Fun with horse rings

In Portland, as you drive or walk down a street, you are likely to see metal rings attached to the curb. They aren’t everywhere, but there are enough that if you look for them you will certainly find one. They puzzled me at first, but then someone explained that they were a holdover from the days of horses. This is where people used to tie off their horses. That was just so cool, that there were still some around. In fact, it is written into the city’s building code that if one is removed for any reason, it must be replaced. So all construction projects in the city are pretty careful with them.

The neighbors in Portland being the slightly off center folks that they are, will often use the rings to tie up their My Little Ponies, or other toy ponies. Then there are those that use them to tie up other items like flying saucers, dinosaurs, monsters, whatever. It’s a fun thing to keep your eyes open for.

I currently have a capitol improvement project getting ready to start construction, and I’ve had several neighbors, with horse rings at their curbs, call because they are worried about their rings. One of the neighbors happens to have horses tied to her rings, so I suggested she put them out to pasture for the construction phase. We talked about how she could build a diorama out of a shoe box with a meadow and mountains. We agreed that her horses might not like the curb so much after a year in the meadow.

Today I had another neighbor worried about his rings. I assured him we would be careful and that any rings removed would be replace. I also cautioned him that if he had horses tied up he might want to pasture them as well. He said they only tied up a Mustang occasionally. I pointed out that Mustangs can be a bit high strung at times, and that Pintos were a little easier going.

I love neighbors with a sense of humor!!

Finding humor

As readers of my blog will know, I am a Soldiers’ Angel and have several adopted soldiers currently deployed. As an Angel, I send my soldiers care packages each month. It can be a challenge to keep the packages interesting. I recently found a very entertaining website called Bizarre American Holidays http://library.thinkquest.org/2886/INDEX.HTM that is a great place to go when you get stuck for a theme.

I was just looking at March and there is some especially fun days in that month.

· March 2…..Old Stuff Day, is that the Antiques Roadshow, or is it like dragging out all your old issues and driving everyone crazy?
· March 3…..I Want To Be Happy Day, I pretty much want to be happy every day; I’m just funny that way.
· March 5 …..Multiple Personalities Day, well I think we can all have fun with this one. I think I’ll go as Queen Elizabeth II, Whoopi Goldberg, Donald Trump, and Carrot Top. It should be an interesting day for everyone!
· March 8….Be Nasty Day, now I’m not sure if you’re suppose to cover yourself in something really disgusting, or just be mean and gross to everyone. Maybe both?
· March 17….Submarine Day, and you thought it was St Patrick’s Day. Oddly enough, May 12 is Limerick Day and May 13 is Leprechaun Day. Go figure!
· March 20 ….Proposal Day and Festival of Extraterrestrial Abduction Day, I just can’t tell you how fascinated I am that these two fall on the same day. Potentially one is the happiest days of your life, and the other the most terrifying. You can choose which one is which.
· March 26 ….Make Up You Own Holiday Day and Spinach Festival Day, I’m thinking that making up your own holiday kind of makes up for the spinach thing, unless of course you’re Popeye.
· March 27…. National “Joe” Day, is when everyone who hates their name can ask to be called “Joe” for the entire day. Really? We couldn’t come up with anything better then “Joe?” How about Your Highness, Oh Great One, My Lord and Master….there are just so many good ones to choose from.
· March 28….Something On A Stick Day, this just cracks me up. Like if I throw a hair ball on a stick it’s a party? I can’t even begin to imagine how this one came to be.
· March 30…I Am In Control Day, this day was obviously created so the totally delusional among us, of which there are more than a few.

You just never know where you will find humor. I figure a solder deployed needs a little humor with some crazy thrown in to get them through. Luckily for me, they invented the internet during my lifetime, providing with endless avenues of research.

Adopt a soldier today; join Soldiers’ Angels at www.soldiersangels.org