Give And Take

The Pony has been a bit fractious this afternoon. Kicking up his heels, daring me to tie him to the snubbing post. It all started with the laser pointer. One of the laser pointers I bought for his science fair project last spring.

"Stop it. Don't be shining that around."

"It's not hurting anything. It's not one of the high-powered ones."

"Put it up."

A few minutes later, the dogs commenced to raising a ruckus in the front yard.

"See what's going on. It's probably those darn neighbor dogs again. They came over last night, and your dad hollered at that long-tailed poodle to get home, and it ignored him." I was working in the kitchen. But I heard the front door open. Then some canine caterwauling. The door opened and closed again. "Pony? What was it? I heard yelping."

"That poodle was over by the chickens. Probably going to eat one. Juno went after her, but she chased Juno."

"Did she bite Juno?"

"No. I shined my laser light on the poodle."

"You can't do that."

"I was on the porch. It was way over by the chickens!"

"Laser light goes on forever. It can go to another galaxy. You can't be shining it on that poodle. Even though I'd like to get rid of it. Now go out to the garage and get those cake pans out of the back of T-Hoe."

That took a while.

"Where have you been?"

"Apparently, Dusty does not like the red laser light."

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHINE THAT LASER ON THE ANIMALS!"

"I wasn't. You know how, on TV, cats like to chase those dots of light? Well, Dusty chased it twice, and then she ran away."

"You shouldn't tease that cat with a laser."

"I couldn't find the other cats."

Somebody is not picking up what I'm laying down.