On Sunday after church, we met my parents at a Maple Syrup farm about half way between our homes. This farm puts out about 1500 taps on various maple trees throughout their farm and then boil it down to make a very delicious syrup. It takes about 40 gallons of tree sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, very labor intensive. Since it had been rainy and cold, we bundled up and wore our boots, which was a good thing because it was very muddy back in the woods. They served pancakes outside in a pavilion as well as offer horse drawn rides through the woods, pony rides for the kids, and a tour of their small processing facility, which is about the size of a milk room like you would see on a family farm. While we were eating, Olivia turned to me and said, I want to ride on a pony. Now, for any of you that have been around Olivia and animals can really appreciate how huge this was. She has not been a fan of animals, no traumatic incident, just paralyzed with fear from her imagination. This said, she has also always had a soft spot for horses. She would actually pet a horse from time to time, but it would be a very quick swipe of the hand and that's it. So, for her to suggest riding a horse, was HUGE! There wasn't a lot of kids around, so they let her actually take three rides, a larger pony named Pearl, a smaller pony, and a donkey named Biscuit. She did fabulous! She would even stand on the ground (vs. in my arms and clinging to my shirt) to pet the horses. I plan to hang some of these photos on her bulletin board in her room for her to remember how brave she was. We also now thank God for making horses during night time prayers, Olivia is thankful, but I think Mommy and Daddy are even more grateful for the hope that this fear of animals shall too pass.
On the horse drawn wagon
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