Opa Reads

The win finally comes for Seabiscuit.

Seabiscuit’s recuperation lasts several months and then the decision is made to bring both him and Red out of retirement.

Owners, trainers, and jockeys meet together at Pimlico track for the race of the century.

This chapter chronicles the ups and downs of Seabiscuit’s East Coast attempt to run against War Admiral.

Seabiscuit doesn’t race for nearly all the weeks leading up to the Santa Anita race because of owner disagreements and Red’s injury. Two jockeys are tried and it is Sonny who rides in the Classic.

Seabiscuit finishes his wins in California, then head east to set track records and become the winner of the largest total prize money for a season.

Seabiscuit loses his run at Santa Anita, but redeems his reputation immediately after in a smaller stakes race but with a stunning performance.

Seabiscuit heals, gets stronger, and starts winning races—beginning in the East and then out West in California.

Seabiscuit is bought, slowly healed, and given the chance to change from irritable to grateful.

Seabiscuit’s birth and trials during his early years are chronicled up to the point in his life when an old cowboy, Tom Smith, recognizes a horse with “real stuff.”

Robert stays cheerful, content, and a perfect hostess to the end of her life.

Robert is beset by an illness of some sort, and she is cared for by family and friends.

Robert does not receive the attention she is used to receiving at dinner time, so she makes a mess of the food items to gain the attention of adults at the table.

Robert ignores the mating instinct as well as the attention of a male quail, she lays 13 eggs, and she swallows a diamond stone.

The author is hosted by NBC which allows her and the Kienzle’s to discover other people who had adopted quail.

Robert enjoys playing chase/tag, she knows how to get attention, and her body proved able to digest even a red cloth ribbon. Three months of vacation came to a happy ending for the Kienzle’s as they returned to a healthy Robert.

Many people visited Robert every week, some who were ornithologists, some artists, and some simply captivated by a bird who loved to make people feel welcome.

Robert demonstrates God-given instinct regarding food, drinking water, fear of birds overhead, and her love of dirt baths.

The Kienzle’s make a good hand off to get Robert into new surroundings, then they leave on their trip. Robert settles into a new routine with Margaret and the three month visit commences.

The Kienzle’s plan a trip to Europe, so the author begins to plan how to care for Robert in their absence.

Robert molts, lays an egg, and gets weighed as springtime comes to the home.

Robert discovers the joy of the crèche (nativity), a Christmas tree, and the excitement of opening gifts.

Roberts is introduced to snow, he shows a love of warmth from his lamp or from fire, and he survives a bleeding toe injury.

We learn of Robert’s routines, beginning with morning practices, and also of phone conversations, his keen sense of order, and of his head injury from falling while asleep.

Robert, a quail born in Cape Cod, appears out of the last egg found in an abandoned nest and he quickly becomes an attached and social bird in the Kienzle home.

Ralph hosts a celebration dinner for his closest friends in order to share good news regarding his debts, his health, and his engagement.

Ralph discovers a new diet that adds weight to his body, Dr. DeMay hypothesizes the cause for his diabetes, and Ralph once again pursues the love of his life.

Ralph makes a good profit in the butcher and railroad contract business, in his shipping business, and in a two second sheep trading business.

Effie advises Ralph on how to package and sell his meat and products, then takes the orders for him. Mr Donovan arrives to inspect the excellently built and maintained business, then introduces Ralph to the railroad steward/head cook.

Ralph and Nick implement the building plans for slaughter house and meat packing business. The hogs get set to ship in Saturday and Ralph is barely keeping up with so much to do.

Ralph and the bankers reach an agreement, Effie gets the line call out for mortgaged hogs to show up and be bought, and then he and George Miner grade the hogs as they get dropped off.

Ralph meets with success in Omaha, both in selling hogs and in getting the meat contract. Nick is hired to butcher the animals and Ralph negotiates the financing of his operation.

Ralph takes his hogs to Omaha and meets the railroad commissary agent to make a bid to provide meat to construction crews.

Ralph determined to recreate his mother’s Colorado sausage recipe, and he comes up with a plan to bid on the railroad’s butcher contract.

Ralph gets a vision for going into the butchering business when the railroad asks for bids to feed its crews.

Ralph went to trial and ended up owing over $13,000. Effie became his advocate and the neighbors all showed him great support at auction.

Beaver Creek is hit by such a flood that Ralph and Bob lose all their hogs and the entire property gets covered in water.

Ralph gets brought to court by the new bank owners, and he shared how he and Bob’s family worked hard to pull in the same direction.

Ralph and George walk Bob through bankruptcy so that he could get back on his feet.

Bob overextends himself with a new Buick and is exposed to his wife as irresponsible. Ralph helps the family through this trial and then he helps the township by honoring both his commitment to the bank and by his care for his neighbor’s need to retain good stock.

Ralph experiences panic and loss alongside most farmers in his part of the country because cattle and hog prices fell drastically. His shipment went out on Christmas Day 1920 and his work ethic continued to diverge from Bob’s.

Ralph sees the arrival of automobiles and trucks as spelling an end to his wheat hauling business, so he sold out by auction. He and Bob takes on more cattle and hogs, and Bones’ bank is sold to new management.

Bob goes to Kansas City with Ralph to sell cattle and hogs, and it is a good sale because they only lose $500 when the rest of the market is down 30%. George Miner explains his theory on the hog market cycle, and leaves Ralph to extrapolate his own conclusions about whether to put more cattle or hogs into the feed lot.

Ralph puts up with Bob’s fake back pain since Bob has the knowledge and skill to run a cattle and hog feed lot. Their business venture meant many cold days and nights for both of them.

Effie at the switchboard warns Ralph that she thinks any work alongside Bob Wilson is foolish. Bob and Ralph go on to buy all the steers and hogs they wish to buy, and Christmas Day is spent with the Wilson family.

Bob Wilson proves his poor character once again, and Ralph is willing to stand by him yet again…because of his little girl and wife.

Ralph has to hold the line in order to not go into business with a dishonest Bob Wilson. Ralph admits by the end of the chapter that he wasn’t 21 years old when he did his other work with the bank.

Bob Wilson’s poor work ethic and discipline is called out, and only George Miner is clever enough to find a way to lighten the scales so that Bob can’t profit from dishonesty.

Ralph learns the most by listening to George advise friends and farmers regarding cattle and hogs. Practical advice that Ralph will use to start his own herd.

Ralph learns about the shipping business from Bob Wilson, and he enjoys the hospitality of the Wilson family by staying with them during a week of culling out older animals.