I was coming around the barn on the lawn mower and saw someone run out of the parlor and up the hill. Right behind him from the back room someone else ran.
My immediate response it to pray that no one was hurt. That’s where my mind travels way too fast. Please let it be cows running amuck. This time it was.
It got me thinking about things that cause me to take notice.
Anyone on top of the silos. Oyyyy. We joke about the cage around the ladder that you probably couldn’t fall to your death. You’d be mangled and broken up all the way down if you didn’t get hung up. When my grandson started climbing I just had to turn the other way and pray.
Any time a tractor is in the middle of the field and not moving. I immediately stop, hold my breath, and look for a person moving about. Once I’m sure there is no problem with a person, I let my breath out and thank God.
When I’m outside and can hear machinery running and then I hear a lot of yelling and hollering I freeze and try to determine if it’s a cry for help or a directional yell.
If a wayward cow finds herself outside the barn and in the yard it’s fast fingers on the phone and a Duke of Hazzard drive to corral. I’m still trying to decide if chasing cows in the sweltering heat is worse that slipping, sliding or wading through knee deep snow.
Walking home in the dark and wondering what you heard in the field beside you. Is it friend or foe?
And then there’s . . .
The first green springs of corn poking through the dirt. The miracle of a dead kernel that comes to life.
A wet calf wobbling to get up on its feet for the first time. They get up and sway back and forth like a sheet on a clothesline before falling awkwardly on the ground.
Finding a litter of kittens that hiss and spit at you because you are the first human they encounter.
A slobbered kiss from a cow that sneaks up behind you while you are watching the gates.
When your grandson stops the tractor he’s driving to come rescue you while trying to move lawn furniture or is a phone call away to fix a problem you’re having. It’s such a joy being put first sometimes.
Being part of life on the farm is an incredible blessing. There are many more pausable memories that I could share. Yet, it’s a beautiful day and time to get back to the barn. While working I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more pausable moments.
