At the insistence of all the kids in the neighborhood, we had a birthday party for my horse. They asked if they could do one, and I told them, "Sure" figuring they'd forget all about it in the ensuing months. Billy's birthday was St Patrick's Day, and sure enough, along about February, I started getting questions. I figured, what the hey? so we went all out. We sent out invitations to three horses, a pony and a goat, along with a dozen kids. We had party hats. We even had a "cake" made from sweet feed we'd wet and formed in a bundt pan, adding carrot "candles." We had ice cream and cake for the kids, too, but didn't want to share that with the critters. Banjo (the goat) would have eaten it all,
All went just fine - all invitees showed up, critters and gifts in tow. Billy got apples, a new comb, lovingly handmade tassels for his halter, all sorts of kid-type presents. It was fun. The start of the party was a bit delayed though. The kids kept telling me they were "waiting for someone," but wouldn't tell me who. Right about the time I really started worrying about their mystery guest, he showed up ... camera in hand. They'd called the local paper!
Apparently, business was slow that day , so he shut down the office and came to the party. Billy made the Front Page! I'll try to find the article in all the mess of my basement. It was a fun afternoon!
