The Sattler Series: Worms & the Hershey Editorial Cartoon

The students were coming in from recess and stopping by the water fountains outside my classroom door to get drinks when the screaming began. 

A student came running into my room and cried, "Mrs. I, Mrs. I!! There are WORMS in the drinking fountain!"

What?? Surely not. Had I not heard the screams, I would've thought the child was pranking me. 

I stepped out into the hallway to investigate, and OH MY GOSH! THERE WERE WORMS IN THE DRINKING FOUNTAIN!

I called the school office and reported the issue. My call was met with confusion and, "Worms? Worms!! How could that be? I'll be right down!"

I stepped into the hallway again and scooped up a few of the worms into a paper cup, handing it to the school secretary when she hurried down to my hallway. The look on her face when she peeked into that paper cup! (I think it matched mine.)

Within 24 hours the worms in our drinking fountain had made the national news. 

Dave's editorial cartoon for that week looked like this:

A clever idea, but appalling to those of us who were there. Including Dave's wife, Nancy, whose classroom was next door to mine.

Out of respect for her and the school, he agreed to draw another editorial cartoon for the week and not use the PTA bait one. But he did make prints of that same cartoon and gave them to any teacher who asked to have one.

Of course, I was all in on that, even though I had been the teacher who'd first found the worms. 

A disclaimer on the cartoon carried a note that this editorial cartoon had never been published.

I was glad, especially since Hershey's name was on the cartoon FIVE times.

Dave caught the kids' reaction to finding worms in the drinking fountain with this image of a rather sickly green student.

The question we all had was, where had the worms come from? 

The answer was that school was built in 1964 and the drinking fountains were original to the building. The worms were drain worms, which are not uncommon in sink drains old or new. (Ever had a tiny insect buzzing around the drain in your kitchen or bathroom sink? It's most likely a drain worm.)

As such, drain worms are not IN the water source, they come from where the water goes after the tap has been turned on. And that is the drain, hence the name.

Luckily, the worms the kids and I were seeing were coming out of the drain and not the faucet. (Not that that made me feel any better.)

The principal told me that he'd taken care of the drain worms. I was NOT comfortable when I watched him pour bleach down the drain and call it good. Sure enough, later that day more worms were in the bowl of the fountain.

So, I privately took matters into my own hands.

I called a well known entomologist at Purdue - Tim, as in my barn owner. I explained what I had seen and captured, and that the problem had been handled by pouring bleach down the drain. I asked if that bleach would handle the problem.

Tim felt as I did - the fountains needed far more than bleach.

"When were the fountains last replaced?" he asked me.

"Never. They are from when the school was built in 1964." (Which was about 50 years ago at that time.)

A very long pause by Tim.

"Bring me that sample you have. I am pretty sure that they are just drain worms, but I'll look at them just to be sure. And, I served on the school board for years. I'm gonna make some calls. Fountains that are so old that the drain worms are crawling up the pipes is unacceptable. The fountains need to be replaced."

And Tim was as good as his word. He examined the worms I'd brought him and yes, they were drain worms. Harmless and not in the water we'd all been drinking. The fountains outside my classroom were turned off and had yellow "Do Not Cross" tape placed over them and the kids had to hike to another hallway if they wanted a drink. (If I remember right, bottled water was provided during this time to those of us who were in that part of the building.)

A couple of weeks later, three shiny new fountains were installed, and then during the summer the entire school also received new fountains.

Five years later when I retired, I still had not drunk the water at Hershey - be it from a drinking fountain or from the ice machine in the teachers' lounge. Never again - I brought bottled water from home.

And that is the worm story that I promised to share.

Stay 'tooned!

 

A Look at Golden Tempo's Win

I wrote this in yesterday's post about Tim's win in the Derby Watch Party toilet paper derby:

Tim won his race and walked around with his blue ribbon hung on his shirt button. I would not be surprised to see him wearing it to church today, again on a shirt button and hidden under his tie.

And... he did.

Belle and her kids thought it was absolutely hilarious and so did Craig and I. 

The Kentucky Derby was one of the most exhilarating and surprising I have ever watched. Probably second only to Secretariat's win at the Belmont in 1973 by 31 lengths.

Golden Tempo was dead last by 5 to 6 lengths for the first part of the Derby . 

At times, he was not even onscreen and barely mentioned by the announcers.

He is very last in this screenshot but he has begun to move closer.

Beginning to catch up as they come around the far turn.

The announcers had not mentioned Golden Tempo since the earliest part of the race. I think he came on so quickly that he caught them totally by surprise.

He had to go around the pack and at this point, seemed to just explode and overtake every horse ahead of him.

The announcer suddenly noticed that Golden Tempo was blistering past the other horses. I could hear the surprise in his voice at the horse's sudden appearance and realization that the horse was now a contender for the lead.

Neck and neck for 4th place but that only lasted a moment as Golden Tempo blew past Renegade. (Whose jockey was Golden Tempo's jockey's brother.)

Now in the lead and approaching the finish line.

At 2:22 (in the video) the announcer had finally noticed him and seven seconds later at 2:29, Golden Tempo crossed the finish line and was the winner of the 152nd Kentucky Derby.

What a wild ride it was for everyone. And, history was made in that Cherie DeVaux, the trainer of Golden Tempo, was the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.

I sure hope Golden Tempo, his jockey, and his trainer go on to win the Preakness. I will be rooting for them.

Stay 'tooned!

Two Tornadoes Confirmed

The National Weather Service has confirmed that we did indeed have two tornadoes pass through Wednesday afternoon.

If you look at the map, the top tornado is where the barn and Tim and Loni's home are located. (Our home is a mile east.) Curt and Vanessa live out near Shadeland, and Lisa lives just north Dayton. There was rotation in her area but not a touch down, thank goodness!

I went out to the barn yesterday to check for damage and what I saw was chilling. The tornado barely missed Tim and Loni's home. The path of the tornado was very clear in the trees that were down on either side of the road that runs past their home. And that path was at an angle that missed their home by about 100 feet or less.  

The house may have been missed, but the trees on their property were not. They lost three big, beautiful trees like this one.

My friend Brooke had several trees fall on her home.

This is what's left of the roof over her porch.

Yesterday a tree service came out and cleared the trees off her home. I am surprised and grateful that her home did not sustain more damage from those trees that landed on it.

When it comes to rating the strength of the two tornados, they were labeled EFOs, the weakest tornados of them all. And yet the damage was fierce. Imagine what damage a stronger tornado could have wreaked! Brooke, Tim, Loni, and many others were very, very lucky these were weak tornados.

Changing topics, it's busy around here! Breyer has released a lot of information that I have not yet posted. Auction horses, the Vintage Club Gambler's Choice models, and more. 

I just sent off a big order of pony pouches, am deep in Feast preparation, and am working on details for Happy Trails V as well as finishing up research for a blog series of BreyerFests I've attended.

Lots to do and to write about!

Pepper has an appointment this morning to receive her monthly Percorten shot (it helps her manage her Addison's Disease) and then I plan to come home and WRITE.

There may or may not be another blog post later today - we will see.

Stay 'tooned!

 

The Barn is So Distracting!

Yesterday Craig and I spoke to a congregation of university students on Purdue's campus. We get asked to speak in other places occasionally and it's always fun to meet new people and sometimes see "old" friends. (There was a young man there who had attended the elementary school I'd taught in. It was fun to see him again.)

To our surprise, Tim walked in the door and came up and sat on the stand just before the service began. (He, too, is a leader in our church and sometimes is invited to visit other congregations.) He smiled at me as he sat down, and then leaned over, and whispered, "You have GOT to come see the horses. They look really, good!"

That was all it took - suddenly my mind was out at the barn! Just as what had happened a few months ago when he'd gotten Eazy:

----

Our church held a conference this weekend and there was a special Saturday evening service that I attended with Craig last night. Tim and Loni were there, too and when we chatted with them, I had an interesting conversation with Tim.

Tim: Been out to the barn recently?

Me: No, I just can't. Well, actually, I have gone, but I just can't bring myself to drive down the lane right now.

Tim: You need to go to the barn. (Big smile.) There's something you need to see.

Me: What? Why? Is Sultanna back?

Tim: No, not yet. But it does has four legs. (Even bigger smile.)

Me: Did you get a new horse??

Tim: I sure did. Hokey needed a friend.

Me: Really?? Wow! What is it? 

Tim: It's a three year old gelding.

Me: So, what's its name?

Tim: Well, that's a long story and one I want to tell you in person when you see it.

Someone else stepped up to talk to Tim at that moment and pulled him away, so Craig and I sat down in a pew, my mind spinning with the news. A new horse! I could not wait to see it.

The meeting started and I was SOOOO distracted.

My mind: Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse,  listen to the service, Lynn! Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, concentrate on what's being said, girlie! Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse. (Turning and whispering to Tim and Loni who were sitting behind us, "I am so distracted now and it's all your fault! Stifled laughs from them.) Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse...

That distraction went on the entire meeting. All I could think of was the new horse at the barn. 

----

Well, anyway, I was able to refocus on what I was on campus for and share my remarks. Craig did the same, and then afterward we chatted with Tim and others who were in attendance.

Actually I have been out to the barn recently and Tim is right - the horses look fantastic. Even Hokey, despite that he is clearly aging, has a sleek coat and is in good flesh.

And one of the adjacent farms has a new horse, too.  It was up by the lane as I arrived a few days ago so I stopped and took some photos.

I couldn't tell gender, but isn't it pretty!

My eye was caught by the birdcatcher spots on its coat - true ones, not fake birdcatcher spots that are made by real bird droppings. (Got that? LOL)

I've been trying to guess breed and my first thought is Morgan. But no doubt that is because of our Morgan mare, Flame.

Look how similar those two are, even down to their blazes! (This is a young Flame here, so she's not fully mature.)

My other breed guess is Quarter Horse. I'll ask Tim the next time I see him, although I hope that won't be in church again, especially when I am speaking and need to concentrate! LOL

In memory of those who gave their all. Happy Memorial Day

The End of the Old Farmhouse

After church yesterday, Craig and I were chatting with Tim and Loni when Tim turned to me and said, "Guess what I did at the barn yesterday?"

With Tim you never know - he tackles any project. But this one caught me off guard.

"I burned down the old farmhouse."

It had been vacant for some time and unlike its companion, the old barn, repairs to it were not feasible. (Photos from Tim.)

Tim got the necessary permits, waited until weather conditions were right, and then set it on fire, starting at the roof so that the second floor would fall down into the house and not to the side. He told me that it took two hours for the house to completely burn down to the ground.

He is now going to burn the small shed and then bulldoze everything into the basement of the farmhouse. 

The small shed is circled, and the arrows point to two large dirt piles that have been hauled in and are ready to cover the site.

When all is cleared, covered, and safe, Tim will then plant grass for the horses, put in a few trees, and finally add this acre of ground to one of the other pastures.

I am not sad that the farmhouse is gone. We had a farmhouse on the farm we inherited and had to raze it as it was like this one - old, in disrepair, and a danger. (We didn't have near the fun that Tim did, though - someone else took it out for us.) 

A vacant farmhouse is a liability - trespassers could get inside and get hurt, and you as landowners would be liable for having an attractive nuisance on the property.

So it is better that the farmhouse came down.

(As for Sultanna, Hokey, and Easy, they were on the other side of the property in the nursery paddock where they could go into the loafing shed if they were anxious. They did fine.)

Win Win Winslow & Win Win Lynn!!

Jennifer Buxton and I have been friends for a long time. We share a love of horses, we are writers with blogs that span several decades, we have children and husbands who make frequent appearances in our blogs, and our dogs are considered family.

A sadder commonality is that we both lost our heart horses last year, six months apart to the very day. We've now both trudged through that experience and understand the terrible sadness and grief that accompanies it. 

In a private conversation after Abby died, Jennifer shared something with me that helped lift my grief and I will always be grateful to her for that. She gets what I am going through and vice versa - who better to make an understanding comment than someone who is walking the same walk?

Last Sunday Jennifer got a new horse, Winslow. He's temporary, but he seems to be a real sweetie and is helping lift her heart as she moves forward. Sunday afternoon she sent me a picture of the two of them together and I said something about a win-win situation. Jennifer then quipped, "Win Win Winslow."

Win Win Winslow indeed! Isn't he a pretty boy! And Jennifer looks so happy. 

I'm not yet at the point of getting another horse. A large part of that is due to health issues, but another part is that I have not been able to even think about Abby without crying. I can't even go to the barn without the tears starting to slide down my cheeks.

But yesterday I had a glimmer of hope that that might be changing.

On a whim, I decided to drop by the barn while I was running an errand. 

I didn't have a brush or a peppermint with me - my buckets of grooming tools and treats are no longer in my trunk but are sitting in my garage gathering dust. But I decided to go anyway.

As I pulled up, I saw Tim's car was there and I found him in the barn. He was getting ready to work with Easy and invited me to stay and watch.

Tacking up. 

Working on flexibility. I was impressed with how far Easy had come in his training.

Isn't he a pretty boy? He's four and had been running free on a Texas ranch most of his life. It is clear that he trusts Tim.

Warming Easy up after some flexibility exercises.

And we ride!

It is fun to see Easy coming into himself. His personality is beginning to emerge and while he is inexperienced and a bit hesitant, he is willing to learn. (He's walking over a buried tarp in this photo.)

Tim has other things in the indoor arena such as a pole to step over and some barrels. (No clue about the basketball except that this is Indiana where every barn has a basketball hoop on its side.)

I was so happy to be there that it was only when Tim finished Easy's training session that I realized I was chilled to the bone. And as that realization sank in, another one popped into my mind. 

I had not cried once the entire time I was at the barn.

I had not looked around, wishing Abby was standing at the fence and doing her soft whicker that she saved just for me.

My thoughts had been happy - I was with horses, talking horses with Tim, smelling that wonderful scent of horses and barns in the winter...

I had not cried or mourned my girl once!

And then, when I drove home, I had that long lost but oh so familiar feeling of happiness and contentment that I have always felt after time with horses. There was no crying on the way home, either!

Win Win Lynn!!

A Barn Update

Well, look what I did.  

An unplanned visit done on a whim while running an errand. A sign of healing because that is what I would have done before Abby died - any time I was in the vicinity of the barn, I'd have swung by to visit the horses.

Hokey and Sultanna did not come up the last time I'd stopped by; this time they came right over.

Tim was way out in the northwest pasture doing a burn pile, but when he saw me, he hiked down to say hello. That gave us a chance to catch up.

He thinks that Hokey may have actually been hit by the lightning strike that killed Abby and Two Socks. He gave me his reasoning at length (and it's sound), but here's an abbreviated summary:

~  Hokey's feet were very tender for weeks afterward, and that is where the lightning would have exited his body.

~  He was SO very traumatized, hiding in the old barn for weeks and only coming out for brief periods to graze and drink.

~  He is blind in his right eye now and that happened suddenly and right after the lightning strike.

Poor boy! 

As you can see, Sultanna is back and she has taken over Abby's role as the herd alpha. 

Tim reports that when she returned she was very protective of Hokey and kept running Easy off from him. Hokey and Easy had become good buddies, and so now they are all sorting out their relationships in the herd.

But things are settling down. Easy has had some training and Tim has been riding him. He comes from The Easy Ranch in Texas and had mostly been running free in a pasture. He was not used to people much nor did he have much ground training. But he is coming along beautifully.

It was good to be out at the barn again, chatting with Tim, hanging with the horses, and enjoying the barn life. I mentioned that I still needed to retrieve my saddles and tack trunk out of the new barn, and he told me they were fine where they were, reiterating that I was always welcome there.

In response to photos that I'd taken of him and then sent him that afternoon, he wrote a text later in the evening.

"As long as Lynn's bell is out there, please consider it your home."

Thanks, Tim. I have no plans to take the bell home, so you're stuck with me! 

The November Give Away closes at 11:59 PM Eastern tonight! Enter by commenting with your guess as to what kind of riding license the gentleman at the Feast showed me. (I can't wait to share what it was.)

An Unexpected Distraction

Our church held a conference this weekend and there was a special Saturday evening service that I attended with Craig last night. Tim and Loni were there, too and when we chatted with them, I had an interesting conversation with Tim.

Tim: Been out to the barn recently?

Me: No, I just can't. Well, actually, I have gone, but I just can't bring myself to drive down the lane right now.

Tim: You need to go to the barn. (Big smile.) There's something you need to see.

Me: What? Why? Is Sultanna back?

Tim: No, not yet. But it does has four legs. (Even bigger smile.)

Me: Did you get a new horse??

Tim: I sure did. Hokey needed a friend.

Me: Really?? Wow! What is it? 

Tim: It's a three year old gelding.

Me: So, what's its name?

Tim: Well, that's a long story and one I want to tell you in person when you see it.

Someone else stepped up to talk to Tim at that moment and pulled him away, so Craig and I sat down in a pew, my mind spinning with the news. A new horse! I could not wait to see it.

The meeting started and I was SOOOO distracted.

My mind: Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse,  listen to the service, Lynn! Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, concentrate on what's being said, girlie! Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse. (Turning and whispering to Tim and Loni who were sitting behind us, "I am so distracted now and it's all your fault! Stifled laughs from them.) Horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse...

That distraction went on the entire meeting. All I could think of was the new horse at the barn. 

I'd planned to run out to the barn after the service, church clothes notwithstanding, and something that we've done before.

Craig helping me check Snickerdoodle (Sultanna's brother) and Sultanna after church a few years ago when Tim was out of town. (Snickerdoodle was a bit of an escape artist and needed more frequent checking.)

But, on my way to my car, a very dear friend intercepted me and asked if I had a minute. She is moving next week and wanted to give me my birthday present before she left. By the time we finished, it was too late in the evening to head to the barn.

(Her gift was a very special gift, one I will share here soon.)

Today's plan is to squeeze in time to go see Tim's new horse, hopefully with Tim there, so I can learn his name and the story behind it.

I think I may finally make it down the lane to the barn today.

Stay tooned! 

BreyerFest 2024: Sunday & an Abby Update

Compared to the week we'd just had, Sunday was a very quiet day. 

I baked that yellow cake with gold frosting and placed Man O' Way next to it to honor the late Andrea Gurdon's 50th anniversary as a collector.

Andrea Gurdon, Kelsey Kramer, Steff Bodamer, Jamie Rott, Liz Cory, and me (standing) at dinner after an Indy Blooms show.

Tim and Loni go to our church and while we were there, Tim handed me a manilla envelope. It contained locks from Abby's mane and tail that I'd asked him to cut for me before he buried her. The reality of holding those overwhelmed me and the tears began sliding down my cheeks. 

Craig slipped his arm around my shoulder and kept it there during the service as the tears just would not stop. I went home with a migraine that didn't abate until the evening. 

I put the envelope on the memory table I've set up for Abby but I just can't bring myself to open it. It's like if I do, then she's well and truly gone. And even though I know that she is, I just can't open that envelope. Not yet.

Later that day I got a text from Tim. He didn't mention my tears, but I could tell that he was aware that the envelope had made me cry. He said some really kind things, and then my heart lifted when I read this:

Please know that the place over there is yours as well as mine. Come over any time and, like me, you will feel better by just being near horses. Of course, bring your kiddos as well. You are always welcome. Keep your tack there too if you like. No hurry to move it at all.  With sincere condolences, Tim.

Best barn owner ever.

BreyerFest is over and the mass exodus from Kentucky has begun. Life is returning to normal for most of us and like everyone else, I have things to do. Stripping the sheets off the beds in the guest bedrooms is on the docket, washing them and a huge load or two of towels, tidying up the guest bedrooms and bathrooms, setting the sewing room back up, and more. It's going to be a busy day.

I also will get thank you messages out to those who have sent condolences and other things ASAP. I count myself fortunate to have so many people who cared about her and about me.

And I will be announcing the Mystery Surprise Blog Horse (this may become an annual tradition) and its winner ASAP. One person guessed correctly, but I want to go through the comments and make sure no one else did. And, I plan to spin to win for everyone who entered - I have something else to give away. So, if you didn't guess Emerson/Winx, you still may win something.

A busy day today, but getting back to normal is refreshing.

Stay 'tooned!