December 4, 2017 at 5:29 p.m.
Annual parade gave her a story to share
As I See It
By Diana Dolecki-
Have you ever heard the expression, “stubborn as a mule”? I witnessed the reason behind that statement first hand over the weekend.
It was towards the end of our town’s annual Parade of Lights. Every year the parade is better than the year before. One of the things I like about it is that it is a true small-town affair. Anyone who wants to be in the parade can. All they have to do is show up and a place will be found for them. A string of lights is preferred but optional as I didn’t see any decorations on the motorcycles.
The floats were spectacular. It was obvious that a lot of thought and care had gone into them. The night was perfect, cold but not too cold. When we saw the horses, we knew the end was near. There was a huge gap after the horses. Finally we saw the last float which was bearing Santa Claus. It was beautiful even though a little girl in front of us confessed that she didn’t like Santa.
We wondered why the police car signaling the end was lagging so far behind. Then we saw them. Two highly decorated mules were reluctantly following Santa. They got to the post office and in defiance of their riders’ wishes turned down the alley and stopped.
Apparently they had had enough. The first rider dismounted and tried to coax the animal back onto the parade route. It took a few steps farther into the alley. The other mule just stood there.
The second rider finally slid off her mule’s back. She tried petting and coaxing. Nothing happened. The police car finally gave up and caught up to the Santa float. The mules stood still, their cheerful Christmas lights draped over them, their expressions dour.
We watched the riders pull on the reins. I could almost hear the mule’s thoughts. “You’ve got to be kidding me! First you put these lights on me, then you expect me to walk with horses. Horses! Then you actually try to move me by pulling. Lady, I weigh at least 10 times as much as you and I am a lot stronger than you will ever be. Pulling on my reins, indeed! Hmmph!”
By this time the crowd had dispersed and traffic had cautiously resumed. I remarked that the drama across the street was the best part of the evening.
The mules finally consented to continue down the alley to who knows where. I’m sure that this will become a favorite family story in the future.
I have been accused as being as stubborn as a mule on occasion. Those crosses between a horse and a donkey put me to shame. They were not about to move until they were ready and they wanted to make sure their humans knew it.
It is said that mules are smarter than either horses or donkeys. Some say they are not stubborn as much as they are determined not to do anything against their own self-interest. Stubborn or not, those two had no intention of walking the entire parade route. Their method of passive resistance worked, as the parade went on without them and I had a story to share.
It was towards the end of our town’s annual Parade of Lights. Every year the parade is better than the year before. One of the things I like about it is that it is a true small-town affair. Anyone who wants to be in the parade can. All they have to do is show up and a place will be found for them. A string of lights is preferred but optional as I didn’t see any decorations on the motorcycles.
The floats were spectacular. It was obvious that a lot of thought and care had gone into them. The night was perfect, cold but not too cold. When we saw the horses, we knew the end was near. There was a huge gap after the horses. Finally we saw the last float which was bearing Santa Claus. It was beautiful even though a little girl in front of us confessed that she didn’t like Santa.
We wondered why the police car signaling the end was lagging so far behind. Then we saw them. Two highly decorated mules were reluctantly following Santa. They got to the post office and in defiance of their riders’ wishes turned down the alley and stopped.
Apparently they had had enough. The first rider dismounted and tried to coax the animal back onto the parade route. It took a few steps farther into the alley. The other mule just stood there.
The second rider finally slid off her mule’s back. She tried petting and coaxing. Nothing happened. The police car finally gave up and caught up to the Santa float. The mules stood still, their cheerful Christmas lights draped over them, their expressions dour.
We watched the riders pull on the reins. I could almost hear the mule’s thoughts. “You’ve got to be kidding me! First you put these lights on me, then you expect me to walk with horses. Horses! Then you actually try to move me by pulling. Lady, I weigh at least 10 times as much as you and I am a lot stronger than you will ever be. Pulling on my reins, indeed! Hmmph!”
By this time the crowd had dispersed and traffic had cautiously resumed. I remarked that the drama across the street was the best part of the evening.
The mules finally consented to continue down the alley to who knows where. I’m sure that this will become a favorite family story in the future.
I have been accused as being as stubborn as a mule on occasion. Those crosses between a horse and a donkey put me to shame. They were not about to move until they were ready and they wanted to make sure their humans knew it.
It is said that mules are smarter than either horses or donkeys. Some say they are not stubborn as much as they are determined not to do anything against their own self-interest. Stubborn or not, those two had no intention of walking the entire parade route. Their method of passive resistance worked, as the parade went on without them and I had a story to share.
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