OPINION? EVERYBODY HAS ONE: I'm thankful for my hay-making offspring

I am going to say it again, the drought is finished for us!

I truly wish it was over for the southwestern states but I am afraid it won’t be for a while. I am not aware of the number of inches they are lacking to make up for a normal year.

The beef producers, and all the farmers that depend on agriculture for a living, would best be on their knees in thanksgiving to the Lord.

I am not exactly plagued by warts on the cattle, but some of the heifers we are keeping are building them up like our Grands’ Lego blocks. I know the warts won’t harm the cattle, but you can just imagine how unattractive it is to see a good straight, deep bodied animal with warts. Especially for me, as I like to keep things sorta in shape.

I have suggested gathering the heifers and giving the wart vaccine, but the male offspring tell me we are just too busy to fool with something so minor. They are going into the virtual black hole of hay makers at this date and they do not want any other topic of conversation to cross their minds.

I dropped into the coffee emporium this morning to visit and enjoy the talk about the nice weather. It was a very comfortable gathering, just me and three old men about my age.

Not one eye was glazed over with anticipation of haying. We just crossed our legs and swung our feet. Sally kept the cups full, and the air was thick with relaxation. We talked slowly, laughed about trials and tribulations and had such a nice time.

The door opened and our spell was broken like a limb in a tornado.

Six fellers came in together and pulled up chairs around the table, and I knew they were showing symptoms of the season. They had grease around their fingernails, smudges of dirt on their faces and oil all over their shirts. Sure as the sun comes up in the east,they started in on getting equipment ready and bragging about how much they were going to bale as soon as it got dry.

I paid and left, never am gonna be like that. I sometimes wish I liked it, but then I come to my senses.

My close relative has been digging in the flower beds around the house, ready to plant, and has her tomato bed ready. She would have had things already in the ground in time for our freaky snow, but I lolly-gagged around too long. I blamed the delay on my astute weather knowledge, and no one believed me except the youngest of the Grands!

It is my opinion, and everyone has one, I am blessed abundantly and I know it. I am, fortunately, the father of two male offspring who thrive on the aroma of hay equipment and love the sound of tractor motors. They are adept at mowing, raking and baling many acres of hay. They almost enjoy the break downs so they can “fix it” and tell long sordid tales about the incident.

I am thankful, and you can remind me of all this next spring when both of them want to go skiing!

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

Opinion, Pages 6 on 05/15/2013