4th Grade & 4-H
The new school was so different. It's hard to believe that two groups of kids at the same age can be so different. I was still feeling raw and must have seemed very shy. There were only three or four boys in the class. I'm sure of two and not quite sure of two others. And, I can't remember who that first teacher was. But, I am sure that they never made me feel like dirt. I didn't have to defend myself and I made friends. Even with the boys. 4th grade was fun.
It was about this time that I first joined 4-H. That first year I was the youngest in the club. Only 9 and not really old enough. 4-H is suppose to start at 10. One night the advisor brought me home pretty late, and Mom wasn't happy. She pulled me out. The next year, Dad started a club and we called ourselves the Scott Scotties. We were in Scott Township and of course we had our scotty, Cocoa. A black scotty dog profile was our club emblem. Dad was a natural leader and our 4-H club grew quickly. It was basically an agriculture club. We were mostly farm kids. Dad was an expert with cattle, but some of the projects were gardens, or other stock. My brothers and I didn't get allowences. Dad gave us a steer the first year we joined 4-H, after that we had to buy next years project and anything left from selling the previous project was our earnings for the year. Talk about learning to budget. One payday a year is a fast lesson. We each started bank accounts and our parents let us have total control of "our" money. I can't remember them ever telling me to do anything different. When J. and I wanted to go together and buy a car, they didn't talk to us about our plans. We worked out who drove when and how much. And, it worked for us. The only thing I had trouble with was wanting to buy a horse. Dad didn't want a horse on the farm. Even though he had grown up with horses, and I couldn't understand that. I spent a year, after saving enough for a horse, trying to talk Dad into letting me have one.
We had two dairy cows for our own use. A jersey and a holstein. Jersey milk is very rich. Mom kept the cream from the jersey to make butter. The rest of the milk was mixed with the holsteins. The calves were usually butchered for our freezer. I don't remember why or what happened, but for some reason we didn't have beef available that year. I had bought four steers for 4-H and it was obvious that it was more than I could handle. So I had the steer available to fill the freezer. But, I used it to get my horse. I wouldn't budge, and Dad let me trade the steer for a horse. I'm sure my Father would never have given in, unless he had leaned that way anyway. I was thrilled. We went horse hunting. I knew nothing about horses and didn't care what I got. Dad found an eight year old albino mare for me. I'm not sure why he chose this horse. He got a saddle from his brother, my Uncle W. and we named her Lady. Never was a horse more misnamed. She was not a good horse for kids. Even Dad and Mom had trouble with her. She reared under trees, bucked and tried to bite anything near. I was afraid of her. She would kick me while I tried to put on a saddle and bite me if I gave her any chance. Even on her back she could turn and try to bite your foot in the stirrup. Lady didn't last long. And since it wasn't that I didn't take care of her or failed in my part of the bargain. So, Dad had to let me replace her. My parents were always fair. This time I found a two year old stallion at a nearby farm. He wasn't even fully broken and we couldn't even catch him that first day. I'm not sure why Dad let me have him, but he agreed. If we had to say what he was, I was told he must have been mostly mustang. He was small, a dark bay and he had one pale blue eye and one brown eye. But, he was not blind on the pale side. He turned out to be perfect for me. He was ornery and had his tricks. He had more personality than I knew horses could have. He was not just a riding horse, he was my pet and my friend. I imagine any young girl with a horse knows exactly what I mean. I love to read, and I'd finished a book about Gypsy's. I named my stallion, Gypsy. It turned out to be a good name. He "wandered" a lot. That was my fault. I taught him to jump and then we couldn't keep him home. He went off to visit the neighboring horses every time wanted. Let me tell you how he found out he could jump. When it was safe, we kept him in the orchard. By safe, I mean out of season for apples that could make him sick. One day a storm took a tree down. Lightning or wind broke the tree off about hip high. The end fell on the fence. Dad and the boys cleared it at the fence and left a striped trunk that lay on the ground at the fence and raised to the broken trunk. By riding Gypsy near the fence he had to step over the trunk. Then by riding over a bit, he had to jump higher each time. I learned to ride and he learned to jump. It came so natural for him. And it was amazing how high that small horse could jump. He could be standing still beside a fence, and suddenly take a leap and be over the fence. He would tease me by being hard to catch. I always got to ride, but not before he teased me first by staying just out of reach. Then he would come over and lay his head on my shoulder and I could slip on the bridle and we would go off without a saddle. Gyspy, Treasure and me.
It was about this time that I first joined 4-H. That first year I was the youngest in the club. Only 9 and not really old enough. 4-H is suppose to start at 10. One night the advisor brought me home pretty late, and Mom wasn't happy. She pulled me out. The next year, Dad started a club and we called ourselves the Scott Scotties. We were in Scott Township and of course we had our scotty, Cocoa. A black scotty dog profile was our club emblem. Dad was a natural leader and our 4-H club grew quickly. It was basically an agriculture club. We were mostly farm kids. Dad was an expert with cattle, but some of the projects were gardens, or other stock. My brothers and I didn't get allowences. Dad gave us a steer the first year we joined 4-H, after that we had to buy next years project and anything left from selling the previous project was our earnings for the year. Talk about learning to budget. One payday a year is a fast lesson. We each started bank accounts and our parents let us have total control of "our" money. I can't remember them ever telling me to do anything different. When J. and I wanted to go together and buy a car, they didn't talk to us about our plans. We worked out who drove when and how much. And, it worked for us. The only thing I had trouble with was wanting to buy a horse. Dad didn't want a horse on the farm. Even though he had grown up with horses, and I couldn't understand that. I spent a year, after saving enough for a horse, trying to talk Dad into letting me have one.
We had two dairy cows for our own use. A jersey and a holstein. Jersey milk is very rich. Mom kept the cream from the jersey to make butter. The rest of the milk was mixed with the holsteins. The calves were usually butchered for our freezer. I don't remember why or what happened, but for some reason we didn't have beef available that year. I had bought four steers for 4-H and it was obvious that it was more than I could handle. So I had the steer available to fill the freezer. But, I used it to get my horse. I wouldn't budge, and Dad let me trade the steer for a horse. I'm sure my Father would never have given in, unless he had leaned that way anyway. I was thrilled. We went horse hunting. I knew nothing about horses and didn't care what I got. Dad found an eight year old albino mare for me. I'm not sure why he chose this horse. He got a saddle from his brother, my Uncle W. and we named her Lady. Never was a horse more misnamed. She was not a good horse for kids. Even Dad and Mom had trouble with her. She reared under trees, bucked and tried to bite anything near. I was afraid of her. She would kick me while I tried to put on a saddle and bite me if I gave her any chance. Even on her back she could turn and try to bite your foot in the stirrup. Lady didn't last long. And since it wasn't that I didn't take care of her or failed in my part of the bargain. So, Dad had to let me replace her. My parents were always fair. This time I found a two year old stallion at a nearby farm. He wasn't even fully broken and we couldn't even catch him that first day. I'm not sure why Dad let me have him, but he agreed. If we had to say what he was, I was told he must have been mostly mustang. He was small, a dark bay and he had one pale blue eye and one brown eye. But, he was not blind on the pale side. He turned out to be perfect for me. He was ornery and had his tricks. He had more personality than I knew horses could have. He was not just a riding horse, he was my pet and my friend. I imagine any young girl with a horse knows exactly what I mean. I love to read, and I'd finished a book about Gypsy's. I named my stallion, Gypsy. It turned out to be a good name. He "wandered" a lot. That was my fault. I taught him to jump and then we couldn't keep him home. He went off to visit the neighboring horses every time wanted. Let me tell you how he found out he could jump. When it was safe, we kept him in the orchard. By safe, I mean out of season for apples that could make him sick. One day a storm took a tree down. Lightning or wind broke the tree off about hip high. The end fell on the fence. Dad and the boys cleared it at the fence and left a striped trunk that lay on the ground at the fence and raised to the broken trunk. By riding Gypsy near the fence he had to step over the trunk. Then by riding over a bit, he had to jump higher each time. I learned to ride and he learned to jump. It came so natural for him. And it was amazing how high that small horse could jump. He could be standing still beside a fence, and suddenly take a leap and be over the fence. He would tease me by being hard to catch. I always got to ride, but not before he teased me first by staying just out of reach. Then he would come over and lay his head on my shoulder and I could slip on the bridle and we would go off without a saddle. Gyspy, Treasure and me.
posted by LeeAnn | 7:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home