!" I'm living in some sort of equine daycare, apparently.

5 comments:

OzArab said...

Hi Sheaffer I live in Australia and I really like reading your blog about the weather and stuff. Where I am it is the end of summer and dry. I've never seen snow and find it a little difficult to understand what it is. My human was trying to explain it to me but it sounded ridiculous. I'm an Arabian (filly at heart...) and I'd much rather have someone sophisticated and smart like you to talk to than my current paddock companions.
You cope so admirably with TJ. I think that shows great depth of character.
Bye for now.
Merry

ponymaid said...

Australia! So that's where heaven is. Dry,hot and with no snow. Ahhhh. I would love to come and chat with you in your paddock. The woman is notoriously cheap but I will begin a campaign to raise funds for passage on a ship.

Buddy The Horse, my correspondent from Nevada, has similar weather conditons. Why oh why didn't my parents live there or in Australia?? Fate is just too cruel.

OzArab said...

You could always do a research trip to visit the wild donkeys if you are successful in your political campaign. Here in this vast land there are thousands of donkeys that live without humans in the desert wilderness. There are horses out there too but I think I prefer my paddock with hay, carrots and plenty of water. I'd better go now - I think I hear my human calling "dinnertime".

robert5721 said...

Sheaffer,
you really need a web cam so we can all see the shennanigans that happen at your paddock....I leave your blog up on it's own tab on my cornputer web thingie, and visit it whenever I get aggrivated at something (which is pretty often to my dismay)....Thanks for the comic relief that you provide.
You need to devise a MONSTA that will not detach so easily, and apply it to TJ....then turn on the web cam so we all can see the mayhem....dicey would LOVE to watch it all, so would Liebschen, her partner in crime. Off to do more chores....talk at ya L8r....
Mr Gale

Gale said...

Violet would love it here with Boots, the resident feline who naps underneath the bird feeders, one eye open just in case a sparrow should stumble and fall nearby.

I guess "poor little TJ" learned about "that cat thing" the hard way, but it had to happen sooner or later. Have you ever heard the old adage "there's nothing like a cat to teach cause and effect"?

Your tireless, devoted woman -- is there no end to her rescue efforts on TJ's behalf? Wise of you to remain in the run-in, or else you'd be blamed for the recent episode with the branch.

An excellent post, Sheaffer, as I've read it several times and laugh just as hard each and every time!