“Ya’ know that old trees just grow stronger,And old rivers grow wilder ev’ry day.Old people just grow lonesomeWaiting for someone to say, ‘“Hello in there, hello.”– John Prine’s “Hello in There”

There was the Alzheimer’s patient who uttered her first words in years: “She’s beautiful.”And there was the elderly man who never said a word, but managed a wide grin.They are just two of many reasons Ginny Mills does what some might find unthinkable: She takes her miniature horse, Peanut, to visit lonely and tucked-away residents of the Pikes Peak region.Mills grew up the eldest of seven in the small town of Reading, Ohio. Her family didn’t have much money or many material things, but it had plenty of love to spread, she said.“We were brought up to help out others in need. We always had room if people needed a place to stay. My mother would have me clean my elderly neighbor’s house, and I never expected to get paid.”Still, working with horses was not a given. Although family members recall Mills’ childhood love for horses, she didn’t remember it.“Being in an area that was conducive to owning a horse really rekindled a childhood infatuation for horses that I didn’t even know I had,” she said. Letters from her mother to an uncle revealed she was horse-crazy as a girl.Mills moved to Black Forest in 1990 with her husband, Richard, and their sons.Shortly after, Ginny got her first horse, Banda. Seven years later Moriah, a quarterhorse, came along.When Banda died, Ginny thought Moriah needed a companion. In July 2008 she found Peanut, a miniature horse, and bought her, love at first sight. The 12-year-old heather and gray horse was just 34 inches high and cute as a button, she thought.After her sons moved away to start families of their own, Mills decided to volunteer as a means of giving back to her community in the way she was raised. She thought she should include the horses.Mills chose to help the elderly, disabled and housebound after talking with Nancy Oxenhandler of Evercare Hospice and Palliative Care.First, Peanut needed to be certified through the nationwide Delta Society, which trains and screens people and animals to visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools and other facilities. Mills took Peanut and Moriah to Denver’s Pet Partners for the certification in May.The horses were put through tests to see whether they would react to quick movements, loud noises and other situations that may arise during their visits. Both passed the exams with flying colors.Mills and Peanut have visited many care and assisted-living facilities, including Terrace Gardens, The Village at Skyline and MacKenzie Place. They plan on adding Moriah to outdoor visits. In mid-July Ginny acquired Willow, another miniature horse. Willow has already made a few visits, and Mills hopes to certify her in fall.To assist with her dream of continuing the visits, Mills has established a nonprofit agency. “My goal envisions 10 miniatures and volunteers taking them on visits,” she said. She has named her vision Mello Memories in honor of her late father, Leo Melvin, and is accepting monetary donations and hoping for volunteers.

Village at Skyline resident Frances Gates gave Willow a big hug. Photo by CAROL LAWRENCE, THE GAZETTE

CAROL LAWRENCE,THE GAZETTE