When the Cat's Away

'The Boss' is gone to an out-of-town conference.  For three days the kids and I will enjoy a lack of supervision.

On the menu last night: Wal-mart beef jerky, pepper-jack Tostitos and a generous helping of Southern Comfort for me.  Hot Pockets, graham crackers with chocolate frosting and Mt. Dew for the children.  ~L

Wild Audience

Last night a nice eight-pointer browsed his way across the hayfield toward me as I sat on the front porch noodling on my acoustic guitar.  Travis Tritt's Here's a Quarter and The Clash's Should I Stay or Should I Go work just as effectively as any Doe-In-Heat lure.

As I tore into Hank Williams Jr's A Country Boy Can Survive and hit the verse "We can skin a buck..." he decided not to wait for the encore.  ~L

Read Between the (Fishing) Lines

Recently, I had the misfortune opportunity to take a group of ungrateful brats kids fishing - something I've dreaded looked forward to for a long time. Nothing gets the lazy youngsters more disinterested excited than an outdoor punishment adventure!


I haphazardly threw an armful of crappy poles carefully stowed our gear minutes before we took off the prior evening so we got going several hours later than planned an early start on the day. The little bastards darlings could barely contain their yawns smiles. The car was filled with non-stop whining joyful anticipation.  Even I was beginning to curse under my breath get excited!


When we arrived at the putrid cesspool the old fishing hole we were greeted by the smell of rotting fish fresh air and the sound of nearby road construction waves lapping at the shore.  Before we got out of the car the greedy pigs little rascals were already fighting over who got the last root beer making plans for all the fish they'd catch.

Before long, the future delinquents tots were lobbing their hooks and bobbers into the trees best honey holes. Only minutes after the first cast they asked when we were leaving began catching fish  - and I began chugging beer relaxing.  After a lifetime an hour passed we had a total of five bucket full of puny beautiful fish!

When the snot-nosed urchins angelic little cherubs caught me trying to dump the fish back into the lake admiring their catch they repeatedly nagged sweet talked me into doing the cleaning and cooking for them.  Their relentless begging persuasive plea was so annoying sweet it nearly brought a gun to my head tear to my eye.

 Damn it! Golly! I can't wait until they can go fishing by themselves ask me to go again!  ~L

Fancy Farming

Transferred our poultry operation from the climate-controlled rookery to the multi-level housing facility via the tandem axle livestock trailer.  ~L

Silly Walk

Annoyed by the constant scuffing my broken-soled slippers made on our wood floors one morning - I briefly resorted to walking like this.  ~L

Wagonload of Woo Hoo!

My boys, and their cousin, escape the oppressive heat (and oppressive flies) by taking the four-wheeler for some laps around the hay field.  At the 0:41 second mark is where the title originated.  ~L

Farm Fresh

Had a Tom Sawyer-like afternoon yesterday.  Convinced by mom that painting is really fun, my kids helped their Uncle Mark whitewash his barn walls. 

No surprise when all four agreed (while eating Dairy Queen during the ride home) that working a paint brush wasn't so bad.  ~L

Itchy Britches

Symptoms indicate I must've taken a leak while clearing a patch of poison Sumac (without gloves) from around the swingset last week.  ~L

While the Sun Shines

The neighbor made 160 bales from our five acre field today.  Mostly clover and grass and daisies.  I bartered the hay for an on-going supply of manure from his milking sheep farm.

Henry, and his friend Brandon, bucked all the bales onto our '52 Chevy farm truck for the six mile trip to the hay mow.  We returned home with two tons of composted pen-pack bedding ready for top-dressing the garden and raspberry patch.  ~L



Brandon and Henry ready to unload at the elevator.