Lessons Learned

We had a light rain late yesterday afternoon but, evening thunderstorms are the norm not the exception.  The heat of the day combined with the southern humidity provides the perfect environment for the hit and miss thunderstorms in the southern U.S.  On my morning trek I looked at pastures that need cleaning and fences that need to either be repaired or moved.  This weekend will be a busy one if the weather allows it. 

My to do list is just getting longer and longer:

Clear pastures

Cut firewood

Repair and move fences

Haul hay

Repair wind damage to the barn

Paint house

Finish planting fall garden

And on and on and on

I will be repairing fences this weekend for sure if the rain doesn’t move in to stay through the weekend.  I will have to pace myself for sure due to the heat.  When I wrote those last words I had a flashback that I would like to share with you. 

When I was in high school, I like almost every boy in the small school I attended in the hills of north Mississippi, played football. About mid-season our team won a particularly important game.  Or at least it was important that night.  We had not been expected to win but we did and, if I remember correctly, it was a particularly contentious victory.  After the game some of us guys and our girl friends went out to a local hangout.  We convened at Chambliss (I hope I spelled that correctly) where we listened to music, relived the glory of the game and imbibed in some beverages of choice that we were not yet of age to enjoy.  After a particularly long evening I somehow found my way home and was able to quietly enter my home “under the radar,” or so I thought. I had consumed much more of that particular beverage than I should have.  That on top of an extremely strenuous football game worked to make me want to remain in a horizontal position for an extended period but, at daylight my father had other plans.

He came into my room just as the sun was rising and told me it was time to get up.  We were going to build a fence. I got dressed and went to the door.  My head still spinning and my legs somewhat rubbery I head for the door where he intercepted me.  He offered me scrambled eggs and toast and just looking at it made me feel sick in my altered state of mind.  I waited for him in the truck while he ate and before long he finished and we were on our way to build a fence.  Once in the field we started digging postholes with a manual posthole digger.  He dug one and then I dug one.  He dug one and then I dug one.  He offered water and every time I tried to take a sip my stomach erupted in disapproval. This seemingly endless cycle of him digging a hole and me digging a hole went on for hours.  At around 11:30 Dad told me that Mom had lunch ready.  He went into great detail telling me that she had cooked pork chops, turnip greens, peas and corn bread.  I am certain he could see me turning green as the rum from the night before boiled in my veins.  I told him I didn’t feel good and that he could go and eat and I would just rest.  We had dug at least 30 post holes and I was tired. 

He told me, “you just stay here and rest. When you finish, you just fill in all those holes.  Make sure you pack them good.  We don’t want a horse breaking a leg in them.” 

He never intended to put a post in the ground. There was never going to be a fence.  He was willing to work all morning with me…just as a lesson.  He had me out there as punishment.  I had dug all those holes for nothing.  I had suffered for nothing. 

As he walked off he simply said, “if you don’t like the music, don’t play in the band.” Then he left and didn’t return that day. I filled the holes and thought about what he had said as I toiled to make certain our horses didn’t get hurt.

Now that was a good lesson I remember to this day.