Old Gray Horse

Okay, back to the memoirs of my dad, Richard Thomas...

Another one of my childhood adventures was when we lived down the road from Mr. & Mrs. Kime, I was five or six years old.  We had an old gray horse back then, so I would go out in the barn yard and get this old horse by the soft spots in his nose and lead him into the barn so I could stand on the manger to bridle him. Then I would lead him out to the wagon and I would walk up the tongue of the wagon, leaning on the horse until I was on the wagon, then I would get on the horse and go up the road to Mrs. Kime's place, about half a mile. I could get off OK but when I got ready to go home Mrs. Kime would help me get back on the horse. The old horse would start for home and sometimes I would lay down on his back and he would take me home.

PHOTO: Ethel Kime

PHOTO: Ethel Kime (left), Christie Thomas (my grandmother), and... I'm not sure who the lady on the right is. Probably Edith Davis.

Both of these photos were taken at my grandparents' house in Bangor, Michigan.

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This is also the place that the bees got us.  We were cultivating the garden using the old gray horse to pull the cultivator.  I was riding the horse when all of a sudden we were in a nest of bees.  Well.... I jumped off the horse and took off running.  Bernarde took off in the other direction and we forgot the old gray horse.  Well, you know the bees didn't seem to bother that horse.  I don't remember if Bernarde or Dad went back for the old gray horse. 

PHOTO: Bernarde, Bill, Christie, Richard in front