I know I sound like a tightwad and I might be a little bit too careful with the loose change in my pocket, but I need to be careful. I remember buying a calf for $5 from a trader and making $12 clear after only a year of feeding and doctoring it. Hard life is a good teacher when learning about finances. I have loose change for one reason, because I like to run my hand in my pocket and feel it!
I loaded up a couple of boys to help me dig some post holes a few days ago. I found them hanging around the employment office and offered them a day job including lunch. The tall thin one jumped in the truck and the other one followed. They both spoke English but it was so soft and fast I had a difficult time understanding. Didn't matter to me because digging post holes is not a lot like a speaking engagement!
We got to the fence line and I passed around the water jug, handed out gloves and post hole diggers. The guys followed me along to mark the spot to dig and waited. I waited, expecting them to start, but they were looking puzzled so I showed them what to do with those strange looking tools in their hands.
The short one started and actually made a hole about four inches deep quickly. The other guy was having trouble with the concept of squeezing the handles open to pick up the dirt. Finally, three hours and a ton of sweat later, we had two holes dug deep enough to set a pair of gate posts. The men had not said much except to ask for water, and I was sure proud to see the results without much talk.
Noon came and I told them to load up the tools and we would eat lunch and head out to another pasture to dig holes for the next gate posts. We drove into town and pulled in at the coffee emporium, parked and I told them to order whatever they wanted for lunch. They asked about the morning's pay, the thin one said he needed to give his wife some money to get milk for the kids. I paid them, let him use my cell phone to call his wife and we walked on in the cafe.
May I correct that statement? I walked on in to the cafe alone! Those two men had turned tail and were heading off down the street stirring up heel dust! They appeared to be doing about 30 mph afoot and did not seem so tired as when we finished in the pasture! I learned a lesson from this experience, take lunch to the men you have digging post holes, do not haul them to town to escape!
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, digging post holes is not so terrible. I would rather do it as fight dust storms, admit I can't make a payment, find high-dollar bulls dead, see my grandkids cry or know I was wrong and not admit it! I would dig the holes and set the posts by myself, but I am becoming allergic to pounding work. Makes me break out in sweat and get short of breath!
My only option is to load a tractor with an auger and go out by myself to get the job finished. Takes all day to load, unload, direct the auger by yourself, move to another pasture and do it all again. Guess I will be busy tomorrow.
Bill is the pen name used by the Gravette-area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 11/02/2016