Of Milk Cows and Shetland Ponies

In a previous post about "Pete and Ginger," I hinted at a couple of things that needed explaining at another time. Now is that time. It's another cloudy, gray day out, and I've actually done all the house chores and home schooling. So now I'll do a little story-telling.

Concerning the milk cow and her tail, Dad told this story. I have no idea how long ago this was, it may have been when Dad and all his siblings were younger. These grandparents would be the ones who "homesteaded," living at the edge of town and having things such as a huge garden and apparently at one time this milk cow. Granddad would go out back and milk her at the fence. It seems she had a habit of swishing her tail and it would sting when it hit his face and cause all kinds of other trouble. So ....... Granddad tied her tail to the fence to keep it under control. Well somehow something happened, she ran, and in so doing, she pulled the end off of her tail. (Owwwwww!!!!!) After that, it was worse than before, because then it was like a club when it hit his head! OK, I know that was a strange story, but in this next one, the animal gains the upper hand.

When Mom was a girl, she and her family moved to western Kansas in the midst of the "Dirty '30's." I've heard countless things about this time, but one interesting thing is something they gained when they moved to the farm there. There was a shetland pony running around loose, and whoever had the place before said that if they could catch the pony, they could ride it. So caught it they did, and Mom rode that pony to the little country school she attended. I've seen a picture of it, and it was a good-sized pony. Its name was "Dude."

(Mom as a teenager on "Dude.")

If you know the "reputation" Shetland ponies have for orneriness, you'll understand where this story is going! Mom would ride Dude, and he would have a mind of his own. He would run full speed and stop all of a sudden, sending her over his head. He would run full speed and suddenly turn a square corner, sending her continuing the original way. He would ru-u-u-ub up against a fence, trying to scrape her off. She got really tired of that pony, and I think it really soured her on horses in general. There was a funny side, though, when Mom would ride to school with a neighbor girl. This other girl was short and stout and rode a big tall horse, while Mom was really tall and slender, riding that shorter Shetland pony. I guess they made quite a picture going down the road!

So that explains the tail-less cow and the ornery pony.