I couldn’t afford to stay and work

This morning at six a.m., it was really five a.m. I got up and pulled my pants on like I always do. I mean, left leg first and immediately the right leg was put on and then the pants were on and belt was fastened in the worn hole it has been in for years. This was the last activity done exactly perfect for the entire day!

We had a nice breakfast of pancakes that I love, I dropped a whole cup of coffee on my plate and so I ruined my breakfast and ended up drinking my juice. She offered to make me more but it took half an hour to clean up the mess, so I opted out!

The weather was just right on this spring day, with a slight southwest breeze. Since I slept through the evening news and weather report, I had no clue about the change coming! I fed the cats and hurried to feed the horses but the little paint was in the wrong pen — are we expecting everything to go as normal?

I found the forlorn little paint standing at the feed room door, looking outside. I think he wanted to escape to the great greening world and leave the rest behind! Snip is really hateful to any other horse at feeding time. I stared into his stall and he could hardly walk, all but falling down and acting like he hurt so bad. I put him in the next stall and closed the gate. What could be wrong with that little feller?

So, as I tried to pour the feed into his trough, Mr. Snip caused me to make a huge mess! I poured a giant bucket of feed into the biggest pile in the barn and was shocked that I did it! I guess I was shocked. I stood there looking at the darn mess and completely unable to move! Jack ran out of the stall and out of the barn when I yelled at Snip to behave. What a mess! I did not know whether to clean up or dig a big deep hole and throw it in!

I heard the four-wheelers come to the house and decided to act like nothing was wrong. That was silly because I paid for the grain to start with! Oh, how I hate for the offspring to know how bad I really fouled up!

We left the barn and I remembered the paint and told the boy to go see about him. I went toward the house and my pickup rather slowly thinking about the paint and what in the world I would say to the close relative, let alone the grand!

I wasn’t even up to the truck when the youngest hollered at me to wait! That paint fooled me! He did not have anything wrong with his leg. He was fine as the guys put him in his stall, hurrying to the feed that wasn’t there!

I sorta told them, the offspring, what they needed to do, got in my pickup and drove off. I was going for pie and coffee and trying to change my outlook for the day. The corner fence was down, on the ground, and a steer was coming at warp speed to the hole! I threw the thing in park and jumped out the door to stop the steer!

The pickup didn’t stop and took out a mile of fence before it came to a halt. The steers got on the highway, the fence was gone and I quit for the day, got my rifle and told the offspring to put the steers in the big pen until we could fix the fence!

Now everyone has an opinion and most of you think I should have stayed and worked! I couldn’t afford more, and I needed the country! Some days just mess the calendar up so bad! I got home in a couple of hours and fed the horses, gathered my fencing tools and went to work. They did not remark and neither did the close relative!’

Just sleep well, drink plenty of water, take an aspirin, and remember the Alamo!