“I sure learned what the north end of a horse looked like when he was going south! I swear I must have walked ten thousand miles looking at the back end of horses. Can’t believe it, but I still love those beasts,” Dad observed when I showed him this picture a few years ago after receiving it from my aunt. Then tears came to his eyes for the love of the memory.

In fourth grade he moved with his family to a farm on the outskirts of Bluffton, MN. Responsibility to do many chores became a fact of life, and while just a boy he became proficient at handling a four-horse hitch and even a six-horse hitch.

Before long he was laughing as he told me to the story of one time when he was cultivating corn with a team of horses. He desperately had to relieve himself; so when he got to the end of a row, he guided the team to go back on another row and then tied the reins to the handle on the cultivator. Once they were on their way, he raced to the bushes.

“Just as I pulled some grass to use as tissue, the team was startled and they took off full gallop. There I was with my pants down, yelling, ‘Whoa! Whoa!’ to no avail. What could I do but finish the wipe, pull up my pants and set sail after them d*** horses? They beat me to the farmyard and had come to a halt against the gate. I came panting after them like a hound panting for water.

“Mother was in the garden and saw the team of broncs without a driver. Her first thought, 'Now vhat heppin?' (She obviously even thought in broken English.)

“When I finally got to the farm, I was mad. I said, ‘Them d*** broncs run away on me when I was taking a cr**!’

‘Mother reprimanded, ‘Howard (pronouced How-vard-ty by her), you be nice.’

“To my amazement, the cultivator was still in one piece. I grabbed the reins and jerked them a few times. That voice again, ‘Howard, you be nice,’ this time a little more stern and pleading.

“Under my breath, ‘I’ll be nice all right; these two little bronco devils will work harder than they ever worked in their lives.’ The corn was cultivated, horses and boy all lathered up. They never did run away again.”

When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath last until the sun goes down. Ephesians 4:26