I was having a fine time at the party and then found out my fence was down and I had cattle on the road. We had to rewire the last bit in the dark! The offspring had seen a cow in a definite wrong spot and called my close relative. Her phone will usually be answered, mine is not so easily reached. She got me and we headed home. I got there in time to repair from the gate end as the offspring started from the snapped end of the break.
The wire is old, older than any of the offspring. It was strung before we bought the rock pile, and we have added posts and repaired it for all these years. Thankfully, the road is not heavily traveled, so no mishaps occurred, but I sure hate to have cattle out. It is sorta the bane of our profession. If you have them, they sure might escape their bounds at times. We got them all in pretty easily, shook a feed sack and they followed.
I sat in my recliner holding the newspaper but not reading much, just thinking about the incident and then how long that wire had held the fence together. Most things we use nowadays don't last that long, sorta use and dispose. I bought a fence charger a couple years ago and gave what I considered a large amount of cash for it. I took it back to the dealer and asked if he could send it in to have it repaired, and he said they won't repair them, just have to buy a new one.
My mind wandered on to the old George Strait pickup I had bought new a few years ago. It was a dandy and cost about what this farm did. It lasted six years and the motor was going bad, the transmission was bad and I decided to trade it off before it cost half again what I paid for it. My britches are no longer made of the good stiff denim that Levi Strauss started with. The material is soft and made for comfort instead of work.
Sure, I know times are bound to change things, I guess. I just wish all the good things would have stayed good. Maybe they are good, good for what others use them for, others make a living selling or repairing. Just excuse my fussing, I am old!
I am not so old that the grands don't get after me to play or go for treats. We rode around half the place last weekend, and it was cold! I would not have done that by choice, but you think I would let the grands know I thought it was too cold for me? Never, ever! We finished, put the horses up and my close relative called us in for grilled burgers and all the fixings. Then we had pie and ice cream, regardless of the fact that I was still carrying goose bumps!
We got new neighbors a couple months ago and we had a nice party at the community building for them to get to know all of us. We are tickled to have some young folks around, and they are heavily invested in the cattle business so we figure they will stick it out. We prayed with them for the endurance to be there for the long run; it takes some strong will to stay at times. We laughed at the way they talk, from the deep South, and they took it well.
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, we are blessed by the way we live in this area. Not much of a problem with crime, that is not to say it never happens, but not often. We have neighbors we can call on for help in any need, churchgoing neighbors and friends are all around us. We help the unfortunate and try to see any need we can serve. I thank the good Lord for our place on this old earth. I figure we are a small few who have what we have every day. Enjoy it, keep it, and never forget to be thankful for it!
Bill is the pen name of the Gravette-area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 04/18/2018