ABOLISH ATVs!

We all have our personal albeit unreasonable prejudices.

I hate peanuts - but I adore peanut butter (creamy - Jiff - particulary on toast).

I am certain that television is leading the downfall of western civilization - but I am also addicted to The Office, NCIS, Eli Stone, Castle and am embarrassed to but will admit I will watch ANY movie which I already have on DVD and/or VHS.

And I absolutely DETEST all-terrain vehicles.

However, I am fully aware of how much fun they are - I used to ride my brother's motorcycle on what in L.A. passed for dirt-bike paths (i.e. Arroyo Seco canyon and the still-in-development section of the Monterey Hills housing area).

Living out on dirt roads far enough off pavement to be are considered prime dirt-bike/ATV has cemented (no pun intended there) my abhorrence of all recreational vehicles because:

1) They raise the dust. Which is Southern Arizona is already totally unreasonable without any additional help - dusting twice a day would be required by any demanding homemaker (which, thankfully, I am not).

2) They frighten the animals - the 3,022,467 rabbits which inhabit my back yard alone, native birds (such as the Glided Flicker, the Black-Headed Grosbeck, and the Thrasher - which honestly are the correct names), and tarantulas, rattlesnakes...

AND (most importantly) HORSES.

Well, most horses.

Actually, some horses.

But not mine.

Sally has is utterly fearless ... except of being seperated from Najale.

And Najale has no trepidation about anything at all... except the crinkling of feed bags, which throw him into an entire panic.

So tonight, as I was letting the horses graze on the neighbor's mowed lawns (keeps their mowing efforts down) right at twilight, when an ATV came thundering down the road right next to us, I felt completely and entirely justified in feeling the utmost rage.

Until the couple riding the ATV, upon spotting the horses and myself, politely, courteously and immediately SLOWED down, crawled past taking special care not to startle the horses, and even called out, "What beautiful horses you have!"

Rats.

Now I have to remove the bumper sticker, don't I?