My first reaction to seeing this photo was, “How adorable! Dr. Chris, the vet, is standing next to a pony!” Then I looked a little more closely, and that is when I had a few questions. “Why is this pony wearing duct tape boots? Why does she have ice in her boots?” As it turns out, the dark-haired lovely in the middle is Molly, a pony who thought it might be fun to try and founder in the early days of June. She had the honor of being one of Dr. Chris’s first patients, an honor she considers dubious at best. Most girls do love new shoes, with the exception of wee Molly here. She kept trying to eat her silver booties.

The plight of wee Molly reminds me of another story, this one involving my grandparents. They traveled quite a bit, especially once their children were grown and out of the house. Back in the day when people dressed up when traveling, my grandmother–who is also named Molly, ironically–remembers being in an airport on their way to a distant, exotic locale (probably Bismark or Fargo or some such place). Grandpa Barney was waiting for my grandmother, and while waiting, he was approached by a “lady” wearing silver shoes. When my grandmother rejoined my grandfather and they went on their merry way, Grandma Molly pointed out to him that nice women don’t wear silver shoes. How times have changed. Wee Molly is a perfectly lovely soul and wouldn’t hear of being called a lady of the night, even if she is wearing silver slippers.

And lastly, that is Mike in the background, our past Head of Irrigation but soon-to-be Veterinarian. Mike is being considerate and kneeling down so that lovely Molly doesn’t develop a complex over being the shortest person in the stall. Mike’s a good egg that way.