I have tried to be happy about the coming winter for a couple of weeks. I hauled the almost thousand pumpkins purchased to the headquarters and unloaded them to the precise spot as guided by my close relative and smiled a lot. I did and continue to attend football games, a sure sign of the coming cold. Smiled my way through watching the leaves fly off my favorite shade tree and now I am through!
I see the grass changing color and, even though it is still green, it sure looks anemic. Dirt is blowing as the south wind sweeps up from the gulf and we know moisture is needed to keep us from ending up in Kansas City. That moisture will be close to cold and, later in the month, it could be real cold.
The cattle are getting their coats of fuzzy hair and the calves are dang cute! Who could ever resist watching fuzzy black calves cavort around? My close relative goes with me to check the fall mommas so she can watch the calves and see if she approves the bull. Yes, she has her opinion! She is looking forward to winter, cooking hearty meals and baking big dessert offerings.
I bought new, not exactly new, retreads for the hay truck. The old bald tires ruptured a few times last winter and that is hard on me. I had to wait in the cold for the offspring to come with another bald tire and change out the flat one. Yep, life is hard.
That is my long-winded and pitiful grievance for today. I still maintain that I will not smile and act like I like the change, but I will take it like a man. I intend to start cleaning up the feed room and some other chores that are too hot to do in the summer. I like to go to the well house in the southeast pasture and stack in some mineral. The little old building is in good shape and I keep it swept out just in case old sneaky snake has squeezed through the crack under the door. I guess I can do that tomorrow unless we need some more "punkins"!
The fellers at the coffee emporium are gonna all die of heart problems and too much politics before this mess ends. I stopped in for pie and coffee, and they go so long without taking a breath while spewing out barbs and lances that they turn a light shade of blue. Worries me!
Pray for them as you pray for this country!
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, we need seasons and changes. I may not like them as they come but would it be boring to live here without ever enjoying a spring? I know that there are many good things that beef producers get from seeds that are spread, insects that freeze, trees that are replenished and the soil that freezes and is loosened as it swells. I know those things and I sincerely hope to remind myself of them in the next five months. Think about it!
Bill is the pen name used by the Gravette-area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 10/26/2016