"Billy and Blaze" Chapter 2

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

Aarene Storms, who rides and trains my gelding, Belizair, aka "Billy" has
written the second chapter of the exploits of "Billy and Blaze".  If you
didn't read the first chapter (and would like to), email me and I will send
it to you.

Sue

---------------

Billy and Blaze:  why things are named that
:
:

In the aftermath of the recent 6.8 Richter-scale tembler in the Puget Sound,
the geldings gathered around the water tank to philosophize about the
world....


<<<<<<<<< 

Billy: Why do we have so many names for the same thing, Blaze? 

Blaze:  Huh?  

Billy:  Well, you know, like, <<him>> over there (indicates George, working at
the far end of the barn).  Why is he called "It's About  Time You Got Here" in
the morning, and only called "Hurry Up" at dinnertime?  

Blaze:  Oh, that.  I think the mares named him.  Mares like to have a lot of
names for things.  That's why they always call their foals mushy things like
"Ooogie sweetums" and "Izzy a goodlilguy".  Geldings don't need complicated
names for things.  We call things what they ought to be called.   I'm called
"Blaze" because of my handsome facial markings, for example. 

Billy:  Do mares get to name most of the people, though?  Cuz your mom has
three names.  

Blaze:  But those are good sensible names for her.  I named her "Share!"
because she always carries such lovely things wrapped up in her pockets,
and if
I call her by that sweet name, then she gives me bites of those lovely
things. 
And then her second name is "Yes MA'AM!" and we all know why she's called
*that*.  

Billy:  Yeah.  My mom's called "Yes Ma'am!" too.  I think most moms are called
"Yes Ma'am!".    I call my mom that all the time.  I think my mom must be some
kind of mare, though, 'cause she's named me lots of weird things.  Like
"Knothead," which I really don't understand.  She named me that just because I
was afraid of this really really really scary dead fern that was making faces
at me and hissing and gonna eat me, and it didn't have anything to do with my
head. 

Blaze:  Yeah, I remember that.  She was laughing pretty hard at you. 

Billy:  Shut up.  It was scary.  I was brave, though.  Then she calls me "Get
Over It" all the time, because I'm scared sometimes until she calls me that
name and makes me Face My Fears.  And "Trot On Dangit" which she usually calls
me right after I'm called Get Over It.  That name means that I can go fast
again.  I like to go fast.  

Blaze:  Which explains why she also named you... 

Billy:  Yeah, I know.  "Pocket Rocket".  What does that mean, anyhow? 

Blaze:  It's a good name, I think.  Pockets are where they keep the treats,
right?  So maybe it's one of those names that means "treat".  

Billy:  That is a good name, then.  But we call her all those other names,
too,
you know.  Like "Come Catch Me" which is a good name for her when the field is
really muddy.  

Blaze:  A good, logical name.  A gelding must've named her that.  We geldings
like sensible names.  We call her "Shake Up" too, you know--and you know how
good she is at that. 

Billy:  Yeah, I know.  Usually she loads me in the silver box behind the
truck,
and shakes me up inside.  And when I get out of the box, the world is in a
different place, like the trailhead or something.  That's pretty cool.  But
today I was tied up OUTSIDE the silver box, and she shook up the whole world. 
It was really neat.  And I Got Over It, too, just like she always says.  And
then she said my best name:  "GOOOOOooooood Boooy!"  

Blaze:  See, she IS some kind of mare.  What kind of mushy name is that,
anyhow? 

Billy:  It's my best name, so there!  You're just jealous because your mom
can't shake up the whole world. 

Blaze:  She could.  She just doesn't want to, I bet.  Besides, my mom does the
best thing of all. 

Billy:  What's that? 

Blaze:  She scratches my whole face at the end of a ride.  That's why her
third
name is "mmmmMMMMMMMmmmmmMMMMMMM!"  

>>>at this point, "Hurry Up", a.k.a. "It's About Time You Got Here" arrived
with the beetpulp, and the conversation was curtailed for the evening...<<< 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Horse sense is a good judgement which keeps horses from betting on people. 
                                                --W.C. Fields 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Aarene Storms 
East of the Sun, West of the Moon 
aarenex@earthlink.net  and aarenex@excite.com 
http://home.earthlink.net/~aarenex