The Rural Voice, 1987-06, Page 8Miller's Painting
& Renovations
harnpainting, sandblasting, renovations
R.R. 1, ELM WOOD, ONT.
NOG 1S0
LESLIE 519-369-3648
STEVEN 519-369-5568
WALLACE 519-363-3014
CATTLE SQUEEZE
with
Automatic Headgate
Squeeze sides
— fold down for working
on the animal
— are operated from either side
The regular chute is
available with
extension cage,
side doors,
and wheel transport.
Maintenance free
Hydraulic Scale
0-1/2% accurate,
eligible for Red Meat Grant
We also manufacture feed fronts
— self-locking type or
conventional slant -bar style
For catalogue and price list, contact
E. S. Martin Welding
R. R. 1, Linwood, Ont. NOB 2A0
(519) 698-2283
8 THE RURAL VOICE
THE FAMILY THAT
WORKS TOGETHER ...
Every spring, Just to see if people
are really as glad to be alive as they
think they are, the creeping crud will
test you.
Medical jargon identifies this ail-
ment as a virus, or the flu. It's the
creeping crud to me, since it creeps up
on you from behind, makes you look
like a leftover from an elephant stam-
pede, and whatever parts don't hurt,
don't work.
The only cure I have found for this
disease is taking the victims back to
their bed, tucking them in with a hot
water bottle, and letting them hug it
to the parts that hurt the most.
We all came through the creeping
crud fine with this method, until Super
Wrench got it. He denied being sick
enough to go to bed, and besides had
too much work to do. He would get
through it somehow.
We all took a look at this glowing
specimen of modem manhood, making
note of his red puffy eyes, his grey
complexion, and the way he raced to
the bathroom. We offered to do all the
work he had planned if he'd just take it
easy and supervise. After all, what are
families for?
Our son did the chores and alloca-
ted what machine which sister was to
run. He put the youngest on the field
with a land packer. Her pony tail was
vigorously bobbing straight up and
down as she gobbled up the acres, and
I did mention that she was moving a
mite fast. Our son scoffed at that, and
Super Wrench didn't say anything.
Who was I to meddle in man's work?
She lasted two hours and walked
back to the house. The packer, held
together by some welding and a lot of
promises, was in several pieces, scat-
tered here and there on the field. The
centre bearing had let go. She was
walking as if she'd herded cattle clear
to Wyoming without ever getting off
her horse.
She was assigned to help me clear
the burnable garbage from around the
barn and shed and put it in a pile to be
torched. We had good success burning
the trash, and great success in starting
a major grass fire. Within minutes it
was clear that the two of us could not
handle this alone, so the recruits came
with spades and shovels.
Finally, Super Wrench threw the
last shovelful of dirt on the smoulder-
ing mess and wiped a hand across his
soot -covered face. I ventured to ask if
he wouldn't be more comfortable in
bed. His reply was short. "At the rate
you guys are helping me, I won't have
anything to wake up to tomorrow."
No sooner had the shovels cooled
did the second daughter come hoofing
across the field. She had turned the
comer a little sharply while harrowing
the red clover field and the harrows had
gone flying while a steel rod holding
them together had wound its way
around the axle of the tractor wheel.
She assured her father that no tires
had been punctured.
Super Wrench took the tanks and
cutting torch to the site and cut the rod
away from the wheel, instructing our
son to put the harrows back together.
The implement became a little narrow-
er because some parts weren't salvage-
able. Super Wrench shook his head.
At the end of the day we had gone
through all the work, maybe not quite
the way Super Wrench would have
done it, but it was done. If anything,
Super Wrench looked a little worse
while we congratulated ourselves on
our efforts and accomplishments. He
filled the hot water bottle, and before
the sun had even set. was trailing his
way to bed. When he got there, he
called down for someone to bring him
a couple of aspirins. If he'd gone to
bed when he was supposed to, he
wouldn't have needed the aspirins, but
we refrained from pointing this out to
him. After all, we'd helped him
enough for one day!0
Gisele Ireland, from Bruce County,
began her humorous columns with
The Rural Voice. Her most recent
book, Brace Yourself, is available
for $7 from Bumps Books, Teeswater,
Ontario, NOG 2S0.