Day 27 one way’r’other

The parsonage reroofing job secured, I’d had the shingles delivered. Having my ladders, ladder jacks, 2x4 toe boards, planks and picks on scene I set up my staging. The staging set I carried up shingles for my starter courses, and soon would be wiring my first toe boards in place for good roofing foot holds.
About the time I had my roof work established I see ambling down the street. A fellow I had given a many a ride to from town out towards the country side dropping him off at the end of this block at the passing business route. “Garth” I hollered out, getting his attention, and before he had ambled to far. I slid down my wooden ladder as an old saly liking a squirrel in pursuit of a freshly dropped nut.
Meeting Garth, I encouraged him to sit down with me on the parkway to chat a spell. I must explain, Garth had suffered some spinal damage at birth. Never expected to walk he had beat the odds considerably managing to amble along as he did walking wobbly and looking like he were out of control and ready to colapse. Garth also had a speech impediment what caused him to slur a good number his words. “Garth, have I just seen you come out that house?” my pointing at the same house where in I suspected the pretty young lady lived.
Garth’s speaking as clearly as he could answered me, “Yeah.”
“Tell me Garth. Is there a pretty girl living there?”
Garth looked at me in an odd manner as if I had picked a subject he was forbidden to talk about. So, I changed tactics, “What is the pretty girl’s name?”
“I can’t tell you.” he confessed.
“Alright then. Who is she? “ I asked him.
“I can’t tell you.” He worriedly looked at me and back again at his house, saying, “Ma wont like it.”
Not liking the word “blackmail” I stooped to another tactic. “Look, what do you say I stop in to see you until I see the girl. Your Ma will want to know how I know you; and, I’ll just have to tell her.” Oh I was rotten. I’d never have told his Ma anything. But what the Hell, I liked the word extortion better than blackmail. “So how about being nice to me and tell me who she is.”
“Ma wont like it!” he’d said it again.
“Ma will never know. Whatever you tell me Ma will never know.” I promised him.
“Well,” Garth started slowly, “She’s Frieda.” more hesitating, “She’s my sister.”
I was totally knocked over, my rolling back over looking straight up into the bluest blue of a Spring day’s sky. Laying there for a moment or two I righted myself, saying, “Your not kidding me are you?”
“Nooo.” Garth assured me.
“Thanks Garth. you’re a good man. One day when we’re both down town the coke’s will be on me.” We chatted some more until I had to excuse myself, giving Garth a hand up, and got back to work on the parson’s roof. The next couple days I finished shingling that house, all the while my mind was preoccupied by the mystery girl I had seen in my dreams for the last seven years. She might just be the one only two doors away. However was I going to get an introduction.
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Now here’s something you have simply got to check out, A reindeer shoe: http://thechickenchronicles.blogspot.com/ . It is a most interesting happy tale passed on by Kelly. Oh yes, Kelly (a genuine country girl) was once a KL girl. If you don’t already know her look in on Kelly and her menagerie. Her place is always a pleasant stop.
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Gosh, I’ve no memory all whet I did today??? Sick, sick, sick! Short-term memory making it Old Timer’s Disease.
Ohhhh! Yeah!! I grown grain today, the process taking longer than the usual. Picking up the last of the Alpaca feeds for my grinds supplements. Should only at a couple three weeks for this years Spring calves to stop sounding, “Capca capca.” getting back to a more maturing “Ma!” turning into a deeper throated “Moo!”
Leaning on the afternoon for entertainment we ran out to the distanced satellite field and rigged (manually picked up the wings on both implements making then road worthy narrower) the tows disc and drag behind the 2150 for drive home. Now that was a ride home once I got into it. Seven MPH the whole distance home. Why? The dang spring toothed drag would start wig-waging back of the disc, there, liking the tail waging the dog, the 2150 Ollie the dog, slow was the speedy movement of the day. Getting back I was more than ready for lunch, my beating it to what Herr Clink had threatened to feed the cats extra. Warm, it nicely filled my belly out.
After lunch I ran my favorite Ollie with baler in tow to the shop. Bro’s wanting I should change the thin skinned spare tire on this Ollie for a more substance tire. Why? He’s afraid some tough cornstalk just might puncture that thinned old tire. Dropping the baler the That Ollie’s ready for tire repair and change. To make more room in front of shop I brought 4010 JD with serviced hay rake in tow home. One more mile and it’ll be in the corn field.
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Backing the tractor up, I found we needed some ether starting fluids. Church brothers were the closest parts dealers in my neighborhood and decide to pay one of them a patron’s visit before lunch. Getting there, walking into the store, my mind decidedly became a blank. Walking in greeting the owner face to face without a counter between us he asks me, “What do you need?” I found myself speechless. The best I could do to communicate, I brought my right hand up motioning my first index finger up and down. “Ah, you need a couple cans starting fluid.” He had either surmised or read my mind. I led me to where the product was on a wall shelf selecting two cans, them we proceeded to the parts counter and cash register. Along the way I wanted to tell him, ‘this was for farm use,’ my hands silently trying to gesture what I could not say, He says, “Oh okay, for farm use.” He was right and as he stepped behind that counter, he added, “Anything else before I read your mind again?” How true that fact was as we all laughed, enjoying the situation, my embarrassment. Lawd no! I didn’t want him reading any more my mind, my putting out of my mind, what I thought about the other 97% my waking time. So, this about covers it for another day in Shorthorn country. BGKC.
Fernan