Today is my Wedding Anniversary…number
38 to be exact.
Nothing celebratory
was planned, so Glenn and I decided to jump on the motorcycle and take a short
ride through the beautiful Shenandoah countryside.
The air temperature
was very warm and the sun shone brightly, but the swirling open air of the bike
ride provided a cooling breeze and made the hot situation not only bearable,
but perfectly comfortable.
We set out for
Middlebrook specifically to have a small lunch at the General Store. Middlebrook is a very small town. The main street is flanked with very old and
close residences, the library, and the General Store. We had planned to make this stop for years
but we were always on the wrong schedule.
Most of our bike rides are on Sunday afternoons or evenings and the
decision to drive through Middlebrook was occasional. Besides, the General
Store is closed on Sundays.
Finally, today, the OPEN sign was lit. Upon
entering the store, we were somewhat transported to a past era. Worn, wood floors drew us further inside. Antiques
peppered the establishment. Two of the
four tables were occupied by local farmers enjoying a lunch off tractor. The store was quiet and mellow. Overhearing how bad the hay crop is, I could
completely relate. We, too, have been
under drought conditions most of the summer.
Our pastures dry and grass not growing.
I felt welcomed and at home and hungry.
Glenn and I both
decided on the roast beef sandwich with chips - the special for the day. This was our Anniversary fête. I was satisfied both in spirit and in
stomach. Not only am I a cheap date, but small things make me happy. Lunch in this little General Store made me happy.
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| Check out the table cloth...repurposed plastic feed sacks...ain't they cute? I reuse our old feedsacks for garbage bags. I guess I should rethink my recycling efforts. |
Anniversary festivity
was over. The day was gorgeous. We headed back home.
Once we were home, it was
back to work. First, we drove over to Becky’s to load our oldest bull and bring
him back to the main farm.
Our newest bull, recently
purchased in Missouri and trailered back by Glenn, tore a ligament in his rear
leg. The vet called it ‘blowing his knee
out’ and ending his usefulness. The
bull, too recent a farm addition to even name, had only been with the cows, for breeding
purposes, for three weeks time and probably not long enough to have bred them all. We quickly delivered the bull to the
stockyard while he was still able to walk; thus, we were still able to sell
him. We recouped a bit of the purchase
price, but not all and certainly not the cost of the trip to drive out and back
to Missouri. I have said it before and I
will say it again…ain’t farming grand!
We had a young and
inexperienced bull as back-up. Now, this
youngster became top bull for a bit.
But, feeling that the
youngster might be a bit inadequate for the job at hand, we brought ‘son of
Little Red’ back to finish the breeding of the main herd.
Before unloading ‘son
of Little Red’ off the trailer, we had to move the herd into a fresh pasture
with the sheep. Once that task was
accomplished, the door to the trailer was opened and ‘son’ slowly stepped out
of the trailer. He ate some grass and strolled
around before catching the scent of the herd.
He let out several long and loud bellows as he raced down the hill,
trampling several small trees in his path, to meet up with the cattle. Within seconds, he was checking out the cows
and preparing himself for his job. He
was feeling happy, too!
Now, we are off to
find Avalanche, our sheep guard dog, and feed her dinner. She seems to have vanished when she saw the
big guy arrive.
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