Beech Tree News Network

When Mr. Tom told us he couldn’t return us to our parents, my spirit sank. “I’d love to return you, but I’ve got a big load to retrieve from a packing plant!” he said. “It’s in the opposite direction from your parents’ house. We’re already several hours away from Grover’s. If I take you back to Grover’s, I’ll miss my deadline and lose that plant’s business.”
Chloe and I understood but were disappointed. We called Mom and Dad, who had been waiting frantically by the phone. They knew what truck we were in, but since Mr. G didn’t have a cellphone number for Mr. Tom, they had to wait for us to call. After Chloe assured Mom and Dad and we were fine, Dad asked to speak to Mr. Tom. We listened as Mr. Tom informed Dad of the dilemma. We couldn’t hear what Dad said, but we heard Mr. Tom respond with, “Well, the problem with that is even if I wait for you to get here I’ll still miss my deadline.” Mr. Tom was quiet before answering again. “I understand you don’t want them to wait for you alone, but unfortunately I can’t stay with them.”
Mr. Tom and Dad brainstormed while Chloe and I tried to be calm and patient – two traits our parents had taught us when we found ourselves in a pickle. Finally, Mr. Tom made a suggestion. “Not too far from where I’m headed is a dairy farm run by an older fella, Hollis Wade, and his wife, Anna. They’re the sweetest old couple you’ll ever meet and would love to take care of these two precious pups until you arrive. Woody and Chloe would be well-fed, well-loved and happier than a woodpecker in a lumberyard.”
Mr. Tom passed the phone back to us because Mom and Dad wanted to speak to us. We promised our parents we would mind our manners, and Mom promised they would see us as soon as possible.
Before we left the rest area, Mr. Tom bought Chloe and me a box of animal crackers and a bottle of grape juice. While we continued driving, Mr. Tom told us more about his job and about farming.
“How do you know so much about farming?” Chloe asked.
 “I grew up on a farm, little lady. I’ve always loved farm life,” Mr. Tom said as he drove down the highway.
“Are there lots of farms in Kentucky?” I asked as I fished through my animal crackers looking for another elephant.
“There are more than 85,000 farms here in the Bluegrass,” Mr. Tom said. “They cover more than half the total acreage of the state.”
“What’s acreage?” I asked before Chloe looked at me funny and turned her head. I wondered if I had asked a silly question, but then I realized my sweet sister was trying to remind me it wasn’t polite to talk while chewing on an elephant. After I swallowed, I asked the question again.
“Acreage is the collection of acres,” Mr. Tom explained.  “An acre is used to measure land and farms. It’s a unit of area equal to 43,560 square feet.” I saw Mr. Tom look at me quickly and smile. He must have seen me checking out the shape of my feet.
“Now this is some heavy information, but I know you two can handle it,” Mr. Tom said before continuing. “Here in the Bluegrass State, the average farm size is 164 acres, and all the farms across Kentucky equal 13.9 million acres.”
I was trying to imagine how large 13.9 million acres were when I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful farms.
“Are these dairy farms?” I asked Mr. Tom as he drove.
“No little fella. These are horse farms. In fact, Kentucky ranks number one in Thoroughbred horse breeding and in Thoroughbred sales.”
As if she were reading my mind, Chloe asked, “There are different kinds of farms?”
“Sure!” Mr. Tom replied. “There are horse farms, dairy farms, cattle farms, tree farms, vegetable farms; the list goes on and on.”
“That’s a lot of farms!” I said as we saw a sign that read, “Wade Dairy Farm.” Driving down the gravel driveway, we saw huge round piles of brown grass and a gray kitty cat tiptoeing across the yard. 
“Wow! Is this where we will be living?” I asked Mr. Tom as I pointed to several enormous round towers. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear his answer. I began trembling and shaking, petrified of what I saw ahead.
“Chloe, there is no way we can stay here,” I whispered.