Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 22:58:44 -0600 From: Retta Michaels Subject: Rural - Rural Love - Chapter 8 Rural Love by Retta Michaels Disclaimer: If you are under the age of 18, or live in a locale which cannot legally read these stories, please leave. Your presence here jeopardizes those of us who can legally read these stories. Please come back when you can legally read the stories and we will all be glad to have you. Notes from Retta: Thanks for waiting so long on this chapter. I realize it's been a rough road on you readers, but let's hope it stays continuous now. Chapter 8 "Nick, I'm not doing this to better myself. I'm doing it to help that boy upstairs. Now, if you want to make me a partner in these farms, I'll gladly walk out the door right now. All I'm bringing to the table is my know how on raising cattle. There's not a penny I can invest and that's not enough." "Mike, listen to me. I'm putting our farm on the line. I'm putting Paulette and I's future on the table. Yes, it does have monetary value, but it's also Billy's future because he's just as good our son. Billy thinks, and I think, you've brought enough to the table. You being here means we can have a life away from the farm. We can live a normal life. We're not a slave to some beasts whose very existence depends upon us. You'll be there to step in and that means the world to us. Now, if you think you've not brought enough to the table, then tell me what your knowledge means to you, because I'll tell you now, it meant enough to us when we bought the cattle you raised to know we were getting damned fine cattle.We paid for them because they were the best cattle there bar none. It means the world to Billy to have your son with us to be a friend. That might not mean much to us, but it should. You remember how much your friendship meant to us when we were little. I was there for you, and you were there for me. I love you like a brother and there were times, you were the only one there for me. Now, you tell me it doesn't mean much to me? Get real man!" "Nick, let's go outside and discuss this rationally." "Mike, this is one time I've got to say no to you. Paulette's futre and your wife's future is dependent upon the decision. I don't want to take any guff over this. I just want you to agree." "You say you're doing it for the boy's future. I'm doing it for Jr's future. Yes, I raise cattle for a living, Nick, but if it's really known, all I'm doing is trying to put meat on the table. Our goals are similar here. We're just trying to make a future for the kids. Now, if you want to put anyone's name on the dotted line, then put Jr's name on it. I'll work my tail off just the same, but I'd prefer my name not be on it. Don't ask me why, but I don't. I'll stay and secure their futures, but I don't want to share equal billing when I didn't bring anything to the table." Nick walked around the table and shook Mike's hand. He turned to Paulette and said, "Babe, we've got him on the best way he'll stay. It's better than nothing, but now we've got to get Billy to agree. Tomorrow, we'll ask him what he thinks." Paulette looked across the table, "You better ask Jr what he thinks too. He's the one who's going to be sharing it. Now you two go outside and leave us women out of your haggling." They all laughed and Nick and Mike went outside. When they got outside, Nick turned to Mike, "Mike, you know as well as I do we just gave those boys what we couldn't have. I've got an oath I gave and you do too, but you know I loved you more than that land over there." Mike had tears in his eyes, "Nicky, if things had been different and our daddies hadn't found out, we'd be together. They did and it nearly ruined our lives. I loved you too. I loved you enough to put up with the hell that old man put me through after we moved." "I'm so sorry. If we hadn't gotten caught, we'd be a lot better right now. But we did. Let's just make sure the boys get a chance we didn't. If in the future they don't like each other, then we'll deal with it, but Billy's already told me he likes Jr." "Jr says he likes Billy too. We were the same age, you remember?" "Yeah, it was a lot further to walk to school then, and I'm just glad the boys have it easier." "Amy says she's going to support him in anything he chooses. I think she knows about how I felt about you. There were some times when I saw you in school, it nearly tore my heart out. She saw, and she picked up the pieces. She's not let it be known, but I think she's figured it out." "She's smart. If she didn't see you looking at me, I'm sure she saw me looking at you. It was damned tough. I don't know how many times I saw you and had to duck out someplace because I was crying." "Me too." Mike paused, "Well, that's all under the bridge now. We've got what we've got and we're going to have to make the best of the situation." "I'm glad you're here, and I'm glad the boys finally have it so we can join those two farms together and get a chance at what we'd hoped back then. Heck, they've got it better because they've got all those hay fields. They're going to have it made." Mike looked at Nick, and then said, "Nick, did you ever go see Brokeback Mountain?" "No, was it any good?" "Oh hell man, we went and saw it and the only thing I could think was it was our story. I can't tell you how I finally had to go to the restroom because I was losing it. By the end of the movie, I'd made myself sick. I don't think even cold water on my face hid my eye's from Amy." "I'm glad I didn't go then. Paulette's understanding, but I imagine she'd be a lot less understanding than Amy. She'd probably be in town now living at her mama's." "She going to be fair to the boys?" Mike asked with concern. "Oh hell yeah, she's understanding about them. I just don't think she'd be as understanding about me though." "Well, I don't imagine. If we'd gotten together, I don't think I'd understand you mooning over someone else." "You wouldn't have to. We'd had what we wanted." "Well, We've got now, so let's work on it. I'm just going to tell you now, don't let on such the boys catch wind. If the time comes, we'll tell them, but I don't want them to know." "Mike, you were always strongest of us two." "No, I was a weak motherfucker when it came to you. You knew me better than anyone and you had my heart. That's why it was so unfair. If it'd been us that split us up, then we'd be a whole lot better about things now. I'd probably not speak to you, but we'd sure as the world wouldn't be where we are now. There are times now, I still look at you and think about what might've been." "Me too....Me too." "Well, we can talk, but let's not cross the line to cause us any more grief than what we've got in our hearts. We'll have these conversations, but that's all I can offer." "I understand. I appreciate what you're giving. I really do." "I know you do." By this time, they were out at the barn. "Nicky, you and that boy sure bought some fine cattle. Their breeding program is going to put them in the top of the state's herds." "You'll be there to take credit for it too. I want you to be." "I'll be there, but I'm going to point the finger back." "Mike, what's the shit about you not bringing anything to the table financially. You know money doesn't mean a thing to me!" "Nicky, you gotta let me do it how I need to do it. Amy would have really had me out of there if she'd thought I wasn't entitled. She's been around me too long to know that's not the way it is with me. You are the only one I'd even consider it with and having you in my heart with her and Jr, is enough." "O.k., but that's not what I was intending. I just didn't want you building up resentment in the future and have you hauling tail." "I doubt if I go anywhere Nicky. We're back where we belong and that's how I want it." "Me too. Well, what do you think about the alpaca's?" "My boy's got it in his head he wants to raise some. I've done some looking into them, and they're a sign of the future, I think. Their coats can be shorn like sheep and their meat is going for a nice price...better than cattle. One thing you'll learn about alpaca's is they're a docile animal and a smart animal. A cow will shit all over it's own pasture and feed right next to their excrement. Alpaca's have a communal dung pile and won't feed near it." "Wow, I didn't know that!" "Yeah, the boys couldn't have picked a better animal for pets. They don't bite and rarely if ever do they spit. They're docile and if one spits, then that's either a sign the boys have done something wrong, or we've got to watch that one and get it to the sale barn. They've got temperments and each is individual, but a bad spirited one, we don't need." "I'm going to switch subjects on you. What do you think of this with Gray Daniels?" "I've not kept up with Gray, but he's always been a real asshole. I think he knew about us and he didn't say anything because there were times I thought he was looking at me in the showers at school. Now, him doing what they did with his cousins? I think the one cousin talked the other one and Gray into doing what they did. That's just my thought, but I can't see Gray just going out and doing something like that to a total stranger." "We don't know them, or him anymore. They said they were involved in making drugs. So, what else they might've been capable of, we don't know." "Nick, stop a second and think about it. Gray isn't on the stuff. He's not, because all the times I've seen him in town, he's been full weight like he was in school. The other two, I don't know. I can't remember them. The one...the best thing I can say is the dude looks like a vampire he's so pale. I'd be willing to bet you he's the one that put the other two up to everything." "Well, they're all in jail now, so I imagine one's going to talk to save his hide. From what Billy said, the one that was up by the house is the one that probably poured the gasoline through the house from what Gray said to him." "Probably so, but the one that's the ring leader probably was the one out at the barn. He sounds like he's the sort that will hide out and slaughter a defenseless animal, but send the others to do the dirty work." "Well, they're all going to go away for this one. It's just a shame they didn't have dogs over there." "Speaking of that, I'm going to tell you now, I prefer to have a dog around and I'll probably have several. I just want you to know now." "I'm not going to mind as long as they're not the attack kind." "Any dog will attack, but they're the best form of defense a cattleman can have. They'll bark when a cow will only moo. A dog will let out that alarm when a cow is too far away for us to even here. I'd just prefer it if we have an alarm system that will give us a chance to get out a shotgun and go out to stop something from happening. Also, a dog will tend to keep a coyote or a wolf away. They just don't encroach on each other's territories." "O.k., let's just make sure the boys have a choice in the matter because they're likely to make them into a pet." "Yeah, I know Jr will." "You've got a fine boy in him. He looks just like you did back then." "Billy is the spitting image of his mama. I saw him and instantly thought back to that time and it was just uncanny." "Well, I'm glad they're taking a notion to each other. I'm just glad you're back around. For too long, I've not had a friend I could call my own....well, not since you left." "I know. It's been the same for me. Now, I'm going to do a subject switch on you." "O.k., shoot. " "Those two guys over on those farms...Anderson and Thompson....you do know they're lovers don't you?" "I guessed it, but all I knew was they'd farmed together all these years, but the one had a family." "Well, when we went through all the troubles we did, my dad told me the history he knew and it turns out they were lovers way back an the one went out and got the girl knocked up in the military during the war. He kind of shelved his love life with the other when he brought her and the kid home. The first thing my dad did was beat the tar out of me and question me if we'd went over and got taught to be faggots by them two." "Oh, Mike, I'm sorry." "You knew my dad. He'd put one and one together and come up with ninety six, Nick. He wasn't the best when it came to brains. He just was too paranoid to give us credit for coming up with us liking each other on our own." "Mike, we just need to make sure they don't catch the flak we did." "I'm not going to stop them. In fact, if they want to go over to that farm over there and learn how to see two guys living together as role models, then it's fine with me. I want them to have the best future they can have." "Me too. Speaking of them, did you know they were together back then?" "Heck no! I didn't know a thing the whole time...not until my dad said it. Then, afterwards, I kicked myself for not getting us to go over as I think it'd probably been better for us not to get caught." "Mike, if we hadn't gotten caught, where do you think we'd be today." "Oh, I'd say, my dad probably would've still died and I would have gotten the farm. You'd probably came over there to live and we'd still had Billy with your sister and her husband as neighbors. That would have been nice." "Yeah, sis accepted us. You knew that didn't you?" "Well, I didn't know she knew, but I suspected. The amount of time we spent with each other had to gotten people suspicious. I just kick myself for not taking the truck that night and us going somewhere different to park. Then, things wouldn't have happened like they did." "As you know, hindsight's twenty/twenty. We didn't know we'd gotten caught, and who's to say we wouldn't have gotten caught at a different time? It happened and at least we've got each other as friends now." "You bet 'cha. I'm thankful for that myself." "One thing I need to ask you Mike, is to measure the distance from the Thompson place over to here. I think we need to put up another fence along that one and put in some wind breaks so the boys can drive those trucks back and forth....well, the women too for that matter. What I'm getting to is I don't want us to inadvertantly have a bull in one of those fields and it to charge a truck." "I was thinking about that myself. What I was thinking about how we should pour gravel, or blacktop a strip of pavement because as easy as those are going to be on the soil, they're still going to wear down the grass in the Spring and we'll have a mess. I don't know how much a strip of pavement or gravel for that matter will cost, but that's the best thing I can think." "Let's go with asphalt. The one thing I want to teach the boys is to do things right the first time as it'll save problems down the road. If we go with gravel, yes, we'll save money, but if we've got to put down asphalt later, then we're time ahead if we do it now." "You're right. I'm just not used to having a budget that's allowed me to do that. If that's what you want, then we'll do it. I agree totally it's the right way to be and I'm sure we're going to be doing things right by having Amy as an onsite vet." "True. That in itself will be a savings just in potential problems. Paulette will save us money and make us money, but Amy's going to be a busy woman." "Yeah, that's what I think. She doesn't realize how many people have needed a place like we're proposing." "Nick, can I suggest something else I want the boys to learn?" "You don't even have to ask, Mike. You know it's just us here, tell me what you're thinking." "Well, I feel strange about taking Billy's care for granted. That's why I ask." "Treat him like you do your own, that's all I ask and I know you'll do that, so what's on your mind?" "I want us to get on the board of some of the things with the county. I want the boys to have a hand in making their future better. For so long, I know I've felt some of the decisions being made there haven't been ones I agree with and there's no one to blame but myself. I just think if I'd been there doing more, I could've made a difference." "You're probably right. Those guys take care of their own and some of the things done just scream of them taking care of themselves. Foley's the highway commissioner and he has asphalt all the way to his farm...no other farmer can say they went from a dirt lane to asphalt, but he sure can!" "Yeah, that one didn't even look suspicious. He built that new bridge and the way the highway looks out by his place just says to me they certainly know where their funding comes from." "What sort of offices do you want to try for?" "I don't know. Ag commissioner....rural power....well, being road commissioner wouldn't hurt us any!" "I agree, but if the road out there gets to be too well traveled, then we've got to be careful with the boys and their little trucks. I'd have to have them hurt crossing it." "If it gets that well traveled, I'll go to the county and get a box culvert put in that's big enough to allow them to drive under the road as well as allows cattle to move from over here to over there. With them being the biggest rachers in these parts, I don't think they'll be ignored...or at least, they better not be." "That's why we should be on different boards. You protect our interests in one area and I'll protect them in another area. If we could get the women on some, we'd have it sown up!" "Well, Amy would be better suited on the Ag commission and Paulette would be better suited for finance. She knowing the budget would certainly tell us where the money's headed." "You're right, let's go in and talk with them about it." The two went back into the house. When they got there, the women were seated at the table doing some scrapbooking. "What you two up to?" Paulette smiled, "We just thought we'd take some of these receipts and make the boys some scrap books of the beginning of their farm. Later, when they get older, they can look back on it and see we were thinking of them." Nick smiled, "That's a good idea. Do you care to have company? Mike and I have a few ideas we'd like to run by you two." "Sure hon, you sit here and you can be designated scissor man. Mike, you're in charge of glue. Now, what's your your mind? Because our jobs got a lot easier!" She said with a chuckle. Nick chuckled too and looked over at Mike, "Do you wonder how we got roped into this?" "I do...it all started with the words, "I do"!" He said with a laugh. Everyone chuckled and Mike began, "Nick and I have a few ideas we'd like to run by you." Paulette and Amy looked up at him. "We're wondering if you two as well as us would like to take on the challenge of going to the county meetings and getting ourselves on a few of the committees or boards." "Don't we have to be elected on them?" Amy asked. "No, sometimes, they form the committees just from interested parties. Others, yes, we'd need to get elected, but that wouldn't be bad either as it'd show the boys how to be a part of the voting process." Pauletted asked, "What sort of committee? I for one sure don't want to be on a committee which oversees the county fair. That'd be a real headache." "No, what we're wondering is this....you have a professional ability to oversee finance, so that'd be where we'd focus you. Amy, you're better with animals, so ag would be better where you'd excell." Paulette looked at them, "What's brought this on?" Mike without missing a beat said, "Nick and I were out at the barn and one thing led to another and we were discussing different things which we've felt would've benefitted us if we'd been better at participating. We discussed it and we think it'd be good for the boys as it'd show them to be more active in the county's governing and it'd not have them thinking they're a vital part of things if they only reach out." "So, this is a way to help them learn to be better citizens" Paulette said, "I like it! I've thought a few things needed changing down there myself. One of them is the distance the fire and emergency units are from this part of the county. A satellite office could mean the difference in someone living or being severely maimed over here in case of an accident. I can't help but to think that if a fire truck had been closer, Billy wouldn't be an orphan now." "That's true. Maybe that's a committee Nick could be on. With you being on a committee over finance, you will know where the money's spent and ear marked, so we can know what's going to be in the future." Nick stepped in, "And, you'd know if something's not going to benefit us down the road by knowing where the money's going." Paulette smiled, "Amy, what do you think?" "I think being on the Ag committee would be great. You don't know it, but that committee oversees who is the one that pays for things like food for the elderly at the county home and it's just now the crops and livestock like most people think. Someone who is in on the committee now is going to be making decisions for the upcoming baby boomers that are retiring now. You may not realize it, but the county home is in deplorable condition. Most people don't think about it until they need it and once they're in there, it's really too late to improve it. I'd like to see about doing something now to have it be a better facility. If given the right foresight, we could get a facility built that would be one the rest of the state would wish they had." "That's a good idea!" Paulette said, "I didn't know that! Our parents are getting to an age now they might not have any other choice soon and I've really not thought about the home out there. We should see if they give a tour and then, we'd know what it's like before we went into a committee meeting. I'd like to be on that committee too." Mike smiled, "So, you're in agreement this is something we need to set out to start doing?" Paulette paused and then said, "Yes, I'm in agreement. I want to be involved, BUT, I don't want to become so active the boys suddenly see us gone all the time. If given a choice of helping or the boys, I'd make the choice of them over anything." Nick interjected, "Most certainly, that's not what we're saying. What we're saying is we need to be active, but not over extend ourselves." Paulette said, "I think if we did things right, my parents would be more active in either being on a committee too, or they'd be happy to watch the boys on the nights where we have commitments that overlap. I'll ask tomorrow." Nick smiled, "Why don't you ask your parents what they know about things and what they've heard. I'm sure they probably know someone who is on one and could give us some advice on how to go about being more involved." "I'll ask, as I'm sure my parents would know someone. Mike, what all are your interests, so I can know what we'd each be best in asking about.?" "As you know, ranching and raising cattle, but I'm really interested in the roads, or something which would help us in the long run. The school is one which I know is going to affect the boys, so I think it'd be good to get some influence there." Nick said, "I do know the school board appointed someone from this area the last time because they didn't have anyone run. It's an elected spot and you'd most likely run uncontested for that seat. That's a good plan. Also, the commissioner's positions are elected, so we'd each have to run for one of those seats, but it'd be good to see us on the seats in the meeting." Paulette smiled, "I sure never thought about it, but it'd be something I'd really like to do. Guys, this is a great idea!" They sat there and cut out scrapbook tidbits, photos, and receipts as they talked. Eventually, Mike and Amy left agreeing to meet together for Sunday dinner after church. They agreed to bring makings for a feast of Beef roast, carrots, potatos, and all the trimmings. After church, I rode home with Jr and his family. When we got to the house, Amy and Aunt Paulette went into the house. Mike, Uncle Nick, Jr, and I went out to the barn and Uncle Nick got a wheel thing and said for me to drive my little truck to my parent's farm and then we went through the side pasture gate instead of the gate which the other guys used when they left the main parking area. Uncle Nick took the wheel thing and measured to the fence towards the lane and then told me to drive a straight line towards the Thompson farm. When we got to the fence, he used cutting pliars to cut the fence and then said for me to drive over to the fence and drive along it to the farm. While he rode, he kept the wheel on the ground and measured how far it was in feet. When we got to the Thompson farm, he told Mike the distance and then we parked the little truck to go across the fence and tell Mr. Thompson we were there. Mr Thompson wasn't there, and Mike said he was probably over to Mr. Anderson's house. Mike took a slip of paper and left a note for Mr Thompson telling him we'd cut the fence but it was o.k., as it joined to our pasture. There was no livestock in the field and Mr. Thompson didn't have any lifestock, but Mike said he wasn't sure if Mr. Thompson ever put any of Mr. Anderson's bulls in there. I didn't want to correct Mike in telling him the bulls were mine now. When we drove back, Uncle Nick and Mike talked about spacing for evergreen trees. Mike thought two rows on each side would be enough spaced eight feet, but Uncle Nick said he thought we ought to have three. I didn't understand what they were talking about and asked, that's when they told me they were going to lay a strip of asphalt for us to drive on. They said they thought a strip eight feet wide would be enough for everyone to be able to pass side by side. The advantage of it, was it would be big enough to drive a truck on also. When we got back to the fence we'd cut, Uncle Nick used his pliars to mend the fence. I watched and he did a good job. If I hadn't known it was cut, I wouldn't have been able to see it. By the time we got back to the house, Aunt Paulette and Amy had a really good lunch for us to eat. Mike and Uncle Nick talked about getting a pipe and putting it in the ditch for us to drive over. They talked about the entrance to the new office being there and then about wondering who they should contact with the county to get permission. They got involved in that after lunch and Jr and I drove down to see the animals. The alpaca's were really neat. We fed them and they came over to the fence for us to pet them. Jr said he'd have to ask for us to grow a bunch of carrots this summer so we'd have a lot of them to feed them as snacks. We drove around the farm and as we drove, Jr and I held hands. I'd sneak glances over at him and he'd look back at me. We shared driving and it was fun. One thing which rested at the back of my mind would be going to school tomorrow and not having him in the same school with me. I told him and he seemed just as bummed about it as me. We were down by the creek when we heard the truck horn off in the distance. Jr said that usually was a sign he needed to get home, so we hurried back up to the house. Mike and Uncle Nick were standing outside and said Mr. Anderson had called and one of the bulls was in need of medical care. He said Mike and Amy were going to use my little truck to go over to help. I asked if I could go, but Uncle Nick said I'd probably get in the way, so Jr and I went inside to play Tonkas in the living room while Uncle Nick watched sports on t.v.. Soon Aunt Paulette came in and asked Jr and I to come to the kitchen. She was making some popcorn balls and wanted us to help. We went in and I think we ate more than what we made. At least I knew I was full! But, we had a good time popping popcorn and mixing it all up. One trick Aunt Paulette used which was neat was she put the mixed stuff into zip lock bags she's sprayed cooking oil into so it didn't get our hands all greasy. We moulded them from the outside and then would turn them out onto wax paper when we were done. Jr and I had a good time making popcorn ball men on the wax paper. Aunt Paulette helped us because she got into her gingerbread house supplies and got us gumdrops and candy corn for the various eyes and mouths. After a long time, Mike and Amy came back and said Delta Dawn had a problem and was very sick. Amy said he'd gotten some soured hay and basicly the only thing they could do was feed him lots of milk to get him over it. She said medicine would work too, but milk was the cheapest way of doing the same thing. Mike said she and Jr were going to go on home, but he'd go over and sit up with Delta Dawn and Misters Thompson and Anderson. Jr left with Amy and Uncle Nick decided to go with Mike to see the bull. I stayed with Aunt Paulette and we went through the photo albums taken from my parent's house. Everything smelled like the smoke, so Aunt Paulette scanned the photos into her computer and made me a photo album to view on the computer. There was a photo of mama and daddy when they got married that she made larger and printed out. She put it into a photo frame and we put it in on a wall in my bedroom. One thing she wasn't expecting was me asking her to make me a photo of her and Uncle Nick's wedding so I could put it on my wall too. I told her she and Uncle Nick were like my new mama and daddy and she got tears in her eyes and hugged me. It was then I told her I wished I had a digital camera so I could take pictures of Jr, Mike, and Amy. She said she'd get me one this week and said it'd probably be good for us to have several photos of the livestock so we'd have proof for insurance purposes. I told her I wish I'd had a photo of old Bessie. She said, "Maybe we can get you another cow and you can call her "new Bessie"" I told her I liked that idea. About eight o'clock, Mike and Uncle Nick came back and got something to eat and filled a thermos. They took a few of the popcorn balls and filled two of the old milk cans with milk. We didn't have milk cows, but a cow that was nursing could provide just as good milk We had several of those, so they rounded them up and got about ten gallons which they said would be enough. I went back into the house and Aunt Paulette said for me to go take a shower and get ready for bed. I didn't even ask if I could play tonkas because I'd already played them with Jr. After my shower, I went to bed and Aunt Paulette came up to tuck me in and say good night. That week at school, nothing much went on. One boy said his daddy had gotten arrested, and I wondered if he was related to the guys that burned our house. I made it a point of staying away from him in case it was as he was upset about it. Other than that, the week was like any other. During the week, Uncle Nick went to the lawyer and got all the paperwork done for the farm. I had to sit with him and he had to explain a lot of what each paper meant. It was hard, but he put things into terms I could understand. The main question I had after everything was when we could begin doing everything and if Jr's family could now move into the Thompson farm. Uncle Nick said they could just as soon as Mr. Thompson moved his belongings out, and he and Mike were going to help Mr. Thompson do that the upcoming weekend. After that, Uncle Nick asked me to sit down and explained to me what all he wanted to do. He said we'd need to have a stock trailer and a semi and since we were going to be getting a semi, he thought we ought to get several trailers so we could haul hay bails to deliver them to people that bought them. He said it would be a good living just from the hay sales and he'd get used equipment which would save us money. I agreed with everything and then he said to me he would be teaching me how to drive a tractor because in hay season, I could drive one and it'd help. I thought that was neat and asked if Jr could learn too. He said he and Mike had discussed it, and Jr would be taught too. He said he didn't want us near the moving parts of a tractor, and if anything went wrong with a tractor, we were to shut it off and not to touch a thing until an adult got there. He said most of the accidents on a farm were either animal related or machinery related and the machinery accidents were the worst because it could hurt or kill a person real fast. He showed me with a pencil and a string how people get caught up in the pto of a tractor. I knew then I didn't want to do that. It just scared me with a string! The rest of the semester, nothing much happened of significance except the new barns were built and the new office building was built too. The new road coming in was built and it was neat driving over on the asphalt to what became the Johnson's farm. Jr and I didn't get to go to the same school as the Thompson house needed renovations and it was nearly the end of the semester before they moved in. They said Jr would start the next year with me, but he'd finish the school year at his old school. Jr was a little upset about leaving his friends, but knew we'd only have one year before everyone got to rejoin at the middle school as it was combined. Jr and everyone else got their little trucks. Misters Anderson and Thompson both liked their and they soon started coming over to the office to help with the various chores around it. Both of them were really proud of what all we'd accomplished and knowing they were happy, made me feel good about everything too. I liked those two guys. They didn't show how much they cared for each other physically, but I knew they loved each other just by the way they looked at each other. It seemed a spark would carry between them and I just knew. What was neat was sometime in May, we did the baling for the first time. The two older guys came over and showed us how to go about everything. Uncle Nick and Mike spray painted everything on the tractors bright white that we weren't to touch. It didn't seem like much, but knowing those parts weren't what we were to be around kept me from even being near that part of a tractor. What was good was I learned to drive a tractor and it made me feel like I was growing up. Seeing Jr on the other tractor was a neat feeling because he looked just as proud as I felt. We both knew that Uncle Nick and Mike both were seeing we were growing up. One other good thing was sometime during the Spring, Jr and I got to start helping with the feeding. It wasn't hard, we just had to be careful of being in amongst the cows, or buffalo when they realized it was time to eat. One time, I was in the middle of the big O shaped fence we put the bales in a little too long. By the time I was ready to leave, I looked around and all I saw were buffalo! Needless to say, my truck was about fifty feet away and so was my cell phone. I couldn't call and I couldn't even beep the horn. Finally, Jr came to see what was taking me so long and saw what had happened. He laughed, but for a moment, it was scary! Another interesting thing was the way we now herded cattle, or buffalo. Most of the time, herding lifestock, it takes several people as cattle will dart back and forth. It was Jr who realized cattle don't have eyes like ours and they see things more from the side than from the front. He said it came to him one day when he saw a cow stuck in a corner. The cow was standing in the corner with it's nose facing inward like I used to have to do when I was in trouble. He said the cow thought it was boxed in because all it could see was fence out of it's eyesight. That led us to putting more rounded corners into the pens and fields. It also gave Uncle Nick and Mike an idea to put on of the roung hooped things which goes around the bales when we feed onto the front of a truck's front hitch. The cow would see it an would be driven forward. The plus side of it was if we drove either a mama or a baby, the other would follow and soon the whole herd was following us! A few other things which happened that Spring was Aunt Paulette got me a new digital camera and gave me the chore of going out and taking photos of the different animals. I took a close up of the animal's face with the ear tag and then one from each side. Jr helped in a big way as he liked the downloading of the camera onto the new laptop we were given for the job. He got to be really good about documenting them and making files so everyone knew how to access it. It made it easier to care for them as that file held the individual animal's vet forms and documentation. Sometime in the Spring, Uncle Nick, Aunt Paulette, Amy, and Mike all started going to meetings with the county. It started off rather slow, but soon it was going on a few times a week. On nights when they'd be gone, Mike or Amy would watch me. On nights when they'd be gone too...which usually were either Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturdays, Misters Thompson and Anderson would watch us two over at their house. It was neat because I began to take my voice recorder over, and then Jr figured out how to hook up the microphone onto the laptop so all we had to do was set it up and let them remininsce. The good thing was we learned a whole lot about farming from them two. They'd tell us different things and then, later we'd ask how to do things when we were out in the barn, or out in the field. They'd show us and it was amazing how much and how fast we learned. If you'd gave me a pop quiz in farming, I'd passed with an A+. One side benefit from all this was the two older guys insisted we get involved in 4-H. We found out 4-H didn't have a chapter locally, and the closest one was over an hour drive. They decided to set up a chapter and we began to have meetings at the livestock barn so it'd be centrally located for everyone to drive. We decided to have the meetings on Wednesdays and we advertised in the newspaper for a month before the first meeting. I was wondering if anyone was going to show because I hadn't heard anyone talking about it at school. Jr said he hadn't either so we thought we'd be the only ones there! Boy, were we wrong! That first meeting had over one hundred and fifty boys and girls at the meeting! It made us feel good because they had so many, they decided to have a junior group and an older group. Jr and I got elected to be the Vice President and President. Jr got President, but it didn't matter. Where he was, I was, and we were at every meeting because we liked it so much. For Jr's project, he did it on Alpacas. Mine was a baby buffalo whose mother didn't want a thing to do with it. I nursed it with cow's milk several times a day and made it a huge hay pile in the barn with blankets over the hay so it could lay and feel secure like it's mama should have done. The result was the little girl thought I was her mama! When I'd go out in the truck, she'd follow me and wherever I went, she'd go. I had to be careful about driving too fast otherwise she'd stop and start squalling. Then, I'd have to turn around and go back and get out and nudge up against her like her mama would to tell her I loved her. Then, she'd shut up and I'd have to give her a bottle. The bottles for her were huge! Each one was a half gallon and she went through a lot of them! By the time Summer came, we'd also gotten a garden in the ground and Jr and I made sure we had rows and rows of carrots. With all the animals we had, we had to treat each one like they were the only one. Each would get a carrot and soon, we didn't have to herd them anymore as they'd follow us looking for their carrots. This led to side racks on the little trucks because they figured out real fast that's where we kept them. Then, they'd be eatting them and not letting everyone get their share. One interesting thing of note was the buffalo would eat beets and potatos like the cows would eat the carrots. Jr and I tried it and once we discovered this, we made plans to add this to our list of things we wanted to grow in the garden. I don't think they liked the taste of them all that much, I think it was the crunch and the texture which they liked. That's the only thing we could figure out which was similar in all three. As time passed, Jr and I were more and more affectionate with each other when we were about our chores. It was like we were one in our actions and thoughts. One would start the sentence and the other would finish it. It got to be so much, the adults were all calling us "the twins". One benefit was when school got out, we were sleeping over at the other's house so much, no one cared. Everyone knew where we were and what was neat was the adults were all really close. Even Misters Anderson and Thompson were over quite often. They'd come around and it was like a huge extended family. Then, sometime in June, news came which everyone dreaded. The trial for the guys would be in mid July. When I heard this, a sickness hit me in my stomache and I just knew it was going to be bad. I won't go into it here, but I'll wait to tell you about it later. One advantage with the weather being warmer was we got to swim. What I had hoped was we could swim in one of the ponds, but the two older guys said we couldn't because of the fear of water moccasins. I hadn't seen many snakes out on the farm, but being told about one of those snakes really made my skin crawl. I do know when I did see a snake, if it wasn't a black snake, I was to call one of the adult men and they'd be along shortly with a shot gun. I learned that after the first time of seeing one and not doing it right away. Later that night at supper, I told the story of seeing it and asking what kind it was. When they discovered it was a copperhead, they wanted to know why I didn't radio it in. I told them I didn't know I was supposed to! That's when I was told how much one of them could do if they bit a cow and how much it would cost for vet bills.After that, I made sure I called it in real fast! I'm just glad I didn't see one often, but we did have rattle snakes and copperheads on the farm. The black snakes were o.k., I learned and they weren't to be shot. One other event I need to tell you about is the excitement of birth! As you probably know, we bought a bunch of cattle and some of them were pregnant. The first full moon when it was time to give birth, we had three which decided to give birth on one night. It took everything Amy, Mike, and Uncle Nick could to bring those little one's into the world. I know it took everything Jr, Aunt Paulette, and I could to run them whatever they needed to make sure they didn't need to leave the cow. That was when we decided to put in pens into the new barn and make sure the cows which were about to give birth were in there. It kept them in the same area and we didn't have a problem getting the cow to the barn while trying to give birth. We learned that lesson because the first full moon happened to accompany a severe rain storm. Two of the cattle decided to give birth out in the middle of the pasture! I won't even begin to tell you how much of a mess that was! But, let me say this...after all that water, and after having to hold an umbrella for that long, my arms were sore and we ended up soaked anyways. What I do know was Amy was a lot smarter because she had Jr go get her their folding picnic shelter. It was like a building with a tent awning top. They fastened some roll plastic to the sides and them lucky ducks were dry! The next day, Mike and Uncle Nick moved all the pregnant cattle into the barn...I wonder why! Notes From Retta: I realize this chapter has been a long time coming. For that, I apologize. I've been dealing with a lot and those issues have settled down...or, I should say, he better hope they settle down, or else! Yup, my hand went on my hip! Thanks for all the emails and I'd like to say how very much I appreciate them. They've kept my spirits up when everything seemed like it wasn't going so good. Once again, Thanks ya'll From My Keyboard To Your Heart, Retta RettaMichaels@Gmail.com Copyright Notice - Copyright © December 2007 by RettaMichaels The author, RettaMichaels copyrights this story and retain all rights. This work may not be changed or duplicated in any form, media, - known or unknown ^Ö without the authors' expressed permission. All applicable copyright laws apply. Disclaimer: All individuals depicted are fictional, and any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental Special Request I am in sore need of an editor. If you'd like to do this as a labor of love because there's no pay involved, please send me a letter. Requesting an opportunity. I'd really appreciate it. Here are the requirements I strive to have. One, you must be able to edit fast...like one chapter a day, because when I get to writing, I write fast. I have three stories running now and numerous short stories which run in between. Plus, I've got several other long stories in the works for Spring release. One of those is going to have at least a chapter every three days and the other is going to be at least twice a week. Other than that, your spelling and grammer need to be better than mine. Mine's not good as I tend to write like I talk, which some people don't really like...but, oh well! -- From My Keyboard To Your Heart Rhett Here is a list of stories I've written and where to find them: With Love - Nifty - Beginnings Section Rural Love - Author Heading - DeweyWriter.com Write Me A Love Story - Author Heading - DeweyWriter.com To Love Him - Author Heading - DeweyWriter.com Military Zone - Nifty - Military Section Evan - Nifty - Beginnings Section