Teaser pony

Who uses it: Horse breeders
What it means: A horse that is brought in to prepare a mare for mating, before the stallion arrives to finish the job.
How you can use it: When you're doing all of the work and reaping none of the rewards.

Randy Wayne White told me about this term years ago, after he went to visit Storm Cat, the world's greatest breeding stallion. Neither of us had ever heard of the "teaser pony" system, and the very idea of it sent Randy into a fit of sympathetic distress.

It's Derby Day. Brunswick actually has a pretty big off-track betting parlor (why are they called betting "parlors"?), but I've never set foot in such a place, and today won't be the first time. (That said, James, if you win big today, you'll remember which sister is your favorite -- right?)

Instead, I'm off to Bath, for the MeACT One-Act Play Festival, which Gaslight is hosting. Our entry, "The Real Inspector Hound," opened last night here at Johnson Hall, and the Maschinos were nice enough to join me for it.

Spring has exploded in central Maine, and Dizzy rolled in a patch of dandelions this morning. If the weather holds, we'll go on a real adventure tomorrow... maybe we'll even rent a boat.