[yorkie]

A Plea for the Mule

In history and poetry, in music and in art
The horse has been a favored beast and played a
leading part,
And while I don't begrudge him the fame that he
has won,
There's been too little said about his sister's long
eared son.

We praise the foaming charger and weave him in a
song,
But how about the humble beast that hauls the grub
along?
He snakes the heavy cannon o'er muddy field and
road
And is never known to whimper or complain about
his load.

In times of peace as well as war the mule is not a
shirk.
When Dobbin takes a balky spell, it's Jasper does
the work.
In many ways he proves himself much wiser than
the steed
He never takes an overdose of water or of feed;
And should he chance to run away when by ambition
fired,
He always makes his dash with care and stops be-
fore he's tired.

I know there is a prejudice against this humble beast
But those who hold him with disdain are they that
know him least.
Investigate his record with a calm, unbiased mind
And you will find, as I have found, that he has been
maligned.
For even men who hold him up to scorn and ridicule
Might learn a wholesome lesson from the humble,
patient mule.
__Albert Stroud.

[gardengirl]

Bautiful, yorkie!

As with so many skills, farming with a mule has jsut about become a lost art. The old guys were in the store with me one day, talking about plowing with a mule. They figured out that by the time you walked to the field, plowed all day, and then walked home, a man could walk a hundred miles in a day, easy. No wonder they died in their 30’s and 40’s.

They have a festival a couple hours from here—Benson Mule Days. You’d be surprised how many mules and draft horses there still are. These are truly working animals, and awesome to see in action!