The Pony Laughs Last

I'm in a hurry today. I have to pack for my conference for which I leave home at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, and I have Catholic trivia, which will keep me out late tonight. It's not trivia about Catholics--it's sponsored by them as a fundraiser. And they serve beer there! Which makes it different from other trivias. Maybe we will have a chance, since most of us remain clear-headed. OK. I'm speaking for myself. I don't care about anyone else. It will be easier to force my answers on them if they imbibe. Anyhoo, there are many, many teams that play there. Last year, we were happy to get 12th place. We'll see how it goes this year.

Because I'm short of time, I'm giving you a vignette from Ponyland.

My Little Pony is usually meek and mild. He does his own thing, and does not get overly excited about much. He is used to taking a back seat to his big brother. Literally. The #1 son rides in the front seat of the LSUV. He's 13 now, by cracky, and the size of a high school senior. The Pony just turned 10, and weighs in the 60s, and probably should not be riding near an air bag. Never mind that when I was a kid, my parents let me ride on the shelf under the back windshield of their Olds 98.

Monday afternoon, I turned up our gravel road. The Pony took off his seatbelt, which I allow on the gravel. He usually rides behind the driver's seat, but he moved over to the other seat to look at the creek. He does this quite often. I know, because when we hit a certain bump, his head cracks against the window.

I was not paying a lot of attention to the boys. I was driving the LSUV on a twisty gravel road, by cracky! The #1 son leaves his seat reclined halfway, like an astronaut on the launch pad. The Pony has to struggle to climb out the passenger door in the mornings, what with his pack on his back. The boys were squabbling about something, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw #1 reach his arm back over the headrest. "I'll get you," he said. Then I heard The Pony giggle. I turned to look, and saw my 10-year-old facing backwards, standing on the seat, his butt up in the air. #1 had a-hold of The Pony's butt. I laughed. #1 said, "What's so funny?" He bent his head back and saw what he was grasping. He screamed in horror, and yanked back his hand. "EEWWW! I thought I was poking him in the eye!"

Score one for The Pony.