The Gator

We have a "gator" in the back yard.  It's green and can move fast if you are being chased.  Not many of my friends have needed to be chased, but many love to catch a ride on the gator!   Well, maybe you have figured out that I'm not talking about an animal that lives in watery swamp lands in our back yard.  It is a motorized, two seated vehicle with a dump bed behind the seats.  It is a very handy farm tool for hauling the twigs picked up in the yard, taking hay to the field  for the horses and for taking sleeping bags and dogs to the tipi!

Some of my friends think I drive too fast when I offer them a ride.  They have even gone so far to have "warned" others about my driving!  I am a little surprised by this, some of these people do things that are much scarier to me, like riding motorcycles on roads without helmets!  Or maybe they have two wheeled bikes they ride with their feet strapped onto the petals of this bike, without a helmet!  Even with a helmet these things are scary to me.  At least my gator has four wheels and it is wide enough not to tip over, unless a corner is turned rather quickly to miss hitting a butterfly or a dog.  I am proud to say I've never lost any person that was riding with me.  However,  I can't resist a loud Yeehaw and Yahoo as I travel quickly out into the horse pasture.  After seeing passengers hanging on with white knuckles, I was thinking maybe I should have a release form for them to sign before riding with me.....   That should make them even more wary about getting in for ride.  Ha! Ha!

When I was younger, not all that many years ago, I rode a horse at break neck speeds through some wooded trails.  I remember the speed as the trees became a blur and the thunder of a horses hooves filled my ears.  I remember looking back at my riding friend as we wove through a little sapling grove, I thought she too was smiling as I was, upon second glance I realized she was grimacing.......  When we came to an opening in the trail, we slowed to a little trot and she mentioned that we could have trotted through the saplings and had a good run on the more open trail.   She didn't understand, with my horse an open trail was an invitation to being out of control, because he loved to run, he might even celebrate with a buck and I'd be off and have to pick myself up off the ground. Oh, did we love to Yahoo down the trails!  I do miss those days, my knees do not!

So the gator is slow when you think about the speed.  My grand daughter has her own experiences with speed and the gator.  Most would say a nine year old is too young to drive the gator.  I have ridden with my grandkids in the gator and feel comfortable when I finally let them drive alone.  It is good for them to learn the consequence of their decisions.   A couple weeks ago Cait hit a tree in our yard when she was looking at our dog who was riding shot gun.  I heard the thud, when she came back to the barn I see the fender pushed in and a dent in the plastic covered machine, the dog was not riding but walking on her own four feet!   Cait was so upset and even afraid, not because of the possible punishment, more at the reality of what happen.  I was saying  prayers of gratitude that she didn't get hurt.  I still believe that this is all good experience for future driving wisdom.  She will be more careful when her Daddy lets her drive again.

So maybe my friends who are fearful of riding the gator with me should ride the four wheeler with me!  Now we are talking speed!  I think they will be happy to go back to riding the gator to the tipi.  Or, perhaps they might decide to take a nice walk to the tipi. It's not all that far......   teeheee!