Another Great Adventure

Another of Toni's adventures and I am joining in.
Click the graphic to join in yourself!

The General Store
1.   While driving home from a ride in the country, you happen to spot a large victorian type old-fashioned general store at the end of a side road. Thinking it might be nice to buy something to take home, you drive up the long driveway and can't help noticing  that the store is open for business and there are people wandering around outside too. It looks exciting and inviting so you are eager to find a parking space.

Looking around you realize the place is so busy there aren't many places and you have to pull off into a corn field!

You wonder if it might be too busy.

2.   Parking the car anyway, you walk up the steps to a big front porch that wraps around the building. Upon reaching the door you  pull it open and hear the familiar tinkle of a bell on a spring behind the door.

"Jingle, jingle"... It reminds you of Ike Godsey's store on the TV show The Waltons!

3.   Once inside the store you wander around and walk upstairs to the second floor and notice you are the only one there except for _an old man whittling wooden miniature carousel horses. 

Nearby you notice some are beautifully painted and used for lamp bases. Others are book ends and still others are just solitary pieces of art. Miniature replicas of the old hand carved carousel horses on Merry-Go-Rounds of the past.

"Hello, missy" the fellow says. "Not many venture up here since there's so much to see downstairs. You know the finished horses are sold on the first floor. Mostly I just use this as my workshop."

"Its lovely work" you say truly impressed.

"Thank you" he replies and bends his head to carve out more of the little horse.

One small horse sits on a small table by the bannister leading  back downstairs.

It has a little flaw in its nose.

"Aww, this horse is darling" you tell him.  It reminds you of your son's pony Bucky who had a bump from birth on her little nose.  Everyone loved Bucky the tiny pony who absolutely adored bucking. You never could break her of her tantrums or bucking.

She'd stomp her little hooves when you called her over. "No, no no no no"she'd seem to say and shake her mane like a naughtly little girl. She wasn't a dangerous horse. Just cute and full of personality. She  adored stomping her little hooves and shaking her head at you but there really wasn't a mean bone in her little body.

She was a lovely buckskin tan color but her name came from the fact that she adored bucking. It was a game with her and with someone on her she did it in a very gentle manner. It was something I had never seen before or since.

You recall the time she ran away with your son  on her back. No saddle, no bridle. He would just hang on and off they'd go. This time she wasn't stopping when he told her too.

He was about 6 years old and could ride quite well.

Your son had been warned sternly about galloping a horse back home. It was a dangerous thing to do as you do not want to be on a horse heading full speed back to the barn or to the horse trailer. You can get badly hurt.

Yet here was Bucky having the time of her life heading full speed ahead to the barn with your son onboard without saddle.

As they neared the barn you began to run not really knowing what you could do but hoping things turned out well. Silent prayers going up....

Into the barn they ran and as they passed under a beam your little boy reached up and grabbed the beam with both arms  and kicked up his legs allowing Bucky to run out from under him.

It was like a scene from a Keystone Cops comedy!  You and his daddy were laughing hysterically at the sight.  It couldn't happen again!

All was well. It was before the days of instant cameras or video. Memories had to be kept in the heart back then. Now this little hand carved horse was bringing that menory back to life.

"If you really like that little horse you can have it. Its not right. I ruined it,"he said.

You are thrilled and thank him profusely. It isn't ruined as far as you are concerned. It is just perfect!

You'll name it Bucky of course!

4.   Finally leaving the general store, you remember to remind yourself that there are often great experiences and adventures in the plainest of places.

The story of Bucky the pony and my son is a true story.