The husband is becoming very useful. Yesterday the neighbor showed up. They went outside and had a chat. When he came back in he said, “I hope you’re not mad but I made a deal.” There are words to make your blood run cold.

Me: What?
The husband: You know the red truck?
Me: Yes
H: I traded it to him in exchange for him putting up all the arena lights. Me: Did you tell him it doesn’t run?
H: I said it needed a starter and tires…
Me: It doesn’t even have a battery in it and the brakes don’t work.
H: I said that too.

I have been trying to get rid of this truck for years. I don’t picture us as the kind of people who have unworkable vehicles in the yard. Of course this truck is sitting by an old couch so that must make us truly hicks… But we’ll be hicks with arena lights!!!

Then at 9:00 last night he came up from downstairs and told me to get up. I asked where I was going. He said that Spirit’s stall was dirty. I reminded him that I am unable to clean stalls. He said that he knew that but that I needed to tell him what to do. I sat for a second in stunned silence until he told me that I better get up because this was a once in a lifetime thing to see and I wouldn’t want to miss it. So we went outside and he cleaned Spirit’s stall. He did it much faster than I do it too.

This morning he was bringing the horses inside to avoid the heat and flies. He was putting Prize in her stall and Spirit went wandering past. He reached behind his back and grabbed Spirit’s lead rope in one hand while closing Prize’s door. Just like a real horse person. I didn’t comment on it because he wouldn’t have understood and would have thought I was making fun of him. But three weeks ago when he started working with them it took his full concentration to handle Spirit. Now he can grab him while doing something else. He’s making progress!