After our visit in Missouri, we drove north to Minnesota to visit family. My aunt and uncle own and operate the A & B Ranch in Pine Island, Minnesota.
The ranch is beautiful with towering oak trees and farmland as far as the eye can see. The wind rustles the cornstalks and hawks circle above fields of soybeans.
The ranch also features a friendly dog, three tiny kittens, and my aunt’s famous miniature therapy horses: Billie, Gracie, and Pearl. The horses are delicate and gentle and well-traveled. They visit patients in hospitals and hospices throughout southern Minnesota.
Bea adored the animals. She learned to groom the horses, but spent most of her time cuddling the tiny, black kittens.
On the Fourth of July, my other aunt and uncle came to visit. We grilled shrimp tacos and reminisced, and, when it got dark, Oscar and Bea lit fireworks on the pasture beside the barn.
We slept inside the trailer and it was lovely to open the windows and feel the breeze. The curved observation window above the bed is a wonderful thing. We fell asleep each night gazing at the whispering branches of oak trees.
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