Ole Ornery

The following is loosely based on a story told by my Mom and recorded by Mary and of course slightly embellished by yours truly.

So sorry, once you read this you won’t be able to unread it.

Another strange tail from that wack job Rex.

That mule absolutely hated me. We’ll let me tell you I had no love for Ole Ornery neither. Standing on the ground I couldn’t see over his back, he was that tall or I was that short back then.

I remember one time when I was just a small younger it was my job to fetch paws lunch out to him. The day it was blazing hot, it had just come along a summer toad strangling rain, the sun came out, you sweated rivers just by standing in the shade. 

Well I was soaking wet, sweat stinging my eyes, by the time I got the bridle on Ole Ornery. It wern’t no easy task neither, let me tell you, he would try to bite and kick me, shake his head something fierce. 

We was to poor to for a saddle, so I had to ride him bare back.

Beings that I was just a small fry and couldn’t climb up on him, I led that ole cuss over next to the gate and tied him there and worked the gate open. 

The gate was big and heavy for a small fry like I was way back then, one end of the gate drug across the ground and the sticky mud made it that much harder for me to get it open, pull and slip & slide pull and slip & slide.

It took me a while but I got the gate open led Ole Ornery through and managed to get the gate closed. 

I climbed up on the fence where I always got on that durn mule, I was on him reaching for the reins, being so small I was practically laying down on him reaching as far as I could to grab the reins.

Do you know what Ole Ornery cuss did? Did I mention it had been raining? Well anyway, I was all stretched out trying to grab the reins when he up and did a quick sideways number. Yes sir, one second I’m on him and the next second I’m laying in thin air, well down I came, SPLAT I did a big ole belly flop in this mud puddle, knocked the wind out of me, took a few seconds before I could breathe again, I’m just covered in mud and muddy water,  I looked up and I swear Ole Ornery was shaking his head laughing at me