rainy days and fridays

Well, at least there's the Friday part to make it better...like, not a Monday. This has been a pretty rough week for me emotionally because a lot is hanging in the balance with what happens in the next few weeks here on the farm. All three of us kids grew up here, as did my own daughter, covering the 50 year span that my father has been the go-to guy. It was a totally cool place to grow up, even though there were no girls to play with. As soon as I got to be a pre-teen I was on the road to figuring out how to get outta' this place and to where the action was. My life outside of the farm consists of four years in college and about 10 more in different apartments and houses. When old Mr. Council the horseman moved out of the house on the hill, it took me and daddy the better part of six months to make the place livable for our little family. BG was four at the time. Needless to say, her childhood was filled with horses and scratches and fishin' holes. Good stuff. No matter how bad my day is or how tired I am, when I come here and concentrate on the beauty surrounding me season after season, it all gets better. My sanity, so to speak.

One of my brothers who also rented here left the state several years ago with the parting wisdom that "if you don't own it, you can't defend it". We talked about the beginning of the end of our family's life as we knew it, with all of us tucked somewhat closely within easy driving distance. He hauled rubber totes to Rockfish Valley on trailers until i thought he would run off a mountain in WV trying to get all that stuff moved. Since then he has become a father and a partner in another thriving business with his wife. Their lifestyle is relaxed, fun and full of deadlines. And they wouldn't change a thing, I'm sure. They are happy with life and well, that makes me happy too.

Other brother is the well known keeper of things around here since Daddy has become unable to focus on anything other than his watch and the TV. He has timber cut and dirt hauled and trenches dug so that the crops will have proper drainage. He rides the pastures, checking cattle and wrestling them down to the ground to tag 'em. He even feeds the babies with bottles sometimes, and I helped once. It definitely ain't a girl job, though I could probably get into some of that hay raking like the girl with the long hair does.

I used to be a chronic worrier but learned long ago to pick my battles, thanks to SRUIs and therapy. Life is just too short to waste time on anguish when the outcome will be what it is. I've turned it over to Big Ernie and he knows what's best. Sorta like Hoss did :)
This is a biggie for all of us. Ya'll keep the faith ^j^