A book or a reality show?

INDIANOLA, Neb. — I’ve always told our kids that I should write a book someday because it seems that things happen to us that never happen to anyone else.  I attribute this to not ever having the correct equipment or supplies needed to do the things that we need to do every day. 

When I started watching “Alaska: The Last Frontier,” I thought we should have a reality show too!  They always try to cobble things together to get a certain job done and that is for sure what Farmer Tom and I have always had to do.

It seems like we’ve never had the financial resources to do the things we’re expected to do every year, but between the two of us and help from our kids and grandkids, sometimes in-laws, or some might say “out-laws”; we normally contrive to get our chores accomplished.  

One might envy those who spend money to their heart’s content, but I feel sorry for some of those folks.  I bet no one has ever accused them of being the sharpest tools in the shed and if one believes in Karma and the hereafter, I’m betting that God will even the score in heaven.  I’m sure Farmer Tom won’t have to spend much time in purgatory.   Me on the other hand, might be another story as I have the mother bear syndrome … you hurt my family and I could probably be annoying!

When Farmer was a sophomore in high school, he broke his leg in football at Benkelman, Neb.  He had the determination to walk off the field and ended up having the long bus ride back to Republican Valley school.  A friend drove him home to the farm and he spent an agonizing night. 

His mom took him to the doctor the next day to get x-rays, and they ended up putting a cast up to his mid-thigh.  That night his toes were purple, but they didn’t take him in until the next day at which time they removed the cast and replaced it again.  When it was supposed to be healed, they took it off again and discovered a cyst in his bone that they eventually did surgery to scrape out the bone’s cyst.  He had another thigh-high cast for most of his junior year.

In the summer, Tommy wasn’t going to be allowed to just sit around the house.   One example: his parents had him climb a ladder with said cast to the roof of their house to help replace shingles.   Since it was difficult, he had to stay on the hot roof to eat his lunch while everyone else went in the house.  

The last day of school his senior year, he was horsing around with a friend and ended up falling down some stairs and broke a leg again.  That summer he wasn’t going to sit around and be lazy either.   Another example: his dad had him on a 4020 John Deere without a cab doing fieldwork on some long terraces.  Farmer said the brake and clutch were a challenge, and one day the wind was so bad that all you could see were the whites of his eyes!

Speaking of the heat this last week, Farmer said he hated climbing up the stairs to bed at night as a kid because they didn’t have a fan or air conditioning, so his sheets were always soaked.  Compared to that, I had it made as a child because what was good for my parents was good for my brother and I as well!

Have a Good One!