As you know, Bandy and I have gotten into farming by planting a garden in the back yard. Well, we have horses too which is a story in itself.

During one of my earlier "roots" programs, I bumped into a horse that was just wandering around. He was a little scared being all alone just like I was when my "roots" programs first started. I said "Hi" to him and he ran and hid behind a tree. I said "Hi" again and the little horse peeked up at me from behind the tree. He didn't know I was in the tree that he was hiding behind so he hadn't seen me at first.

Cautiously we approached each other and after relaxing a bit, we started talking. He told me that he ran away from his home which was way out in Nevada. They didn't treat horses very well there and he had heard a rumor about all the wild horses being caught and put in a place to be adopted out. Well, he didn't know anything much about that place but he was sure it couldn't be good so he ran away before he got caught. After traveling for many weeks, afraid, alone and hungry, he now didn't know what to do.

Well, I told him that he could maybe come and live with me and I told him about the nice Lady and Man I lived with. I shared my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with him which he appreciated. He preferred hay though and we started looking around for some hay.

We traveled around the woods awhile until we came upon a small house in a wooded area. We saw other horses in a barn and a man was doing something to them. We stayed hidden and watched for awhile and we saw that whatever it was he was doing, the horses seemed happy and thankful. The man went into the house and we slowly approached the barn and talked to one of the horses that the man had been stroking. We asked what the man did to them and why they were there. The horses told us that the man took care of them when they were sick and he also made shoes for them.

We were so busy talking that we didn't notice the man return. Too late! He spotted us. He talked to us in a reassuring tone and asked us where we came from. Well, I started to explain about the horse I found and amazingly the man understood me. As it turned out, the man was a veterinarian and he took care of all kinds of farm animals and horses. He offered my friend some hay and checked him over. He even made new shoes for him.

I told him we didn't have any money to pay him back. The man said that it was okay and that maybe we could work out a deal. The man was very busy and could use some assistance and we agreed that once a week, I would come out and assist him in taking care of the animals as long as he would teach me what to do.

So, I made two new friends that day. The horse lives with me now and his name is Woody. Every Monday we ride over to help out the man whose name is Clarence. I've learned how to give shots to the animals and even how to make horseshoes.

I've decided that I want to be a Veterinarian when I grow up. All the horses that he helps really like him and so do I. Every year, he gives me my annual shots free because I still help him every week.

At the beginning it was just me helping, but in the years that have passed, I keep bringing him new helpers. The Lady and Man I live with seem to really like bears so much that we are now up to 50 or more. I'm losing count. (grin)