I want a horse

This phrase is best appreciated when sung to the tune of "I Want a Dog", a segment on the Scholastic Video Collection of "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". The kids at our house watched that last week, and the words have been changed a bit. First of all, after hearing them longingly sing about wanting a puppy I reminded them of their faithful and neglected dog that sits outside alone a lot. We tried a few options and settled on the words "I Love My Dog".

But Hannah, always looking ahead to the next exciting event has now begun to sing "I Want a Horse". "Because, Mom" she says,"What's the use of riding lessons if I don't have my own horse?"

Good point. We can discontinue the lessons right away. I remind her of that every time I hear the now-familiar song. But she is enjoying riding lessons, and last week I finally got to go watch one lesson. She's the shortest in the class (usually she is the tallest), so she gets to ride gentle, 20-year-old Amos. He's a smart horse and knows he has a good pal in Hannah. Yes, she is also a horse-whisperer.