And as is par for the course, she gets put to work. :) Truth be told, she said she was coming to help with whatever needed doing. When our kids left home and ventured out into the world, they often remarked on the lack of work ethic they encountered. Few people were willing to put in extra effort or they expected compensation for a little additional labor. I understand the concept of overtime, but in a rural capacity, it does not exist. You just work until the work is finished and in farming and ranching, it's never finished. You don't get paid extra and there are no bonuses.Thus, we raised 2 children who were taken aback when faced with peers who balked at putting forth extra effort when manual labor was involved.
We had a big area of 6' tall weeds that needed whacking and burning between the barn and the round pen. I spent 2 mornings fighting my way through them with a heavy metal rake until I thought my arms were going to fall off. And I realized that I am no longer 25. :) But I managed to get through 90% of it in 2 days.
When our girl arrived, she joined me and we finished clearing the area as DH began to burn the dried weeds on Friday morning.
It did not escape our notice that fires were causing terrible destruction in the plains as we worked. We were all mindful of our rural friends and firefighters and silent prayers were whispered as we kept a watchful eye on the flames.
The pitchfork and I have also forged a meaningful relationship these past few weeks as I've been pitching hay to the beef from a large bale that broke. Another reminder that I am no longer a spring chicken.
However, on a positive note, my old lady arms are getting toned! Well, perhaps toned is a bit far fetched, but they are less flabby. :) Our girl accompanied me as we put out mineral in pastures other than the ones I feed on a regular basis. She scurried up top to check the storage tank in Red and White:
She tossed 50# sacks of mineral into the back of the feed truck with her 23 yr old arms as if they weighed nothing. I told her that when you are my age, the first 3 weigh 50# and then they get progressively heavier. By the time I have handled the 10th sack of feed or mineral, they have doubled in weight. :)
And she snapped sneaky pictures of her Mama, posting them online:
Yes, tis' the season for babies! Stay tuned for my annual baby bovine photo shoot. :)
11 comments:
How I love following your blog, enjoying every minute of what in my (Dutch) eyes looks like an exciting western mixed with the little house on the prairie theme with quilts and all.
Ahhh, now doesn't it feel good to have raised work ethic kids! And isn't it nice to have those strong young arms helping out! lol So glad you got a visit from your girl and she could help out for a few days.
What you say is so true. Though my four children were not raised on a ranch, they did grow up on their grandparents' farm and chores and helping where needed was a way of life. How surprising to them to grow up and become acquainted with kids their age that had never had a chore in their life, and didn't want to start now.
Kudos for raising two responsible young adults. On a side note, I fear volunteerism in our country is going to decline drastically in the next ten years: fewer and fewer people see a need and have the desire to serve.
It's wonderful your daughter was able to help lighten the work load. How's DH's back?
I know you enjoyed your sweet girl's visit in more ways than one! I think I may need to try your "fitness" program!! Can't wait for the baby cows post!!! :)
Great Post! You have great kids. I look forward to seeing pictures of their weddings, someday. I love your blog.
So nice to have the young'uns home to visit and even better when they've been raised to pitch in. Doesn't it make your heart sing to know YOU were/are a good Momma??? So happy last week to have one of our two daughters home to help for a week after my surgery. God is good!!!
Babies!! Right now we're having baby goats. We calve in the fall. So that means there's pretty much babies around here at any given moment! I know what you mean about the feed sacks -- you are so right -- the first 3 only weigh 50#, and the rest are so much heavier! I try to look at it as a workout, since I don't normally put real exercise into my schedule any more -- gotta get it somewhere! So glad your girl got to spend time with you. That right there is good for the soul, no matter what you're doing.
Yay! so glad your precious girl was there with you!
Looking forward to seeing your bovine babies!
Oh I am so glad you got to spend some time with her! and she is so right about the work ethic thing! Goodness - glad she helped make your work a teeny bit lighter!
What a workout you're getting Karin. It's wonderful to have children who willingly pitch in and help, especially as their mamas get older. The photo of the burning bush -- well, yes, it reminded me of the Burning Bush in the Old Testament. I guess you'd have to choose a non-windy day to burn. The work ethic of the younger generation is so different from that of my own. I didn't grow up on a farm but we learned to work, do a good job, finish it, and then clean up afterward. It's great that you sent two young folks out into the work with such strong work ethics.
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