fufaraw

I grew up and spent most of my adulthood in the southeast. We have farms there.

But we have ranches around where we live now. One of my favorites doesn't have a name, that I know of, but it has small horse statues on its gateposts, and this sign on one of the barns.



It looks like the Hazel Atlas design on the Anchor Hocking milk glass mug I had as a child.

Another couple of ranches are favorites of mine because they have their names on signs near the road. There's Cowgirl Spirit Ranch, which always reminds me of Cowgirl Jessie from the Toy Story movies, and makes me grin and give a mental fistpump to girl power. They have alpacas and goats in their fields, and now and then a pony or two.

And there's 3 Hand Ranch, which is somewhat troubling. I mean, is it run by three ranch hands? Or maybe by three people who only have one hand each? Or by one person with two hands and another with only one? Every time we drive by the sign I have my eyes peeled for clues. They apparently train horses--I never see baby horses and their moms there, only adults out grazing.

And then there's the Northwest Mountain Stables. Sounds solid, right? Dependable? They also train and probably board horses, and with a name like that you pretty much believe you can trust them to look after your stock. The ranch was recently sold and the new owners changed the name to Northwest Mountain Stables.

Before that? The Wild Marmot Ranch.

I mean. If you had a choice, where would you rather do business, huh?

Having been an unwitting victim of being named without consideration of what the initials might spell, though not as cringe-worthy as some, I wonder if the Padaleckis are aware their second son's initials spell "ASP"?

"Don't touch that towel, it's for the snake."

Oooh! High School: And this is Shep.

"Call me Snake."