Pick Up the Shovel and Dig Another Well

I hope that everyone enjoyed a safe and fun Labor Day weekend. I know that many folks are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the ongoing fires in the Northwest. I can't imagine the work that lies ahead, but we're sending continued prayers and doing what we can from this end.

As for us, no cookouts, or gatherings, as most of the country kicked off the Labor Day weekend. We spent ours laboring. :)  Earlier this week we had 3 big storage tanks delivered and 5 troughs and although DH already installed the plumbing for those, we had other problem areas where leaks popped up. The tanks were actually on their way a few weeks ago, but we had to turn them back due to the rain. There was no way they would have been able to get down the roads. So the past few days, DH and I have been on plumbing duty. On Sunday, we listened to church services on the radio as we loaded the backhoe and trailered to Fence Tank to begin working on the first leak:

DH moved a lot of dirt

And once the ditch was dug up, he spent a lot of time behind the shovel.

I felt pretty useless as there was only enough room for one in that hole, but there is a favorite song of mine that kept running through my head as we worked on the leak on Sunday morning. I'll add a link here as well as the words below in case the link doesn't work

Dig Another Well

Well Ike had a blessin' from the Lord up above
He gave him a beautiful woman to love
A place to live and some land to farm
Two good legs... and two good arms

Now the devil came sneakin' around one night
Decided he'd do a little evil to Ike
Figured he would hit old Ike where it hurts
So he filled up all of Ike's wells with dirt

When Ike went out for his mornin' drink
He got a dipper full of dirt and his heart did sink
But he knew it was the devil so he said with a grin
Well, God blessed me once and He can do it again
He blessed me once and He can do it again

So when the rains don't fall and the crops all fail
And the cows ain't puttin any milk in the pail
Don't sit around waitin' for a check in the mail
Just pick up the shovel and dig another well
Pick up the shovel and dig another well

Now me and old Ike got a lot in common
The Lord blessed me with a beautiful woman
He gave me a job, he gave me a home
He gave me a well to call my own

Now when I go out for my mornin' drink
And get  dipper full of dirt, my heart does sink
But I think of old Ike and I have to grin
God blessed me once and He can do it again
He blessed me once and He can do it again

So when the rains don't fall and the crops all fail
And the cows ain't puttin any milk in the pail
Don't sit around waitin for a check in the mail
You gotta pick up the shovel and dig another well
Pick up the shovel and dig another well

Now the Good Book says Ike finally won
(pick up the shovel and dig another well)
The devil got tired and left them alone
(pick up the shovel and dig another well)
Well I know some day I'm a  gonna win too
(pick up the shovel and dig another well)
Cause the Good Book tells me what to do
(Pick up the shovel and dig another well)

Pick up the shovel and dig another well.

Thankfully, our pastures are currently green and the dirt tanks are full, and DH didn't actually have to dig a well, but the premise of the song was a good reminder for me to remember that God always provides and although troubles arise, we are abundantly blessed and I have no right to fuss about anything. It's not about our circumstances, but it's about how we react to them. I tend to do two things, pray and 'pick up the shovel and dig another well'.

I don't participate in FB, but I do post on Instagram to catch up with a couple of friends and I posted a few of these pictures with hastags #ranchlife #ranchlifereality #soyouwannabearancher #workingman #workethic #dinnertastesmightygoodwhenyoueatat3

And today we're back at it again: