Sneezy, Bennie and the Jets, and Jill

The Blue Bonnets and the Red Buds are blooming as well as my allergies. Yesterday I became one of the seven dwarfs; Sneezy and I didn't stop until I went to bed. And today I became the eighth dwarf; Swollen, Drippy Eye I(the one they never let in the house)....isn't that a pretty picture. So I waited as long as possible before I ventured out to meet a stranger - I was afraid that I might scare them away. But even if I look like the eight dwarf, I have to go meet a stranger. Put on the big Jackie O sunglasses and off I go. I stopped worrying about my eye when from the radio begins...."Hey kids, shake it loose together......" Oh yeah, guessed it - Elton John singing Bennie and the Jets. And by the time I was singing, "BBBBennie" - I spotted the stranger that I wanted to meet. The only problem is that I am on a two lane road with no shoulder to pull over. Down the road, make a u-turn and head back , but this time I pull off onto a residential street. Look both ways and dart across the road and partially down the ditch (I didn't want to get hit by an oncoming vehicle). She stopped and came toward the fence and I could tell that she was perplexed that I was standing there so as she moved closer to the fence I asked, "Do you mind if I watch?" She said, "No." And with that I said, "Hi, my name is Donna..." And I was now talking with Jill was in a horse arena exercising her five year old thoroughbred horse named Remmy (short for Rembrandt). Jill was dressed in her tan breeches, black shirt, black riding boots and a whip in hand. She told me that she lived close and boarded Remmy there, but she was a little anxious as the owner of the property has it up for sale. As we were talking, Remmy was sneaking bites of sweet grass from under the fence which prompted Jill to say that Remmy acts like he is always hungry and he eats the most of all of 12 horses there. I told Jill that when my kids were smaller, they would love to go home the long way and would always say, "Let's go home the horse way." I think Remmy was eating more grass than wanted so she pulled Remmy back to the center of the arena and there I stood there for the next 10 minutes just watching them. The sun was starting sink in the afternoon sky and it was a beautiful choreographed dance between Jill and Remmy. Remmy trotted around in a circle with his beautiful chestnut mane blowing in the wind and as, if on cue, the wind caught Jill's whip and chestnut hair too. It was a perfect Texas moment that just doesn't get any better and I was so glad that I stopped. As Remmy and Jill took a break - I thanked them for letting me stop and watch; I wished them a great evening and good-bye. Back up the ditch I went; looked both ways for oncoming traffic and dashed back over to my car.

And as I pulled my car back into traffic, I see Remmy kicking up dust as he pranced around the arena and I started to sneeze. Oh great - I have turned into the hybrid dwarf, Sneezy Swollen Drippy Eye. I don't even think Walt Disney could have made this dwarf cute.