A poem I wrote today

 

LABOR DAY REVISITED

© copyright September 7, 2004

The day was quite amazing, and the weather, so ideal

That it seemed like a dream I had, instead of something real.

I saw the evening nearing, and I felt a little blue

To think that such a perfect day was very nearly through.

Today at work, I thought about my perfect day again,

And realized that all good times must, somehow, reach an end.

And then I thought of soldiers in a distant, foreign land

Who'd love to see my little farm, instead of endless sand.

How I wish that I could share my perfect day with them:

The breezes in the cottonwood sound almost like a hymn!

The roadside plants that we call "weeds", adorned with yellow flowers...

I'd share them with our soldiers, if I just had magic powers.

How can I enjoy such peace, when they must fight a war?

Happy times almost make me feel guilty, any more.

Nine-eleven changed the world in such a real way,

And made me realize that I'm not guaranteed today.

Every time I laugh, I think of young folks overseas.

I almost hear their voices, upon every autumn breeze.

Back here in Missouri, as the summer turns to fall,

I only wish those soldiers knew that I pray for them all.

What a Day

This was a day that was so perfect, I could cry that it has to end.  I rode Blue this morning and then again this evening; I went for a walk in our pasture with Mandy... she is still exploring our pond:

This evening Blue and I rode through water standing in the bean fields on the river bottom, and weeds higher than his head.  I was so proud of him for forging ahead.  We saw this field of corn, ready to harvest:

We saw wild flowers along the roadside:

It was the kind of day I dream about.  God is good.  If it all ended tomorrow, I'd say I'm still blessed above everybody I know.

Nice peaceful weekend

I've managed to get a ride in for three days straight, although yesterday's ride was brief; Cliff and the boys were disking and harrowing in the pasture, and I saddled Blue up and hopped on in my shorts and barefoot; you can't go far that way without rubbing blisters on your ankles.  Blue and I went alongside the tractor for awhile, and Cliff happened to have the camera with him.

We love apples, but I sure got tired of paying $1.50 a pound for them; and the taste leaves something to be desired when you buy them in the store, too.  Today we traveled east a few miles and picked up some Galas at the orchard.  It's a beautiful day for getting out and doing that sort of thing.

As you can see, they were doing a steady business.  I got a bushel of lovely Gala apples for $15.50, and a bag of Red Delicious for $5.

It's been a great weekend, and it'll be tough going back to work tomorrow, knowing I'll be working next Saturday.  But I'll manage, and I need the extra money anyhow:  My dog needs spaying, and my horse is about due for some new shoes.

lazy Sunday

Wouldn't you like to know what these animals are thinking?

I walked out in the pasture with Mandy today.  She loved exploring, chasing bugs and leaves, and seeing frogs jump into the pond.  She even got up enough nerve to jump in herself, about belly-deep.  I don't think she's ready to try swimming yet.

Cliff worked at Tim's vineyard again, helping with the grape harvest.  Friday when we went over there, Tim was testing the grapes to make sure they were ready to pick.  I believe they picked Norton grapes today.

Anyhow, Cliff was able to come home and hook up to a disk, with a little help from his friends... notice the four-legged supervisor.

He has some pasture-mix seed he'll plant on this strip of ground he's been disking up all summer.  The tractor you see in this picture was supposed to be an investment:  He got a great buy on it, and the plan was to sell it for a huge profit.  However, he ended up getting awfully attached to it, and hasn't made a lot of effort to sell it.  Men and their toys!

Under attack

Somewhere over that hill are houses, and one of the houses belongs to me.  That's the sun coming up this morning.  If you look closely, you can tell the corn is brown, and will soon be ready for harvest.

I hadn't taken an early morning ride for quite some time.  I left the house when it was still dark, expecting to enjoy a nice, cool morning and perhaps get some good pictures.

Unfortunately, I didn't take into consideration the mosquitoes down at the Missouri river bottom, which are as big as house-flies.  Blue's neck was crawling with them, the whole time we were out.  And I'd look my arms and hands and see a dozen "skeets" sucking my blood.  Yuck.  Oh well, autumn and winter will arrive before long, and there'll be no pesky, biting creatures to ruin our fun.  And no horseflies, face flies, and such.  And then we will own the River bottom, because the crops will all have been harvested, and we won't have to pick our way around the corn and soybeans.

I'm scheduled to work 40-hour weeks this month, except the last week of the month, when I may work 48 hours.  Then watch out!  My employers think we'll be working every Saturday through mid-December.  We'll see... their "tentative" schedules don't always pan out.  I think Cliff and I will try to slip away to Branson again later this month.

silly pup

You can see what a mess Mandy makes in her little favorite corner of the kitchen.  Bits of chewed-up paper, and sticks she carried in from outside; throw rug all wadded up to her liking; and the Mountain Dew case pretty well chewed up too.  The bull is gone home now, so I took her for a stroll in the pasture last night and showed her our pitiful little pond.  She heard the "plop" of frogs jumping into the water as we walked by, but never could figure out the source of the splashing.

This mutt is working out well for me and Cliff.  It's hard to get a dog that suits my husband, but it appears we've done it.  There is, however, one problem:  Mandy is not good with small children.  She has a tendency to jump on them, and chase them, nipping at their heels (part Blue Heeler, you know).  We had a rather ugly incident with her chasing Natalie last Sunday, so now I'm watching her like a hawk when the kids are here.  Hopefully she'll grow out of some of her foolishness.

I hear I may have to work Tuesday through Saturday of next week; that's probably right.  I'll know for sure this morning.  If so, I had better enjoy this coming three-day weekend to the fullest!

just checking in

I rode down to the river bottom yesterday evening; signs of fall are evident everywhere.  Foliage on the trees looks raggedy and worn; the cornstalks have died completely; the soybean plants are loaded with pods.  There's a certain route I always take to the river:  I go west, turn north on a narrow gravel road, cross a ramshackle old bridge, ride eastward awhile, turn back south, cross another bridge as I head toward the main highway, and when I reach it, ride west toward home.  In other words, I ride in a big square.  Whenever I only want to ride for about an hour, that's been my place.  Last night, the old rotten bridge, across which farmers still drive tractors, let Blue's left hind foot fall through a rotten spot.  He was unharmed and handled it well, but I don't believe I'll be crossing there any more.  Aside from that, though, it was a lovely ride, albeit a hot and sweaty one.