The Fan Man

It hardly seems possible but yesterday the temperature broke a heat record. It seems it soared to over one hundred degrees, virtually eliminating the possiblilty that it may snow in the next day or so. This is fine with me. I don't care for the accompanying insects, which make a meal of my legs, but what can you do.

The Haflingers are so damp with perspiration they look black much of the time. To that end the woman has installed fans in front of their rooms. Molly is an old hand at the fan routine and stands, lower lip drooping, forelock blowing in the breeze. She is still wearing an ice boot in the evenings and she quite enjoys it.

And then there is Chester. He likes the whole fan idea but regards it as an interactive toy. He moved his pile of hay in front of it so he could enjoy the breeze and then had the brilliant idea of inserting some long strands of hay directly into the machine. The results pleased him immensely. The fan said "braaaap", particles of hay flew everywhere and the woman leapt into action. She moved the fan further back and gave him a lecture on the dangers of electrical devices. She had no sooner turned around than he was bouncing his Jolly Ball, which was tied to the front of his room with a rope, off the front of the fan. The woman removed the ball. Chester had to content himself with allowing the breeze to blow under his upper lip, which he extends upwards, letting his eyes roll back in his head. He has likewise discovered the great joy of turning his posterior to the fan, elevating his tail, and letting the breeze waft over his unmentionables. That boy is a heathen at heart.

Owing to the firey furnace in which we find ourselves, we have been moved to an altered schedule. The last two evenings, we have been brought in, the horses bathed, iced, fanned etc. and then put back out when it is dark. I was so shocked that initially I refused to countenance the change and had to be wheeled outdoors like a trolley. Chester was so excited that he ran around in the dark yelling and Molly just grunted and went off to graze.