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Feb 28 - 1989
I laid down a little while but could never go to sleep so while was lying there my mind drifted back to my childhood days almost 92 years ago. I was thinking of my dad and the wonderful horse he had. Dandy was his name and he couldn't have been named a better name, as he was always ready at any minute to obey his master. I've seen him with colic many times and have helped to drench him with a mixture of molasses and soda but I can't remember the rest of the ingredients and the way you had to drench a horse was to hoist his head as high as you could get it and put the bottle neck in the side of his mouth because if you put it in the front of his mouth he'd strangle. I've seen my daddy walk Dandy in the barnyard back and fourth time and again until he'd finally lye down and roll a time or two and then get up and head for his stall so then papa would say I gollies mv bov. you made it. Dandy was one of those broad breasted, big footed horses like you see on T.V. pulling the beer truck. He lived to be 15 years old and when he saw Dandy was going to die he led him down on the side of a hill where he dug his grave and buried him. After he put him away he called Stella (my older sister) to come and we'd have pray as he said Dandy was just like one of the family. He called him old faithful. Only one time in his life that I ever knew of. My daddy opened the barnyard gate and gave Dandy a slap and said go, and he litout like a streak of lightning and when he got to the gate he let out a wicker you could have heard a half of a mile and kicked up his heels and was gone. Elma three years old had opened the backyard gate and was standing in the barnyard gate and when Dandy kicked up his heels and went out he sent Elma sailing and papa and Irene worked with her for ever so long before she got her breath but finally she drew a long breath and come too. She carried the scar of his foot print in her forehead until she was in her teens. It went up into the edge of her hair where it was never noticeable.
When papa would be going home late in the evening he'd say come on Dandy, let's get to your feed box and he'd take off in a trot just as if he knew what had been said. In the morning when my dad would go out to feed up the animals he'd call to Dandy and say, are you ready for your days work? and he'd wicker so loud till it would wake the whole household.
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