Monday, February 18, 2013

Farm Story 5 Christmas and the Pony

Pony horseshoe is now secured in foundation
wall as a reminder of the adventure.
     The Christmas pony?  Not exactly what you are thinking.  The discovery of a small horseshoe led to the story of an interesting happening that took place so many years ago.

     Hidden in the earth, not too far from the surface, a pony-sized horseshoe was uncovered during the rebuilding of the barn foundation on the east side.  The shoe could only have belonged to a pony, yet in the recollections about Burnett farm, no story was ever told about a pony.

     Sure enough, upon inquiring, Ethel fondly remembered that pony and the pony cart ride of her life.  It was December and after hitching the pony up to its cart, Ethel and Robert were off to gather ground pine from the woods.  It was, after all, Christmastime and the pine would be a nice decoration for their home.

     To those not familiar with ponies, the thought might come to mind of a sweet child-sized horse, nickering and loved by the children, waiting patiently for them to take a pony ride or cart ride in exchange for all the love and hugs children can give. However, these creatures, often given to children, have potentially impish and headstrong ways.  The trip into the woods was uneventful, but that was not the foreshadowing for the event to come.  The ground pine was gathered, placed in the cart, and then it was time to turn the pony for the ride back to the house. Back along the wooded route the children drove the pony cart until the pony saw home and decided to take charge.

   Well, let's just say that Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Disney World would look tame compared to the next part of this trip. The  pony reached the edge of the woods with open field in front and home in sight and that was the end of all reasoning with the animal.  Off the beast flew with Ethel and Robert clinging on for dear life.  The pony had no intention of running off in any wild direction, just the direction straight to the barn taking the path of its choosing.  Now, with no other option available, the situation became merely a matter of holding on tight and staying on board until back at the barn whereupon the pony stopped. Christmas pine and children delivered safe and sound, a job well done, pony style. Christmas decorating could begin.

An easy, comfort food recipe.  ATK - books/mags worth the price.


                         Cauliflower, Crusty Topped
 Adapted from America’s Best Recipes (America's Test Kitchen)
  1  large cauliflower
 ½ c mayonnaise
 2 T Dijon mustard
 3/4  cup shredded cheddar cheese

  Remove large outer leaves and stalk of cauliflower, leave whole. Wash and
drain well.
 Microwave until tender or cover and cook in a small amount of boiling water until tender. 15-20 minutes.  Drain.
  Place in a baking dish. Mix mayonnaise and mustard, spread over top.
Sprinkle cheese over mayo/mustard mix.  Bake 350, 10 min. until cheese melts.







          







No comments:

Post a Comment