Spanky Hank’s Trip

Spanky Hank is our full-sized mule who, you must understand, is one who loves people… and gets as close as he can to them. One fine day in March of 2019, Spanky Hank decided to take a trip. He sneakily got out of his pen early one morning and Jonah saw him trot down the driveway.

My sister Amanda and her children were here at the time, and Dad and Mama were not. Jonah and I head out, bucket, halter, and rope in hand, in hope to find the mule. Oil wells spot the landscape here and there all over the countryside, where “oil guys” (as we call them) are maintaining them. We checked in the church parking lot where we found him last time visiting an “oil guy” who was trying to get cell service. No sign anywhere. We looked in the fields, woods, and trails all over our property and still saw neither hide nor hair of him. We decided to come back to the house and resume our search later.

I was making waffles for breakfast that morning, when Halayah runs in to the kitchen saying, “An oil guy is here. I thought he was Trey, so we said to come in. He has seen Spanky!” Amanda and I look in the living room and, sure enough, there stood a tall, burly, oil worker. He told us where Spanky was last seen and said the mule had been chasing his boss around all morning.

After finding the keys to the truck, airing its low tire, and opening and closing its contrary door, Amanda, Jonah and I were on our way to find Spanky. At an oil well four miles away, there stood Spanky Hank surrounded by a circle of four or five guys working. 'You were just giving them advice and explaining how it all worked, right Spanks?' I jumped out of the truck and easily slipped a halter on him, giving my apologies to the men. The boss said, “No problem, he’s been helping us get the job done.”

I climb back into the passenger seat of the truck and held the rope through the open window. Spanky proudly trotted home the whole way. What a sight we must have been to passing cars!

A great story was awaiting Dad and Mama when they got back. We still love to tell the story of Spanky Hank’s trip, and I’m sure we’ll tell it for years to come. I love those good old farm memories.

~Jayla