I sure hate to have all this extra down time due to rain. I have been forced to leave the house and go to the coffee emporium, get out of my close relative's way -- underfoot as she calls it. I am sorry, I know I should be working on the place, doing something worthwhile. It has occurred to me that the male offspring are almost able to take on the duties, but who is out there to instruct?
I have learned more about the slate of leading politicians than I ever wanted to know. I know too much information, too much dirt on each of them, and probably too much of it isn't true. I have eaten too much pie and had many cups of black coffee. Correction: I have never eaten too much pie, but my nerves are shot due to all the caffeine consumed this week.
Ron called and invited me to go over the state line to a mule jump competition and I almost agreed to go. I could have left at 6 a.m. and been back home by 10 or 10:30 p.m. and that sounded like a long day for me to look at mules. I do like mules; they are useful and smart. They are also some of my favorite animals that belong to others. I never have owned one and that is good because I think they are smarter than me. So I didn't go with Ron, and he came in town to buy feed while I was there at the store and said he bought a pair of good mules. Now I am really glad I didn't go!
Ron goes over east to the hilly country and hunts, I almost said 'coon, but he hunts everything. His mules are broke to shooting from the saddle, jumping fences and running from bear! And most of this hunting is done after plumb dark thirty! He has fun, he says, but how can it be when you can't see where you have been or where you are going?
We have the first bunch of cattle worked and almost time to run them through for that second dose of dewormer. I don't know if that is helpful or just helps the pharmaceutical company make money. I know it runs pounds off of my cattle and it had better be worth it or I will refrain in the future! We sure have enjoyed the covered work area.
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, things around the place could be better but they could also be worse! We are not fighting freezing water or hauling hay all day. We are warm and it is sure enough nice to shed all the layers of clothing down to a cotton shirt. We are looking at calves growing sleek and fat, cows giving lots of milk and grass in all the pastures. It could only get better if oil wells would sprout like the pigweeds and briars and gold was as thick as ticks! Count your blessings and name them. You can read that in your book and it works!
Bill is the pen name of the Gravette area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 04/22/2015