I picked up a new toy for the herd to play with.
They voted unanimously that it be returned it to the store immediately.
Every time they pushed it or tried to pick it up, it rattled and scared the bejesus out of them.
Apparently, the plastic beads inside the hoop sound too much like a rattlesnake,
and no amount of demonstration from me could convince them otherwise.
But before I went to the trouble to drill a hole in the hoop and dump out the noise-making beads,
I frosted it with a little peanut butter, thinking that might change their minds.
George: It looks like a snake, it sounds like a snake,
but it smells like heaven. What to do...what to do...
Me: Lucy, please go over there and show George he has nothing to fear.
George: Eau de peanut butter. Best smell ever.
Lucy got her licks in, but George remained steadfast in his belief
that the orange snake would come back to bite him in the ass.
Me: Lucy, you have peanut butter all over your lips.
Lucy: Did I get it?
Me: A little more to your left.
I can just imagine the sounds of her tongue and the sound of her breath as she concentrates on getting ...every...last...BIT!
ReplyDeleteThat second picture of George, OMGoodness that quizzical expression slays me.
ReplyDeleteGeorge IS a smart ass!
ReplyDeleteHilarious! But I'm with George and the snake thing. I'm terrified of anything that could even be made to look like a snake.
ReplyDeleteI agree, George's face is a treasure!
ReplyDeleteI never would've thought about it sounding like a rattler.
ReplyDeleteSnake or no snake, peanut butter is irresistible! Chez moi as well.
ReplyDeleteCarson, I am very disappointed that you do not have pictures of your demonstration... just sayin'
ReplyDeleteGood for George. His priorities are straight. Snake trumps toy. Peanut butter can be delivered via other means :) Lucy the Bold raked in the treat though.
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! Clearly we've been looking at the same things online. I, too, have been on a quest for a hula hoop, but I actually didn't buy the one I found because it is filled with water instead of those fun rattling balls, like I grew up with. But now perhaps I should reconsider. Though I don't think my boys have any concept of a rattling snake, so they might not have the same issue. The water one is also really heavy.
ReplyDeleteI found mine at the dollar store in Mountainair. I drilled a small hole in it and shook out all the beads - have yet to see what their reaction is sans sounds.
DeleteLucy is so brave! I'm glad she enjoyed her peanut butter snack!
ReplyDeleteMy bird is afraid of umbrellas (even when they are compact and closed! ha ha). How are your kids with umbrellas?
"What to do..." That face! Oh George, when I'm done fainting+melting, may I please hug you?
ReplyDeleteI can tell you love your horses and your donkeys. I once knew some people that let me ride their donkey. Donkeys are definitely stubbornly awesome. I would like to learn more about proper care for ranch animals. equestrian buildings
ReplyDeleteSo George is playing it safe due to the rattling sound (and presumably Alan, too), but Lucy seems very nonchalante about it. Is it genetic, then, that burros, but not the donkey, associate rattling with danger, do you know/think? What about Hank? Unfazed, probably... :) It will be very interesting to see how much the burros' behavior may or may not change in the absence of the rattling sound.
ReplyDelete