Slim Randles' Home Country

Valentine's Day planning

[February 12, 2011]  The two horses walked slowly past the Mule Barn truck stop the other day. In the months since their owners, Randy Jones and Katie Burchell, have been in love, the horses have learned how to walk: slowly, side-by-side, with just enough room between them for two knees. Their owners hold hands and look at each other, still enthralled with the moonlit bliss of romance.

Those of us inside, holding down the chairs around the Round Table, watched the two lovers and were quiet with our own thoughts. We remembered. Oh, yes.

Outside, the two sweethearts were alone with their own thoughts, too.

Katie: It's almost Valentine's Day and Randy hasn't asked me out or said a thing about it. Maybe he forgot? Couldn't be that. So maybe it's a surprise? That's possible. I mean, he's thoughtful and kind and that's why I'm crazy about him.

Randy: If I changed from a curb bit to a mechanical hackamore, I wonder if that would put a sliding stop on this horse.

They smiled at each other.

Katie: Maybe I should say something to him. After all, if I hadn't told him he needed me as a girlfriend, where would we be today?

Randy: Katie sure is pretty. I wonder if she has a mechanical hackamore I can borrow.

"Randy?... Valentine's Day is coming up."

"Yeah. I guess it is."

"What should we do to celebrate being a couple?"

"We could go riding."

"We are riding."

Katie sighed. "I have an idea. You'll buy me a corsage and we can go to Del Chin's Chinese restaurant for dinner, and when you go get the flowers, tell Susan down there I'll be wearing blue. Then we can go to The Strand. They're showing 'An Affair to Remember.'"

"That's all?"

"And 'The Westerner.'"

Randy: Randy Jones, you are one romantic son of a gun. Good planning.

"What time should I pick you up?"

[Text from file received from Slim Randles]

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