LITTLE ROCK — A week of happenings, things that let us know we are still in the game of life. You know if you’re not moving and nothing is going right or wrong, you might be dead. Well, I am not dead, have had lots of incidents to remind me that it is my business to get it done and keep it fixed!

You can tell by the talk around the round table at the coffee emporium who is supposed to be a farmer and who isn’t. There are many innuendoes to judge by and sometimes a dairyman will join the group and you can sure enough tell who ought to be milking cows and who shouldn’t.

The men who should are griping about the breakdowns, the cost of fuel, the heat and all the regular stuff. The dairyman is the first to say he is thankful for his profession even if all the fresh cows did deliver bull calves! Then a beef man adds he too is thankful, even if his place is sure getting dry and his bull died. Another will say his hay was good on the first cutting but he sure is worried about the second. Then they all grin and leave to do the jobs they love.

The man who sat with his head down, no smile gracing his face and a look of panic in his eyes is the one who hates the wind, sun, storms and the hours involved in the work of feeding America. He is miserable and makes his family the same. He might have inherited the land or bought it thinking it was gonna be for him, but instead of selling out and finding a factory job, he stayed. You probably know him. His place gets more rundown by the year and he looks years older than he is.

I probably look older than I man, I sorta doubt it, but I am happy about doing this job. I am second in command here, my close relative being the Chief, and can pretty much decide what to do every day. If the fence needs fixing, I decide to do it! Well, the decisions are what the situations call for, but that keeps me happy.

My stock market drops right regular and some of them even drop dead. If I invested in pork bellies, I’d be out feeding hogs.

My grain futures depend on how the harvest is here on the place and if the corn my neighbor harvests is good my feed bill might go down a tad. I am a happy farmer, proud to wade the stuff and wear the title. My preacher shakes my hand, the banker sorta likes me and my offspring are making good productive citizens.

My close relative is as good looking as a prize pie at the county fair! And the Grands, you should ask me about them sometime!

It is my opinion, and everyone has one, a lifetime is pretty short and a feller should be spending it doing what he likes. Doctor, lawyer, store keeper or auto builder, do what you enjoy. It won’t be fun, work is not fun, but it will be a pleasure! There is a difference, you know!

-Bill

Bill is the pen name used by the Gravette author of this weekly column.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 07/07/2010