Babe and King On The Farm

by TeddiePen2Paper Thu Aug 24, 2017 3:34 am

When I was in second grade my family and I moved from Washington to Iowa. I missed Washington very much but did love the farm we moved to. We didn’t own the farm just farmed it for Old Man Jensen. I got to have my own horse. My wonderful collie dog King was on the farm too. He was one of my few possessions I got to bring from Washington to Iowa.

My horse's name was Babe. She was a lovely Bay with a big white star on her forhead and 4 white feet. I loved her dearly and some of the most magical times of my life happened while upon her back. My parents use to worry as she was a big horse and I was rather tiny. I weighed 42 pounds soak and wet! But, Babe and I were like one when I was riding her. We had a bond that just happened. She and King had bonded too. The three of us had a magical relationship that I have never been able to describe.

I went to school in a tiny 2 room school. One classroom for children in grades First to Fourth and the other was for children in grades Fifth to Eight. I was a 2nd grader and loved school. My one problem was I was very far ahead in reading and language arts. I was reading books at a sixth and seventh grade level. So, at reading time I was sent to the other classroom.

The fact I was "smart" set me apart from my classmates and made me a target of bullying. At recess there were kids who took great pleasure in pushing me around and knocking me down. I found ways to stay inside during recess. Of course there were great issues riding the bus to and from school. I had long hair my mother kept braided. I use to think the kids were going to pull my braids right off my head.

After school, when I got home, I would change my clothes and head for the barn as I had chores to do. My dog King would join me. He would lay in the stall and I would brush Babe and talk to her and share my day. I would clean her stall and the stalls of our other horses, Queenie and Prince. Often I would cry as I related how mean my schoolmates were. Babe would whinny to me and sometimes nudged me a bit. King would come lay at me feet. I felt comforted. I would take Babe out of her stall and she and King would follow me around as I did my other little chores. First I had to check the water at the hen house. I would also feed the chickens which I found to be more fun than work. Babe and King would help me get our 3 cows in from the pasture and get them ready for my dad to milk. Then I headed back to the horse barn and fed Babe and the other two horses.

I also had 2 lambs I raised from birth as their mother had rejected them. One was the usual white with a black head but the other was oddly marked. He was black and white marbled from head to toe and I called him Blackie. The other I called Whitey. They also followed my all around the barnyard but hung back in the horse barn for some reason. I think the size of the horses frightened them. Those few hours after school were always my favorite of the day.

Once I had finished my chores I would give a carrot to Babe and head to the house with King to have my dinner. The lambs followed me to the house and had their dinner on the back porch with King and our other dog Boscoe.

A year later we had left the farm and moved to town though we still helped care for the farm. I only got to do chores in the weekend so only got to see Babe on the weekend. The lambs were long gone by then but that is another story!!

Finally the day came when the farm was sold. My father told me we had to sell Babe as there was no place for us to keep her. My heart was broken. I have not owned another horse and doubt I ever will. Babe will always hold my heart. I cried hot tears into the neck of my faithful dog King. He knew how much I loved Babe. I think he too was a bit heartbroken as he and Babe had been such great pals.

I loved the house we moved to in town but I was never as happy there or anywhere I have ever lived as I was on that farm. I have always longed to live on a farm again but that was never to be. But I do have my wonderful memories of the farm, my horse Babe, 2 lambs, Blackie and Queenie and my beloved dog King!

©TeddiePen2Paper