Theatre First Aid Improv...

Once upon a time not only did a very hilarious incident happen during a children's play, it personified how no matter what, the show MUST go on.  Interestingly, this incident did not happen on Opening Night, but days into the run.😂🎭

Like many children's plays, this was a magical play with beautiful fairies and some trolls.  Our dear Maisie, not much taller than me, had the lead fairy role, costumed in bright blue with lovely large transparent wings.

Now many old theatres have what is known as the Crossover at the back of the stage, behind the Theatre Set.  Crossovers are there so actors and others may move from one wing of the stage to the other without being seen by the audience.  

Sometimes a play calls for an actor to exit one side, then reappear on the other, as if by magic.  Maisie's role as the leading Fairy called for her to "disappear" in bright Fairy Dust from one side of the stage, only to magically reappear in bright Fairy Dust on the other side, which delightfully astounded the young audiences every time. 

However, I would not be writing about another hilarious theatre story here if everything had gone...RIGHT, now would I?🤣🎭

So the time came for Maisie's grand disappearance from Stage Right for the amazing reappearance on Stage Left.  But you see our beloved theatre was ancient.  

How ancient??

As old as the Thirteen Colonies ancient.  

Sometimes the Crossover doors with the original wood could become warped in Winter and get stuck.  Not only that but all the ancient rusty hardware too could contribute to the Crossover doors becoming STUCK.

And why were these not repaired?

Well, we Children Of Theatre tend to be crazily superstitious in such matters since the birth of theatre.  Especially actors, but please do not ever tell any actors you run into that Adelaide said this.

How superstitious?

We/they (those actors) are so superstitious if anyone accidentally utters the word "Macbeth" inside a theatre, one must IMMEDIATELY rush outside the theatre.  NOT walking but RUSHING.  Why?  Because uttering THAT word brings doom upon the theatre or performance or actor or scene or lighting designers or even the resident cat of the theatre for untold centuries to come.

So after one has RUSHED out of the theatre upon uttering THAT word, one MUST spin around in a circle THREE times...NOT four or TWO.  You absolutely do NOT want to screw this NEXT part up.  After you spin THREE times you MUST spit.  Do NOT forget to spit because this spitting part is very VERY important.  How important?  SPITOOWEEE!😂🎭

Anyway, at our theatre built before The Revolutionary War, it apparently had been passed down through the centuries by actors, if those Crossover doors ever were messed with all kinds of bad juju would surely happen during a performance or even the play, thus one must NEVER tamper with those doors.  And so nobody did for all those centuries.

Now where was I?  Maisie's grand disappearance from Stage Right for the amazing reappearance on Stage Left.  

Poor Maisie.  The Crossover door to reappear on Stage Left was stuck and I mean STUCK.  Because the performance was happening on the other side of it, she could not bang on it.  No one could hear her yell too.

So being quick thinking Maisie did the only thing she could do in order to not miss her cue.  She tore back down the Crossover to the Stage Right Backstage Exit Door to do the Roadrunner to the Stage Left Backstage Exit Door to reenter the performance.

Only Maisie encountered this unforeseeable problem.  It was Winter.  The asphalt was slick with ice.  She told us she hit the ice flying.

As a Senior Staff member it was my turn to be at the theatre to make sure all went well and to lock up the theatre afterwards.  The Stage Manager no sooner told me Maisie had not come through the Crossover when there was Maisie, her leotards shredded at both knees as she was bleeding.  Her palms were bleeding too.  She was not about to miss her cue though.

"But Maisie, you're hurt!"

"I will be okay Adelaide!  You do not know how hard I worked to get this part.  Please let me continue?"

"All right but..."

Jeff, The Stage Manager read my mind and had retrieved the Backstage First Aid Kit.

"Sit down, Maisie!"

"Yes, Adelaide!"

In a race against time I cleaned up her wounds with antibacterial ointment.  There was a big box of bandaids.

"Jeff!  Help me get these on Maisie fast!"

Oh did we ever put a ton of band-aids on her! 

It was a miracle.  We were just able to get Maisie ready in time.

And then...AND THEN...

From the Stage Right wing Jeff urgently called me to come see what he was seeing.

"Ohhh crap, Jeff!"

Those Band-aids happened to be for children.  We are talking bright BRIGHT Glow In The Dark Band-aids.  For EVERY movement Maisie was making she had what appeared to be these huge glowing gangs of little fairies moving with her.🙄

"Adelaide, what if the kids get frightened seeing..."

Before Jeff could finish we could hear kids excitedly in sheer wonder point out all those Little Fairies flying around the pretty bright blue fairy!

We high-fived each other.

Following the multiple standing ovations and curtain calls this performance received, I had Jeff take Maisie to the ER to be sure her wounds were treated properly. 

They both thanked me MANY times later because this trip to the ER was the beginning of their romance and wedding later.🥰🎭

That was not all.

A local critic happened to be in the audience that night with his children.  Wrote such a glowing review the play was extended for weeks!

However, I did have to explain to our Lighting Designer and Artistic Director about the "extraordinary special effects" the critic raved about he had never seen in a theatre performance before.🤣🎭

So for the rest of the play's run Maisie was loaded up with glow in the dark band-aids.

There just is no business like our beloved Show Business. 

The Sinking Stage...

The following theatre pieces for today, then tomorrow 

(the last theatre related stories from my journey, I promise!) I share here found on loose pages in one of my ancient journals, will hopefully bring laughter and touch hearts for yet another "performance."  For there just...is...no business like Show Business.🥰🎭

Now and then I could encounter those VERY rare instances in my long Theatre Scene Designing career when a Theatre Executive Director, the Artistic Director, AND the Director of a play would come up with what THEY thought was the best set design in Theatre History.  All without consulting with the Scene Designer herself first to see if it were even possible.

Many things must first be factored in when making decisions on a theatre set before constructing it.  One very important one is will it even work in the theatre the set will be constructed in, because many theatres are not only old but they may have complicated layouts to be worked around.

Now there is a type of set that can be a nightmare for Scene Designers called The Rotating Set...a TWO SIDED Rotating Set...with two different scenes on each side.

With the right play in a large theatre with money, these can work nicely.  However the theatre where I had The Three Stooges to deal with, was a charming little wonderful, old, not a lot of money theatre.

Though the Lighting Designer and I both tried to make our Three Stooges see this, alas, they would not, for their hearts were set upon The Rotating Set.  Not even when I explained the sheer weight of a TWO SIDED set built upon our ancient little stage could overwhelm it.

I tried.  I did manage to make the three sign a statement from me listing why The Rotating Set could fail despite my best efforts.  I was not about to get blamed for a disaster they insisted on!🤣

For this play, one side of The Rotating Set was a home scene, while the other side was a therapist's office like my Three Stooges were in need of following Opening Night. 

Did I say yet our Rotating Set would have to be pushed by a Stage Crew between the scenes?🙃🎭

So my Intern and I constructed the Rotating Set.  Since the Three Stooges insisted upon lots of furniture for both scenes, we HAD to add a support beam under the whole thing, because the furniture and actors weighed down the set, making the stage creak louder and louder.

On the night of Dress Rehearsal I am summoned by the Stooges.

"Adelaide, we found a larger desk we want for the therapists office."

"HOW large?!!"

"Not much.  It adds finesse."

So I see The Desk With Finesse.  It's as big as the one in the Oval Office, I am not kidding.  SIX guys had to move it onto the Rotating Set.🙄

Not good, not good.

Whenever the Rotating Set was turned during Dress Rehearsal it GROANED, and I mean, GROANED, as did the stage.😬

Opening Night.  Everyone except the Three Stooges were anxious.  The Three Stooges should have been anxious.🤔

It was during Act II the chain of events happened, when the therapist's office needed to be stage front again.  I was in the wings not looking while cringing at the groaning sound as the therapist's office began sinking lower...and lower.  

Suddenly the weight of the desk broke through the Rotating Set, but not the support beam...at first.  The rolling chair the therapist was seated in went rolling off the Rotating Set, then right to stage front, smashed a few stage lights then sent the screaming therapist flying into the Orchestra Pit as a very quick thinking percussionist managed to just save the drums, but not himself.  For the therapist landed right smack upon the percussionist.🤣

By now the audience was drowning in laughter.  Everyone was...uh...except for The Three Stooges and the Theatre Board Members present.  One of the Board Members demanded to know who was responsible.  As those Three Stooges turned toward me, the Board President rushed on stage with a piece of paper in his hand and my young Intern right behind him.

"Well I can tell all of you one thing, Adelaide certainly is not responsible for this mess and did everything she could to dissuade these Three Stoo...ahem...these three from insisting upon proceeding with this disaster!"

This is when my Intern spoke up.  "Adelaide, please meet my Dad, the Board President.  My parents were concerned everyone would be uncomfortable around me or give me special treatment knowing the Board President is my father, so they had me use my Mom's maiden name" to apply for my Scene Design Internship here.  My professors at University Of Maryland highly recommended you."

"Our son constantly brags about working with you!"

I was staggered.

Then we remembered we had a sellout audience sitting behind us.😳

The Board President addressed them.  He told the audience new tickets would be issued for the following week for the new Official Opening Night. Explained a whole new set may need to be constructed and the stage repaired.

With the Board President's help a construction crew were put to work under my Intern and I all that week.  We redesigned the set, changed the therapist's massive desk and had everything ready by the new Opening Night.

It was beautiful.  On the new Opening Night before the play began, the Actors, Designers, Backstage Crew, the Board, and the guys who made the new Opening Night possible, all stood on the stage hand in hand as the audience sang with us a rousing heartfelt rendition of that beloved Theatre Anthem of ours, "There's No Business Like Show Business."🎭

And trust me, there really IS no business like Show Business.🎭😃🎭 💫

Looping One Sunday...

Though Kentucky is not considered to be a deep south state we nevertheless share some of the unique traits of the south.  Three of the most important things here are charm, saving face, and loyalty.  Gossip absolutely does not EVER apply to southern loyalty you see, for one can gossip like crazy without shame from one end of Kentucky to the other and yet STILL be considered as VERY loyal.

It is also very highly important to know this region is quite hilly.  For our Muldraugh Hills throughout Horse Country Kentucky are not JUST hills BUT are noble MOUNTAINS worn down by age.  

Also here in the south especially on many of our horse farms the main houses have huge verandas where families gather on nice Sunday afternoons.  Another very charming thing about the south is the fact ladies here are addressed as "Miss" with their first name, only it tends to get pronounced as "Miz" instead, such as Miz Adelaide.

My just-a-friend Danny exemplified southern charm and as I soon discovered saving face which means tenaciously holding onto one's dignity no matter how much one is losing one's dignity, which by the way Danny took to extremes.  Danny also tinkered on cars yet I assure you he wasn't at all as good on them as he thought he was.  In fact Danny failed miserably when it came to cars (and horses too actually), BUT he boarded a horse at the same farm I did which is how we knew each other.  

After I had to learn to walk again the second time following my second spine surgery, but hadn't been allowed to drive yet Danny very kindly drove me out to the farm with him.  But for some reason he was always driving a different car though.🙃

Have I said how hilly it is here yet?  Believe me it really IS very VERY hilly here.🤣

So one bright Sunday afternoon after Danny and I had been out at the farm and were heading back to town 

we were speeding down a very steep former mountain when Danny calmly said to me, "Uh oh, Miz Adelaide, the brakes went out again."

Not so calmly I replied, "WHAT?!!  WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE BRAKES WENT OUT?!!"😱

"We have no brakes."🙄 

"OHHH SHIT!"

Then as we were careening down this very steep hill which used to be a mountain, Danny suddenly turned the speeding car into the driveway of the Higgins Mansion.  On the veranda were gathered all the generations of Higginses with all of their iced teas.😳

The driveway had a loop which proceeded right in front of the verandah (southern spelling).  Danny wanted to drive around this loop a few times till we hopefully slowed down enough to proceed on our way.  But you see, we were not in a position to tell the Higgins family what was happening BECAUSE WE COULDN'T STOP TO TELL THEM, and Danny was flat out determined to save any remaining shreds of his dignity at all cost, while his passenger was wondering if SHE should save her life by making a leap from the speeding car and to hell with any dignity.

"Now Miz Adelaide each time we drive past the Higginses veranDAH politely wave and smile to them so they think what we're doing is normal."

"WHAT?!!  THIS ISN'T NORMAL."🤣

"Please just do it?  I don't want the Higgins to think

I've screwed up another car."🙃

SO...we ended up making not one, not four, but FIVE loops all around the Higgins' driveway loop very politely waving and smiling to all the Higginses each loop we went around like not a thing was wrong, as all the Higginses very politely waved and smiled back to us each loop we made with the most startled looks upon their faces.🥴

"Uh Danny, aren't they all wondering WHY WE'RE NOT STOPPING?"🤣

"Probably.  But southern charm means if somebody comes down your driveway making loops around your loop one Sunday while very politely waving and smiling as they go by in front of your verandah each time without stopping, you respond with sincere politeness back without questioning their reasons."🙄

"BUT DANNY, THEIR FACES HAVE 'QUESTIONING OUR REASONS' WRITTEN ALL OVER THEM!"😂

"Yeah, well maybe being a little mysterious about exactly why we're making these loops around their loop is a good thing."

"Danny, you know they're going to be talking about this for decades right?"

"Maybe."

By the time we made five loops and headed safely on our way with the brakes miraculously working again somehow, Danny and I left all the Higginses and their ice teas with one final series of our well executed very polite smiles with waving and then even a toot on the car horn too after a very charmingly successful saving dignity event.👍

And yes, nearly everyone in the whole region soon heard about the Sunday the charming Danny and Miz Adelaide made a social call FROM A MOVING CAR TEN LOOPS (it became exaggerated in the MANY retellings through the decades you see) while happily waving and smiling at the Higgins family as they all sat on their veranDAH with their ice teas very happily waving and smiling back.

I began driving again immediately afterwards...🤣

Stepstool Reverie...

[My dear Readers, by sharing this piece and my entire blogging journey here you now hold in your grasp an awareness many never will.  For this I am profoundly grateful for you.]

There come these very brief moments at times when 

I'm standing on one of my many step stools, where I will pause thinking how very different my life would have been if I had just those few additional inches.  Indeed it would have been.  Yet I don't have those inches so I embrace what I do have with my attitude of gratitude and innate sense of positivity.

Along the way on this amazing journey of mine I have been asked, "What do you hate most about being a Little Person?"

Obviously, the thing I/we Little People hate the most 

is the worsening invasive ridicule while being followed, chanted "midget" to, and having our images rudely taken on cellphones and uploaded to disgusting websites.  To these non-humans we are an object.  We have no humanity.  THIS, is what I/we hate more than any inconvenience.  THIS, is what we would change if we could change anything at all. 

Sadly, there are some Little People who do the Jerry Springer type shows, demeaning not only themselves but us all.  For you see the non-humans seeing this assume we ALL are like that.  Well, we're not.  

The ONLY thing we Little People ever have in common with each other is the fact we're short with a form of dwarfism.  Period.

We are doctors, lawyers, accountants, marketing executives, teachers, architects, secretaries, social workers, actors, writers, musicians, artists, and even one theatre scene designer/artist/who galloped on her horses for decades.  

Many of us have achieved a lot.  Yet none of this matters when we contend with the non-humans.  To them, we're "the scum of the earth, the slime of the sea, the lowest form of humanity."  I cannot tell you how many times I have had those words chanted to me while surrounded by non-humans.

Trust me, we're not slime.  We're not scum.  And definitely not the lowest form of humanity.  I know this because I walk TALL with my head held high.  No one is taking that away from me.

Often people come up to me and preface what they are  respectfully curious about asking by first saying, "I can't help but notice you are a Little Person."  

Thankfully I have one hell of a sense of humor and usually respond with, "Oh crap!  I didn't realize my dwarfism was showing today!  Is it really THAT noticeable?!!"

It then takes a brief moment for them to realize what a sense of humor this Little Person has who is happy to answer their questions.  I consider it as my Public Relations work on behalf of us all because for every person I/we may patiently educate, they will share the positive encounter they had with others.  It may be a drop in the bucket but it is one where the door of our humanity gets opened wider.

Someday...maybe...just maybe that door will at last be thrown wide open forever.💫

Lightening Does Strike Twice (Or More!) In Theatre...

At the same theatre I described what happened during the musical version of "Gone With The Wind," there was another hilarious event at the same theatre proving lightning can strike twice or three times or even...🎭

The following season we staged a large scale production of "The Phantom," (not to be confused with the small theatre production where our Serena's dress caught on a fallen candelabra ripping out the back of her dress on the day she wore underpants with I 💖 SEX in bright neon letters on them for all to see).

For THIS version of "The Phantom" a HUGE brand spanking new theatrical Fog Making Machine had been purchased to add finesse to the production. 

Oh it really added some version of finesse all right, however I am getting ahead of myself.

Joseph, in charge of the Special Effects had to visit the Fog Making Machine company where he was given extensive instructions in how to make the Fog Making Machine successfully work.  Which is exactly what Joseph managed to pull off with amazing finesse.  That is this finesse occurred all during rehearsals and Dress Rehearsal at least.😂

Did I mention yet Joseph and his wife were expecting their first child at ANY moment?

And that our contingency plan for this event to occur during our Phantom run was Joseph would have given Thomas the same excellent instructions he received?  No doubt this gave us all a sense of assurance The Fog Making Machine could have just as much success even with the baby coming.

So along comes Opening Night where if anything can go wrong in theatre it does on Opening Night.  This has been a proven fact all down through the many centuries of theatre and my career.

Three hours before the performance where everything backstage is crazy enough already, Joseph gets...THE CALL.  The one telling him, "IT'S TIME!"  So in a rush Joseph tore out of the theatre.  And in a rush Thomas prepared to run the Fog Making Machine.  Again, the rest of us took great comfort in the knowledge Joseph had taught Thomas with the same excellence in running the machine as he had been given. 

The time arrived for the-let-there-be-fog moment 

to happen.  

And oh how it happened. 

For you see there was just supposed to be enough fog to cover the stage AT THE FEET OF THE CAST for the atmospheric effect.  Well this atmospheric event did not get to happen because Thomas suddenly realized at this very critical moment Joseph somehow overlooked showing him the two part step of HOW TO SHUT THE DAMN FOG MACHINE OFF!

Should my dear readers not be aware of the fact I am about to share with you, I can attest with good authority fog machines, especially brand spanking new ones are quite capable of very rapidly covering a whole stage with fog.

If for any reason the Fog Making Machine cannot be turned off it may then FILL the stage all the way up to the Proscenium Arch with such massive amounts of fog the actors could be having an orgy and neither the audience nor theatre staff in the wings would ever know this was happening.🤪

The Fog Making Machine very soon showed us what more it was capable of doing by then filling up House Left, House Right, Center House, under the Balcony, then over the entire Balcony.  Soon all of Opening Night was shrouded in thick heavy fog that kept pouring out!

From the direction of where the Fog Making Machine was located as I stood in the wings I could hear the freaking out voices of our Executive Director, Artistic Director, and Stage Manager freaking out poor Thomas even more than they were.

"Now Thomas, THINK!  Surely Joseph told you what to do and you forgot!"

"Can't someone go drag Joseph away from what he's doing?!!  This should after all take precedence over a birth!"

"Do you realize what you're saying?!!"

"Does anyone know if the Critics are here?"

"We can't even see ourselves and you're asking if WE'VE SEEN THE CRITICS?!!"

By this time I not only thought our executives voices were loud enough to "reach the rafters," but something suddenly came to me.

All I needed to do was follow the sound of the rising voices of our illustrious staff.

"Who's that?!!"

"Adelaide."

"It must be Adelaide because the sound of her voice is coming from the floor."

"Thomas?"

"Yes Adelaide?"

"Have you tried unplugging the machine?"

"Uh no."

"Okay, do it."

As I expected the Fog Making Machine finally was stopped.🙄

The Executive Director started to ream Thomas out for not thinking of this when I reminded the Director he hadn't thought of it either.  Silence.

Audience members were asked to remain in their seats while all massive backstage doors were opened, all industrial size fans turned on, and all exit doors opened.  Soon the theatre was cleared of fog.

Dimitri, who had the Phantom role had a few words with the Orchestra.  Then took center stage.

This is when he began singing what is our beloved Theatre Anthem, "There's No Business Like Show Business."

And there were not any dry eyes in that theatre.

Even as I write these words my heart swells with the love for what had been my profession as a Theatre Scene Designer for many years as tears pour down my cheeks.  But these tears my dear ones, are very happy ones from my heart.

Because there IS no business like show business.🎭 

 

Capturing My Soul Mate's Heart...

When I began this blog it took me quite sometime before I could write about Aiden.  Each of the now five times I did became easier to write.  Sharing him here has been cathartic.

Though eighteen years have past since he drowned in a freak accident a month before we were to be married, at times it is still so painfully hard.  I miss him SO MUCH.  He is in my thoughts always.  And forever in my heart.  I even continue to wear the diamond engagement ring with our two wedding bands we would have exchanged for the wedding.

I so miss the what our journey together would have been.  Sweet memories I have many of but I still miss him terribly.  We laughed a LOT.  Finished each others sentences.  We were absolutely crazy about each other and loved being together.😃💕🐎

Aiden was a year older than me.  My birthday is the 11th of April and his was the 16th of April.  We loved having those five days we were the same age, even celebrating this on the 13th for fun.  Also we had chosen the 1st of April for our wedding!😂

Aiden was my 5'11" true love and I his.  We met through our horses.  My horse Patches came running to me at the sound of my voice but Aiden's horse Sierra played hard to get with him.  So when Patches and Sierra became buddies she came to me too.  Sierra didn't play hard to get with me like she did with Aiden, and it wasn't long before he began hearing from other boarders how Sierra came galloping right to ME when Patches did.  Aiden soon realized he REALLY needed to meet me and coordinate our schedules to ride, which we did.  In the process we fell deeply in love.💕

We both had never found the right one before we met yet we were both also living very busy lives with our respective careers too.  Many assume Little People marry other Little People and this often is the case.  But you see I've never exactly been an average Little Person either.😂

Obviously we talked about what lay ahead for me physically where I now am.  I had concerns for burdening him, he quickly made clear was not how HE thought.  I will never forget his words.  He said, "I would rather be with you and take care of you when we come to that place than think of NOT getting to spend my life with you."💕💫

So we plunged forth!  (You see he learned that from me too😂).

Anyway, Aiden was an only child.  While his parents were concerned he still hadn't found that special one, when he did date a number of women along the way and would take one home to meet his parents they were often VERY relieved when the relationship didn't work out.🤣

Eventually Patches and I came along though and the time came for ME to meet his parents.  A few days before we were to have dinner with his parents at their home I asked Aiden if he had told them yet I was a Little Person.  He hadn't.😱

Whenever I humorously would add a third syllable to his name he knew I was either seriously about to change his mind regarding a matter or about to contest one of his infamous words he used playing Scrabble with (trying to beat me😂).  Or perhaps the amount of rent I owed when landing on his Monopoly property (which HE won a lot🤣).

"Now Aiden-thon my dear one, giving your parents a heads-up I am a bit more unique than others may be far more appreciated than you think.  Trust me on this, they need time to digest who their son will be bringing home."

"But you told me how you learned not to tell people in advance when you interview for a job or something."

"Yes, that's true.  However THIS scenario my dear, is quite a different one than that.  THIS involves love.  And respect.  Your parents deserve to know in advance I am a bit height challenged."  

"Adelaide, I really don't know what their reaction will be."

"Ohhh, I know.  Believe me, I understand."

"Will you sit next to me when I call them?"

"Whatever you need.  Remember, you've got the courage within you to do this.  Most of all these are your loving parents regardless.  Keep holding onto that.  You CAN do this dear."

"You're right."

And he did.  Later his parents told us regarding this call they heard something different in his voice as he told them about me:  they could hear he had really fallen in love which made them especially look forward to meeting me.  His parents were also very grateful I had Aiden make that call too, allowing them to know about my uniqueness in advance because it conveyed such thoughtfulness to them.  WE were grateful too.😃

Often when I first meet people they are very concerned they may say the wrong thing to the point I feel they think I will break at any moment 

or they will, so I use humor to put people at ease.  

It so happened Aiden's parents smoked and I noticed the ash trays.  I said, "I heard smoking was shown to stunt one's growth."  

For a brief moment they looked at me in complete surprise, then burst into laughter.  They loved it!

In fact they laughed their heads off all evening hearing my dwarf humor, my theatre stories, and of course my funny horse stories.  They also learned from Aiden all about my challenging journey and were both incredibly touched and inspired by my courage. 

When they learned how we met they loved this.  After I asked Aiden's Mom for his favorite recipes she was thrilled.  None of the previous ladies Aiden took home ever did that you see.😂

So the time came to part.  Loving hugs abounded.

We hadn't gone a mile before Aiden's phone rang with his Dad telling him if he didn't marry me they would disown him. 

And believe me, THAT my dear ones, was sweet to us...oh so very sweet.💕🐎😃🐎💕

Soaring Without Wings...

Did you know that every three fourths of each stride a galloping horse makes is spent in the air?  Three fourths!  I have always cherished the quote, "When God created the horse He said, 'And thou shalt fly without wings.'"  This is why galloping across the fields for me is flying.

In all the decades I owned horses I only ever had two injury accidents, which were not their fault.  Or mine.

The first involved soaring across a field on my horse Bashum.  We apparently disturbed these huge grasshoppers and one suddenly flew into Bashum's eye.  He stumbled west and I flew east...with my tailbone connecting with the ground first.  We were a LONG way from the barn phone and my car.  

Thankfully we were near a fallen tree I managed to climb on.  We made it to the barn.  Bashum's eye was torn in the corner so I called the vet to come.  Then I had to leave driving myself to the ER.  I feared two things:  that I injured my spine, and/or my dear orthopaedic surgeon was going to kill me.

He fell over laughing.  

It turned out I only fractured my tailbone.  In two places.  

Bashum's eye had to be treated with medicine but all was fine there too.

The other injury involved my horse Selah.  It was summer.  I was barefoot.  In order for a Little Person like myself to put a bridle on a horse I had to lean into her to get the head strap over her ears.  Summer means flies.  At the exact moment I was leaning into Selah to do the head strap she raised her hoof to knock away a fly.

Only when she put her hoof back down it was ON MY FOOT.  She couldn't know it so I had to push her off but because of the position we were both in she TWISTED off my foot.  Then I did what any respectable owner would do...I rode her.  Thirty minutes later I looked down at my foot.  By then it was three times its' size and every color.  Oops.

I rode Selah to my car, fed her, then drove myself to the ER.  Again my very dear orthopaedic surgeon fell over laughing.

I was lucky.  Because I was barefoot everything was only severely bruised and kind of torn...not crushed.

To this day though I proudly have Selah's clear hoofprint on my right foot.

In five decades these were my only injury accidents.  And not their fault!😄

That I was so blessed to fly without wings for many years I had been given a gift worth the price of a very bent tailbone, and a hoof shaped scar on my right foot I am so darn proud I have.