Main Character; David (age 5)
Approximate date: Summer 1958
Introduction. This is the first story in the series Dad, Rob and Me. Shortly after we learned to walk, Dad had us riding horses. Trigger was my first horse. I believe he was a Welsh Pony. Not as big as the other horses, but of course, huge for Rob and me. My first memories of riding him, though, were with Peaches. Included is a photo of Rob and me on Trigger and another of us with Peaches. When I was 3 or 4, Peaches would take me riding all over Valhalla with me in front and her behind. When Rob was around 3, he would join us.
My most memorable Trigger story occurred when I was about 5. I had graduated from riding with Peaches to going out on my own. One of my favorite things to do was to swim Trigger across the “Little Pond”. This pond was across the road from where The Lake (which did not exist then) is now. My favorite thing to do was to start Trigger across the pond and when it got deep enough for him to swim, I would slip out of the saddle and grab his tail and let him pull me across the pond. One day when bringing my older sisters home on the school bus, Ms. Grace Phipps saw Trigger and me in the pond and told Mama. I was not a very good swimmer and Mama was quite upset about it. She made it clear that I was not to ride Trigger in the pond again.
Not long after, Trigger and I were out exploring and we noticed a big truck with some men in weird outfits doing something with large white boxes on the hill above the Little Pond. Smoke was billowing up. I was fascinated so I rode up close to see what was happening. They were bee men extracting honey from beehive boxes. The bees were none too happy about being robbed of their honey so when Trigger and I came riding right up into the middle of them, sans protective headgear and clothing, the bees took their vengeance out on us. All of a sudden, Trigger was bucking, and I was being stung all over my arms and legs. I kicked Trigger and steered him toward the Little Pond with the bees all over us. Trigger understood and in a flash, we were in the pond. I grabbed his tail, ducked underwater, and Trigger pulled me to the other side. I then leapt on him, and we dashed away – freed of the bees. I received a dozen or so bee stings. Trigger many more.
Mama was quite upset about the danger of the whole experience. Dad, I believe, was rather proud of me for my quick thinking to escape the bees. Trigger was a bit leery for a while of going on new adventures with me.