The Piddler on the Roof

My work puts me in front of a computer a lot of the time, so once I get to a stopping point during the day, I like to get outside and get some sunshine and piddle around.  Today, I knew exactly what I needed to do.  The live oak trees are continually growing, their heavy branches sinking lower each day.  The branches form a canopy over the roof.  This can be a good thing as it provides an abundance of shade, hopefully helping out with our electricity bill.  The bad thing is when they start touching the roof.  Storms and winds like we're accustomed to can push the limbs into the shingles and damage the roof, and we don't want that.

Today's task between computer work was to lean an extension ladder on the roof, climb up just as high as I could and trim the low-hanging branches with a pole saw.  I bought this little electric extendable pole saw years ago for only $69.  It has paid for itself over and over and over.  I get so much use out of it, with little to no maintenance other than buying a new blade or two for it each year.

One can get himself into trouble on the roof.  I think of King David who, up on the roof of his palace, spotted the lovely Bathsheba.  One thing led to another and I bet he wishes he could have stayed off the roof that day.  He certainly paid a high cost for what he did.  Seeing her from his vantage point on the roof put things in to motion that he would live to regret.  King David got into trouble on that roof.  I got myself into trouble on the roof today.  Nope, I want to assure you that I was not on top of the roof lusting.  I was working.  

My mistake was that I was working without notifying Miss Tricia.  She gets all worried when I do things like this.  I was trying to be quiet, cutting away and had branches falling.  All was going well and I was getting a lot accomplished until one particularly large limb hit the roof with a thud.  Uh oh, I thought.  Moments later, Tricia came around the corner with a look of concern on her face.  "Kyle, you're supposed to tell me when you do this.  You could fall.  I can't believe.  You need someone holding the ladder..."  She's right.  I was far from OSHA compliant and there are risks to be up on a ladder on top of a roof.  I apologized and had her hold the ladder while I lopped one final branch.  Then I put up the ladder and saw, rolled up the extension cord and finished my piddling for the day.

But I wasn't done.  If I would've stopped there, I would have disappointed some animals out back.  I hauled the branches out to the cows and goats for an afternoon snack.  You can see Elsie in the foreground and Rosie in the background, enjoying eating the leaves off the limbs.  The bull and all the goats were eating on branches that I had already thrown in the back.

With that job out of the way, I'll stay off the roof for a while and go back in and sit in front of the computer and get some work done.

15 Calves on the Ground

Last year the cows at the farm in Oberlin decided that they didn't like fences.  They liked wide open spaces.  That created problems and they got an all expenses paid trip to the Sale Barn.  Fast forward to the end of the year and Dad and I decided, "Let's buy some more cows!"  We did.  We purchased 16 bred heifers and put them back at the old home place at the farm.

They had more grass than they could ever eat.  They remained fat throughout the winter and just recently began to bag up.  Calves began hitting the ground.  One after the other.  Before you knew it, we had 16 calves.  Let me correct that - 15.  One of the calves was born but the sac never burst and it suffocated and died.  Well, as someone smarter than me one said, "You can't lose 'em if you don't have 'em."

We decided to get out on Saturday.  We drove to Oberlin and opened the gate and drove in the pasture.  Right inside the gate is an enormous live oak tree like you might see in a painting.  I would think that if it could talk, it would tell you many stories.  My grandfather was raised in a house right on this property.  Now the house is no longer there, but the tree remains.  And the cows and calves do too.  We gave them a holler and they began walking toward us.

The Old Live Oak

The simplicity and serenity of the place is astounding.  It is easy to forget when you are sitting beneath the tree watching the cows that there is a pandemic.  Being out in the country is plenty of social distancing!  The cows curiously began to walk toward us and check us out.  I was quick to notice that they weren't following the "6 foot rule."  For shame!

The calves all bunched toward the front.  The momma cows and the calves are all healthy and butterball fat.  They look like they enjoy life in the country.  As we sat there watching the cows checking us out, we observed yellow flowers blooming across the pasture.  The wind gently blew and the flowers from the thistles growing in the distance floated in the air like little white parachutes.

Mom & Dad drove up and we pulled lawn chairs out of the trunk and we sat in the shade and talked for the longest time.  It was a pleasant afternoon.  The boys climbed up in the huge limbs of the live oak like I did as a boy.  The limbs are laden with Resurrection vine (appropriate for the day before Resurrection Day!)  Resurrection fern looks like it is brown and dead, but as soon as it rains, it greens up beautifully and completely covers the limbs with its lush foliage.

In the background of the above photo, you can see an old pecan orchard planted by my great-grandfather.  One of the old pecan trees has broken in half.  We'll cut up the wood for firewood.  It is a reminder to me that some things like the pecan trees succumb while other things like the live oak perseveres.  It is nice in a world of rot and decay that there are things that live on - like the live oak, like the memories.  And it is encouraging to know that new calves are on the ground and new memories can be made while enjoying those of the past.