roadside encounters
Sober and Seeking Mule
He leaned out his pickup window and said, “I’ve been sober 2 years now. I bought this pickup for $200 but I want a mule.”
But mule ownership had eluded him. He said, “the people in this town don’t want me to have a mule. I don’t know why.”
I told him I couldn’t understand either because I’d just slept in his town with my mules and it seemed to make everyone happy.
“You’ve got it lucky,” he said, “because… Continue reading
Joe’s Joke
The old blue tractor scared my mules when it passed me on the gravel road. Right behind it, the black and white dog in hot pursuit. The next hill over, the tractor was parked by the road and a man climbed out of the cab. He had a grin as big as a round bale and so did I. That’s how I met Joe Stoll and his dog.
He spoke first.
Joe: “I was… Continue reading
The Colorist
He stepped out of a battered van and told me, “My first color was Play Boy Pink and we sold a 55 gallon drum of it to Hugh Heffner.”
He was a colorist. I’m a guy traveling with mules. People tell me all sorts of things. I just take them at their word. With all the words people pour in to my ears, making judgements is too much work.
The words poured out.
Him: “I also… Continue reading
