 |
[RC] The End of the World, Part Four - Howard BramhallI?m not someone whom others would call a brave man. In fact, I?ll be the first to tell you, I?m quite a chicken. I wouldn?t risk my life for many humans, I?m not sure where I?m going after I?m dead (you?re going to Hell, Howard, you?re going to Hell), so, life is important to me. Even my therapist will tell you I?m not suicidal. Yes, I have some issues, but, I swear she will tell you (after I?m dead, because of confidentiality) that I was never suicidal (then why did he jump off that cliff on that horse?) I will risk my life for my family, my horses, my dogs, and a few close friends. The rest of you, don?t count on Howard for nothing except maybe a beer and a laugh or two. With that in mind, my next steps, running to the barn, during Hurricane Frances are up there with those ?life changing experiences? you hear about every now and then. I had no desire to be like Geraldo Rivero, on the Fox Channel, swaying in the breeze at Palm Beach, during the impact of this storm, asking the question, ?Why do they allow people to live in mobile homes down here?? Priceless, Geraldo, and thank you so much for that visual of you swaying in the breeze right before my electric went out. You made me laugh, and, even though there were those around me wishing that Frances would blow you out to sea, I laughed long and hard at that one. You were too funny. It was quite obvious that you had no clue what you were doing down here, but, the question is a valid one. The ironic thing is, when all was said and done, my expensive (in my world) house was a shambles and my mother-in-law?s trailer had zero damage. Go figure. I was glad that I wore glasses. Someone once called me an older version of Harry Potter, when they first saw my photo, and I was glad to be 4 eyed during this trek baring my soul to Hurricane Frances. I needed the glass, because, even though the rain was blurring my vision, I did see granules of sand on my lenses and was grateful they weren?t, as of yet, in my eye. The barn was a blur, not clear at all as I progressed, quickly, but diligently, through my back yard. I saw them. Counted 6 heads. All were standing, all still there. I punched myself in the gut, because, this was no time to cry (again). The first horse I approached was Commander, a registered Arabian, the only horse we had paid some real money for, and, he was, also, my wife?s favorite. He looked a little frazzled but all his parts seemed to be working, which was a good thing because he was the youngest and the most jumpy of the six. Then I looked at War Cry and he too was perfectly fine. The stalls had some standing water, to be expected, but, no wood was loose and the entire barn had held together quite nicely. Being out there like this I was getting, first hand, the experience of what a hurricane outside the safe walls of your house felt like. I was amazed at what my horses were enduring here. I would have been a wreck by this time, heck, I already was. They are tougher than we think. I took off my shoes and went barefoot, traveling back and forth, giving them grain, and filling their water, via bucket to bucket. I had filled one of those really large water bins inside my tack room in preparation for all of this and got the water from there. After they ate the grain I stuffed moderate amounts of hay in their feed bin hoping it would not blow away. This took me awhile, but they all ate, looked pretty good considering, and, I just sat there, hurricane winds blocked by my tack room?s outer walls, taking it all in. Magic, pure Mother Nature kind of magic, something few ever get to see, and, even though it did scare me, I was truly in awe of what was happening here, in my back yard, between my barn and my house. ?We will get through this, we will get though this, we will get through this," I said to myself. I stayed out there for quite awhile, taking in the sights and sounds of the end of my world, traveling at 70 mph, with the occasional Tommy Terry twister thrown in. Some of the sounds, pops, bangs and lots of boinks, were incredibly frightening to hear, especially the close ones. Death was flying around everywhere and if he latched on to you, he would take you away faster than a speeding locomotive. It was an experience I?ll never forget. Life has value and can be taken away faster than a blink of an eye. I planned on keeping my eyes wide open; I didn?t want to miss any of what could possibly be my last moments on this earth. And, for those of you who consider me a Drama Queen, I only wish you could have been there with me. It was quite unbelievable! My love for my horses had not wavered. I wanted to spend as much time with them as I possibly could. If a twister was coming, I really wanted to go out with them, right here, right now. Yea, I realize this is not a very healthy way to think; being like this could get you killed. Why do you think I?m in therapy? Lol. _________________________________________________________________ Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee® Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|