Pack Rat Mentality

When I was looking for old photos for my dad's birthday post last weekend, I came across my old scrapbook.

It was started for me by my Nana when I was around 7 years old. I couldn't resist wiping the dust off and flipping through the thick, yellowed pages.

I can' t believe I still have this ad! It is nearly 30 years old. Holy cow, that makes me sound old. It is the actual "for sale" ad for my very first pony. We found it hanging on the bulletin board of the grocery store my family shopped at when I was a kid. I've always thought the ad was cool because the owner had hand-drawn the pony instead of attaching a photo. I don't know what made my parents say "maybe" to that pony, but we took the ad home and called the number.

About a week later, I was the exuberant owner of this black Shetland pony. He was one of the most beautiful ponies I've seen. He was like a Friesian..... on the legs of a basset hound.

After I outgrew Black Jack and passed him on to my sister Paint Girl, we purchased Shannon, a young gelding, from the same woman. This was the Welsh/Appaloosa pony that I was jumping in this picture. Yes, I know that outfit I wore probably had you laughing for days.

That pony turned out to be a bit much for this greenie in the end, so I was on the hunt for another pony. I saw a pony listed in the classified section of the local newspaper. I called the phone number and wrote down this information on a piece of yellow legal pad paper. My dad took over the call at one point, writing down directions to the owner's home on the right.

I ended up getting that pony, Saberdance, an Arabian/Appaloosa who was well-trained and one of my favorites.

Here is my homemade, self-decorated exhibitor's number and second place ribbons (I think Paint Girl got the blues on her Appy mare) that Saberdance and I won at the neighbor's play day. You can see the picture in the middle, we are high-tailing it for home after running the poles or barrels.

I love strolling down memory lane. I wonder, is it weird that I still have all of these mementos after all of these years? I guess my mom always called me a "pack-rat" for good reason.

Anyway, I'm off to pack away more things I plan on keepin' for the next 30 years......