For Sale...Um...

The phone rang while I was visiting with my son and daughter in law.

"Hey this is Julie, you got them horses for sale?"
Me: "Yes I have 3 mares for sale."
"Okay, we'll be right out."

I woke up Rich from his nap and told him that Julie and her new 'Bo' were coming out to see the mares. He got up and we greeted them when they arrived.

Julie stepped out of the car. She wrinkled her face a bit and said hello to myself and Rich. She looked out at the winter paddock and said, "Where's your grass?"
I pointed to the yard and said, "There it is, just mowed it."

Her 'guy' got out of the van and walked around.
He looked around and said, "So which ones are the horses for sale?"
I pointed, "The red dun mare, the palomino mare, the blue roan mare."
"What do they do?" he asked.
Rich started to answer. "Well not much really." He began to search for words and looked uncomfortable.

I answered: "They eat and they poop. That is their specialty."

The man scuffed his boot on the driveway.
"Well," he said, "I can sell good quiet well broke geldings. I don't like mares too much. I have people looking for geldings."
He pointed to our three riding mules in their paddock.
"What do your mules do?"

"Everything they are asked to," I replied.
"I don't deal in mules much," he began.
"Those are not for sale," I said.
He ignored me and turned to Rich. "What about those mules?"

Rich smiled and tried to explain which mule was which and how the grand-kids and I rode them. He didn't get the idea that this guy was fishing for a price on them.

"They are not for sale." I stated. Rich smiled. I know that the conversation was hard on him and he wanted to be so much a part of it. He stood quietly. It was uncomfortable for a man who just weeks ago would have talked an arm and leg off from anyone.

The guy pointed to Lil' Richard. "What about him?"
"What about him." I was getting a bit cranky now.
"Does he ride?" he asked.
Rich piped in, "Yes my wife rides him to get the mail."
"For sale?" he asked.
"Not for sale," I replied. "He is a stud pony. He is also our weed wacker. He stays here until he dies."
Again the man deferred to my husband.
"For sale?"

Rich smiled and tried to explain that Lil' Richard had been here for years and used to be our teasing stud when we bred mares to donkeys.

The man leaned up against the van. He sighed.
"Well you have nothing here and I won't waste your time. I'm looking for well broke quiet geldings."

Rich smiled.
I smiled through gritted teeth. "Yep, I had said we had mares for sale and that is what we have, unless you are looking for some nice jennets or guard mules."

"Those mules..." he took a last stab at Sunshine, Fred, and Siera... "for sale?"
"Absolutely not." I replied.
He looked at me and then said, "Well you better get to training some horses, eh?"

I thought. And you best get in your vehicle and get out of here.

By this time I was sort of rubbed the wrong way.
I smiled nicely.
I did not bare my teeth.

Julie got her van keys out and jingled them.

The man turned and looked at me. "So you better get riding huh?"
His body language and tone of voice was Snarky.

Rich said as best as he could, "Well Val is sure busy, she is taking care of everything and me right now..."

They got in their van and Rich waved goodbye with a smile on his face.
I waved good riddance.

All this before I put the ad on the local ad board.
What kind of nutcases am I going to see?

My ad will read:
3 Mares for sale. Red Dun, Palomino, Blue Roan. They eat and they poop.
3 Jennets, one gelding Donkeys. Nice to be around. They eat and poop.
3 Mules for sale. Will keep coyotes off property. They eat and poop.
Serious inquires only.