Monday, June 8, 2009

‘Twas a Dark Day…

Present day
One After my cutting down likely sixty acres hay yesterday to a weatherman’s report sprinkles ending by noon and next five days fair weather. I want to put a price on his head!!!!!!!!! Then looking again at what has happened having been delivered an inch of rain last night and another quarter inch this aftewrnoon, When that hay’s baled and put away it’ll be the cleanest I’ll have ever started putting up first any season since I started haying 63 years ago.
************
A day of long long-ago
On this date 51 years ago I had arranged a picnic date with a very lovely young lady. I had decided before I had picked her up we were going to go window shopping. No time to waste sitting idly anywhere letting another media entertain us. I wanted to know of what kind of stuff this lady possessed and was made of, dreams, ambitions, goals, and argumentative smarts.
Riding beside me she was mute the first half hour, our drive up the coast to see what kind of entertainment the village of Saugatuck had to offer. First stop I helped her out of the car reversing my having helped her in earlier. The overcast sky emitting liquid sunshine I took her hand beautifully fitting within my own. Together we dashed away dodging rain drops onto the first stop’s porch. This place was one of the high priced mercantile junk shop tourist traps other wise known as a antique shop.
Inside there were all manner of old things older than our combined ages. Old chairs hanging on the walls as if we had walked into a shaker home. Children’s old sleds and wagons. Bureaus dressers and an ardmore, a pie safe, end tables plus other wooden and wicker seating furniture. Towards the back of the shop there even set a buggy and cutter. In the center of the there were a couple sinks, one of them made of china including a pedestal. It was beautiful. Next to it was a marble toped sink assembly what could use a cabinet of its own.
Myself taking a particular interest in this old piece of Americana, Frieda asked me, “What‘s your interest in that dirty old sink thingy?”
I answered, “I’d like one like for use in a home I’d build for my family someday.”
She stated, “I’ll enjoy spending a lifetime watching you shave over such a sink.”
Now just where had that come from? Did she realize what she’d said?
Through my mind one word described her mind, “Nuts.” How she decide that already? I had only introduced myself to her four evenings prior. She was nuts. Another 5 ½ hours talking eating talking walking eventually dropping her off, I had wondered from where the rain had come from? Two more dates that evening when I had walked into my mother’s home along about 2:00 AM, Mom wanted to know where I had been all day. Coming form I knew not where, I blurted out, “I been out with my future Mrs.’s today. Mom in turn accused me, “Your nuts!”. Exactly six months more heavy discussions over the what’s and wherefores of a marriage contract from that very day on we’d said our vows to be married for ever more Dec. 8th.
************
Today’s activities involved my dropping Handy off at Doc’s office. Next it was my day’s way for traveling about the neighborhood to re-supply my shelled corn supplies my having to grind today. Just as timely as never imagined possible Handy was ready to come home a just about the same time I had the next steps beginnings coming together. Still making deals we split for our individual lunches. Lunch out of way I picked up empty feed wagon made second day’s stop by the elevator for supplements, and then Handy. His help he handled the weighty lifting I need avoid, to avoid those debilitating lightening headaches. Grind done, feed wagon spotted some hap hazard shop time trying to cut some glass, we just managed to save one possible piece out of three. That glass sheet to old, to brittle, it broke so many ways, I’ll take what I can get (salvage) for a new glass for the sandblasting cabinet window.
Late enough looking like more rain we all closed shop and I took Handy over to the crossroads for some his shopping and medications. Me, I found a couple half price sales in the produce department. This of course right after I had tried talking a young lady out in the rain if she’d share rain coat. She neither said yes or no. I at least got a pretty smile.
I don’t remember supper. I don’t even remember what I had. Wasn’t really finished when I was called out. Somebody had pulled the fence charger plug for the bull pens and they’d been out for a strol. Keith had them back in. I was needed for fixing the fences. Fence repairs were easy enough. The fence charger was something else, failing to work. We’d gone through all the chargers on the shelf before we found one old reprobate that worked. I was odd how all those chargers were checked out while Bro’ and Keith kibitzed from the shop’s sheltering walls and roof while I got to stand out in the pouring down rains. Especially those waters what had rinsed off the roof before running down my neck and filling my boots. It was a grand two hours. Slickest shower I’ve ever had without the soap.
There’s more than one way to clean up farming. BGKC.
Fernan

No comments: