Some days just have magical powers. Today was just such a day. As I awakened from a restful sleep, I just lay there in bed. The memories swept across my mind as if they were clover in mist covered meadow with the soft blowing wind sweeping over them. As the wind blew, the clover danced in wondrous rhythm with one another. Swaying gently front to back and side to side. So it was with my mind. The memories came and went, dancing softly on my conscious, some good a few bad.
The one that stuck was a good one. At least it ended up that way. In 1993, we moved into our house that we had just built, sitting on fourteen acres. We moved in on May 5, just a few weeks after my stud colt, E-Bob-A-Ho was born. He was a typical stud colt, into everything. At that time I had four horses, including Bob, and feeding them was a challenge. My plan was to buy and sell horses to pay for their feed. As you can guess, that did not work out very well. I would buy high and sell low. It was cheaper for me to feed the horses, than for me to sell them. It was like silk screening T-shirts, each transaction cost me money.
Our land was covered by woods, except for the strip under the power lines. That strip was fifty feet by 800 feet. That was not enough grass for four horses and I had to keep them supplied with hay at all times. After we had been there for a year or so, the two spinster sisters that owned the six acre pasture next door, approached me about renting it. At the time the price was reasonable and we agreed.
The horses thought that they were in heaven.With grass up to their knees, eating was now a chore. You would think that they would mow everything down evenly across the pasture. Well no, they didn't.
The pasture soon looked as if a drunk was driving the mower. The grass would be a foot tall in one area and dirt next to that. I spent a lot of time on the tractor, bushogging.
Major was seven years old when I bought him. He had won several blue ribbons for speed racking. A big bay horse, he was a gentle giant, but stubborn as a mule. His master had died and the black man that bought him almost starved him to death. When I purchased him, he was skin and bones, probably four hundred pounds underweight. It took Sheila and I almost a year to fatten him up. During this time we discovered that he had a comical personality, or maybe he was just a doofus.
Honey Babe was ten at the time and sweet as sugar. Not to Major though. She would give him a wide berth and stick her tongue out at him when he was not looking. She worshipped Princess, the bitch of the bunch, and Bob's mother. She, like the others, was a racking horse. However her gait was so rough, that at the end of the ride, her rider was sore. she was well mannered and obeyed every command.
Princess was a solid black, beautiful mare that should have been named Queen. She manipulated and controlled the herd, except for Major. He was not going to let a girl tell him what to do. When she wanted to move from one spot in the pasture to the other, she would just wander off in that direction. All the other horses would follow, except for Major. Not only was Princess a bitch, she was the smartest horse I had ever seen. Leaving Major behind would in her mind, undermine her authority. Shes developed a new strategy. To move to a new spot, she would shriek and bolt off as if something had burst out of the woods and was attacking her. That startled everyone, including Major, into following her. As soon as she reached her destination, she would stop and graze as nothing had happened.
I came in from work that hot summer day and went to the barn to feed up. All the horses were there in the barn yard except for Major. That was unusual, for he like the others, knew that feeding time was always at the same time each day. As you probably know by now I talk to the horses and most times they talk back. Princess was nervously pacing around the paddock. I did my whistle and rang the dinner bell for Major to come eat. Finally I asked Princess, "Where is Major?" She seemed relieved to know that I finally figured out that knew where he was. She turned and slowly walked to the woods on the side of the barn. I don't know how to stress this, nothing had ever gotten her to leave before a meal, so I knew that it was serious. We had gone a couple hundred yards when I caught sight of him. He was in a thicket of thorns and tangled up helplessly in bullis vines. I could tell that he had been there a while. "Be right back, boy." I told him and walked back to the barn.
When I returned with the wire cutters and made my way to him, I could tell that he was agitated. However, he remained still and calm while I cut away the briars and vines. To make matters worse, deer flies were swarming all around and eating us up. He would stomp his feet and swish his tail, but never in my direction. Princess, Bob and Honey Babe were standing at the edge of the woods watching us. As I cut the last vine and slapped him on his butt, he took off. As he tore out the woods, he went around the other horses to get to Princess. I don't speak horse very well, but I understood very well what he said to her. After he kicked her a couple of times, he said."Don't you ever scare us again, bitch!" And she didn't.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Lone Oak
This lonely old oak tree has seen some good years I carved it out of HDU just to see how the material worked. I have used it for several years to sandblast signs with, but I have never used a chisel on it before. I thought that it worked well and I kinda like the old tree.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Hamer Construction
This was an enjoyable project at C and S Signs. The artwork was clean and the sides of the truck was relatively rivet free. The hammer can be seen from a great distance. The construction co is located in Ashford, Alabama and does excellent work. I was glad to get the job of lettering it.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Master's Men
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Bird and Grapes
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
New Website
I recently started a new website candssigns.com and would like for everyone to take a look at some of the work that we perform. Thanks
Friday, April 20, 2012
John Frank
Just after midnight, the long low moan of the freight train could be heard. Even though the moon governed the night with her bright light, the monster was still to far in the distance to be seen. As the air horn blared, the mountains and distance softened the dreadful noise, John Frank knew that he had ten or fifteen minutes before the tracks brought him his doom, Knowing that he was in dire straits, he still did not feel any regrets for any of the terrible things he had done. His one regret was that he had been caught and sentenced to hard time.
Even at that, he was lucky. Being sentenced for manufacture of meth, was a blessing, when he knew that he had committed murders, rapes and robberies. Had he not crashed, after being high on meth for days, the police would never have caught him. John Frank had always been a lucky criminal. On his way to prison, his luck was still holding. He was locked in the back with Larry, Chris and Matt. In his mind, John had already renamed them Larry, Curly and Moe. There was no guard, just the driver.
Due to the county always begging for money and always being broke, safety had to take a back seat. The tires of the van needed to be replaced months ago. But no, because the idiots running the county needed to spend the money on whores, whiskey and breast implants for their girlfriends, then just wasting the rest, there was nothing left for the tires. Just as they rounded the curve, the left front tire blew out. The van swerved and flipped, landing on it's side. The driver was unconscious, but John and the three stooges were not hurt. The rear door was ripped off the hinges and the men scrambled out. John tried to go it alone, but Larry, Chris and Matt followed him. John just shrugged his shoulders and pressed on up the side of the mountain, in the light of the moon. Going up the mountainside was not a hard task for someone trying to gain as much distance as he could from the authorities. The four men knew that they would be on the hunt soon enough. Almost at the top was a small village. Just a loose scattered out group of homes, really. A small store stood out from the darkness, illuminated by the moon and a flicking street lamp. As John's luck would have it, there was an old abandoned two story building less than fifty yards away.
As tired as they were, this would be an ideal spot to rest up and plan their next move. With no one around, they made their way inside. Whoever abandoned this place did not take away all of the old furniture, or else some kids or hobos had taken it over. A couple of broken down, weathered recliners, some straight chairs and a rickety old table, teetering on three legs, was more than enough for the four stooges to find rest. Larry, Curly and Moe were arguing and bitching about how tired they were. John, in his cold calculating mind, was considering just killing them and ending his misery.
There was the long low whistle again, getting every one's attention and possibly saving the three stooges lives. A feeling of dread came over John, in a cold almost stifling wave. He walked to the naked window and looked down. To his horror, he could see the tracks of the train just below, disappearing under the roof of the first floor, just below him. John, had never felt fear before as he had this night. It swept over him as a cold wave , almost drowning him. He looked out into the night and saw the lights of the town below. They were a thousand diamonds spread out upon a black velvet cloth, reflecting with bright twinkling lights, At the bottom of the mountain, the train was just beginning it's ascent. The tracks disappeared around the mountain, but John knew where the destination was. He was trapped in this place like a fox in a cage. He began to look around for an escape. All that was available was some emergency track, stacked in cardboard boxes, labeled "emergency track." John ripped the containers apart and frantically began to read the directions. The monster was louder now and ever closer. Trying to get the three stooges to help with the track was like trying to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Either Larry, Chris and Matt had found a way to get high, or they were just dumb as bricks. They would hold up the four foot length of track, which looked a lot like a two inch conduit and the joint connector, and laugh hysterically. Did they not know of the impending doom? John finally got Larry to hold a section while he joined it together with another piece. The freaking lock nuts would not screw on and when they did John did not have a wrench to tighten them.
The blast of the horn was so loud that John fell to the ground. The three idiots finally quit giggling. When John got his shit back into one pile, he walked to the window and looked down. The train was closer than he realized. He watched in horror as it slipped past the trees. He could see the box cars with the rusted sides. It looked like a long snake slithering through the night. As it wandered up the track,John knew that the next pass would take it through the building. Hurriedly, John set about getting the track assembled. As he finished the task, he realized the main track was on the bottom floor. If he could only get the emergency track hooked to the main track, the monster would pass harmlessly through the building. Frustrated, he began to try and get the track onto the landing and down the stairway. No surprise, it would not fit. The building began to vibrate, then more violently, the low rumble became louder, almost deafening. The horn pierced the cool damp night air. It was no use, he just did not have enough time.
The noise was unbearable, the shaking of the world around him, the bright light penetrated his soul the fear poured out of him as great drops of sweat. He braced himself for the shock of the collision. The impact never came, but the turmoil continued under his feet. flight overtook John and he rushed over to the window and jumped. There in the bright moonlight were dozens of people, each facing away from the train, none of them concerned and all seemingly amused at the fear that had possessed John. The three stooges were bent over and falling on the ground, laughing at John's expense. "What the hell is so funny, you dumb asses?' John asked. When Larry caught his breath he replied, "You thought that we were dumb asses, John, but we knew all along that we were in an abandoned depot. We knew that the train would pass by harmlessly. If you were so afraid, all you had to do was walk down and out the back door." John claimed another victim that night, but it was not Larry as you might suppose. It was his confidence and self assuredness.
Even at that, he was lucky. Being sentenced for manufacture of meth, was a blessing, when he knew that he had committed murders, rapes and robberies. Had he not crashed, after being high on meth for days, the police would never have caught him. John Frank had always been a lucky criminal. On his way to prison, his luck was still holding. He was locked in the back with Larry, Chris and Matt. In his mind, John had already renamed them Larry, Curly and Moe. There was no guard, just the driver.
Due to the county always begging for money and always being broke, safety had to take a back seat. The tires of the van needed to be replaced months ago. But no, because the idiots running the county needed to spend the money on whores, whiskey and breast implants for their girlfriends, then just wasting the rest, there was nothing left for the tires. Just as they rounded the curve, the left front tire blew out. The van swerved and flipped, landing on it's side. The driver was unconscious, but John and the three stooges were not hurt. The rear door was ripped off the hinges and the men scrambled out. John tried to go it alone, but Larry, Chris and Matt followed him. John just shrugged his shoulders and pressed on up the side of the mountain, in the light of the moon. Going up the mountainside was not a hard task for someone trying to gain as much distance as he could from the authorities. The four men knew that they would be on the hunt soon enough. Almost at the top was a small village. Just a loose scattered out group of homes, really. A small store stood out from the darkness, illuminated by the moon and a flicking street lamp. As John's luck would have it, there was an old abandoned two story building less than fifty yards away.
As tired as they were, this would be an ideal spot to rest up and plan their next move. With no one around, they made their way inside. Whoever abandoned this place did not take away all of the old furniture, or else some kids or hobos had taken it over. A couple of broken down, weathered recliners, some straight chairs and a rickety old table, teetering on three legs, was more than enough for the four stooges to find rest. Larry, Curly and Moe were arguing and bitching about how tired they were. John, in his cold calculating mind, was considering just killing them and ending his misery.
There was the long low whistle again, getting every one's attention and possibly saving the three stooges lives. A feeling of dread came over John, in a cold almost stifling wave. He walked to the naked window and looked down. To his horror, he could see the tracks of the train just below, disappearing under the roof of the first floor, just below him. John, had never felt fear before as he had this night. It swept over him as a cold wave , almost drowning him. He looked out into the night and saw the lights of the town below. They were a thousand diamonds spread out upon a black velvet cloth, reflecting with bright twinkling lights, At the bottom of the mountain, the train was just beginning it's ascent. The tracks disappeared around the mountain, but John knew where the destination was. He was trapped in this place like a fox in a cage. He began to look around for an escape. All that was available was some emergency track, stacked in cardboard boxes, labeled "emergency track." John ripped the containers apart and frantically began to read the directions. The monster was louder now and ever closer. Trying to get the three stooges to help with the track was like trying to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Either Larry, Chris and Matt had found a way to get high, or they were just dumb as bricks. They would hold up the four foot length of track, which looked a lot like a two inch conduit and the joint connector, and laugh hysterically. Did they not know of the impending doom? John finally got Larry to hold a section while he joined it together with another piece. The freaking lock nuts would not screw on and when they did John did not have a wrench to tighten them.
The blast of the horn was so loud that John fell to the ground. The three idiots finally quit giggling. When John got his shit back into one pile, he walked to the window and looked down. The train was closer than he realized. He watched in horror as it slipped past the trees. He could see the box cars with the rusted sides. It looked like a long snake slithering through the night. As it wandered up the track,John knew that the next pass would take it through the building. Hurriedly, John set about getting the track assembled. As he finished the task, he realized the main track was on the bottom floor. If he could only get the emergency track hooked to the main track, the monster would pass harmlessly through the building. Frustrated, he began to try and get the track onto the landing and down the stairway. No surprise, it would not fit. The building began to vibrate, then more violently, the low rumble became louder, almost deafening. The horn pierced the cool damp night air. It was no use, he just did not have enough time.
The noise was unbearable, the shaking of the world around him, the bright light penetrated his soul the fear poured out of him as great drops of sweat. He braced himself for the shock of the collision. The impact never came, but the turmoil continued under his feet. flight overtook John and he rushed over to the window and jumped. There in the bright moonlight were dozens of people, each facing away from the train, none of them concerned and all seemingly amused at the fear that had possessed John. The three stooges were bent over and falling on the ground, laughing at John's expense. "What the hell is so funny, you dumb asses?' John asked. When Larry caught his breath he replied, "You thought that we were dumb asses, John, but we knew all along that we were in an abandoned depot. We knew that the train would pass by harmlessly. If you were so afraid, all you had to do was walk down and out the back door." John claimed another victim that night, but it was not Larry as you might suppose. It was his confidence and self assuredness.
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