It was a cool autumn Saturday morning in rural western Pennsylvania. Vern rose early, yawned, stretched, and gazed out his bedroom window onto his 100-acre farm. It wasn't much of a farm, though; most if his land was woods and he had only one animal: a pony.
In a mood to go for a ride, he showered and put on his boots, jeans, and western shirt. Before going out to the barn, he warmed a pot of coffee and toasted a muffin. Perhaps he'd bring his trusty old fishing pole and try to catch Ol' Flounder. That danged fish always got away. He'd sure make a right fine dinner one of these days.
Being a brisk 55 degrees outside, Vern pulled on a light jacket and sauntered out to the barn. A gas heater hung from the ceiling above the stall, keeping it at about 68 degrees.
"Morning, girl," he said as he grabbed a shovel and entered her stall.
"M-m-m-morning, V-V-V-Vern," Mindy answered as her breath exited her mouth in puffs of steam. Mindy stepped aside as Vern shoveled the urine soaked straw that covered the floor of her stall, and scooped up her manure, and dumped it into a steel drum outside. Her feet clicked on the floor from the horseshoes strapped to her feet with leather straps riveted onto her feet.
"C-c-c-c-could you p-p-p-please give m-m-me m-m-more heat, V-V-Vern! P-p-please!"
"Now Mindy," Vern sighed. "You know gas is expensive." Taking a brush he stepped behind her and examined her arms that were shackled behind her back with her elbows locked together above her butt and her wrists locked together just below the back of her neck. He began brushing her long blonde mane, brushing out the bugs that had started to make a nest in it the night before.