Memoirs--see comments from my little sister below:
The Homecoming Queen and The Kid
She was our small town high school homecoming queen, five years older than the kid still in Junior High School. We were horsey friends. Her horse was a brown well-bred high steppin mare. My pony was a black and white, short legged gelding who loved to race. Straight gravel roads, multiple flying rocks, blurred fast hooves… away we galloped. The mare was in the lead, but my pony could not stand it. His short stature became elongated as he neared her rear. Then we flew around her. Bet the mare and the queen didn’t much care for that. We still remained racing friends. After the queen moved into town, I graduated from Junior High. Stubborn at best, I had refused to attend my evening graduation ceremony. Just didn’t want to dress up and walk with the other grads. Instead, I chose to ride my pony into town the next day and leave him tied at the queen’s house. Walking on to school, I picked up my diploma. Many moons later, I have no idea where it is, nor do I care.
Sister's further comments on my pony days: Yes, Sonny had a matching saddle, bridle and breast collar -- all black, with silver pieces spread accordingly over it all. I did dress him up to ride in local parades. She said I even painted his hoofs with white shoe polish?! Parades called for dressing not only him in fine regalia, but also me, as she remembers. I was dressed in a beautiful western aqua shirt. Okay, Sis?!
Along the Snake River
Same city, another home, along the wide Snake River. My black and white pony moved with us, literally to greener pastures. A small creek at the back of our property emptied into the Snake. On the other side of that wadeable creek grew scrumptious apples of every kind. The fence posed no problem when apples called out my name. My pony waited as I crawled through the fence to bring back apples for me and for him. I don’t remember ever getting caught by the owner of the orchard. Minnow traps were easily made from pieces of string and wire. So many minnows caught and so delicious when fried up crisp (minus heads and guts I learned to remove quickly when the frying pan was waiting). Bait in the traps consisted of dried bread pieces. They loved it. I kept the dried pieces in the back of the lean-to barn. The queen came to visit, but only if I had enough crispy minnows for both of us. She wasn’t supposed to have coke, so we always drank coke with our minnows. Unfortunately, my pony discovered the dried bread and ate it all. Poor thing. He bloated up and stayed on the ground on his side until we had the vet come and reach up into him also using warm water. Another lesson learned. Sadly, at my pony’s expense. Divorce, imminent new marriage, and I didn’t fit in the picture my younger siblings did. An opportunity presented itself when my aunt called long distance to ask if I could go live with my grandmother since my grandpa was going to move to a Veteran’s facility in another city. Suitcases found, no hesitation to travel to another state where I would be loved and needed. My pony was a senior by now, and a nice neighbor offered to keep him until he passed. I knew I couldn’t take him with me, but my old friend would live out the rest of his days in peace not wanting for anything. That ended my horsey days. But a new chapter was in the process of playing out.