January 2, 2014: One of These Days

Back when I actually made resolutions, getting organized was often on the list.....usually with the "one of these days" rider. A farm office nicely illustrates my degree of success.

January 1, 2014: The Salt of the Earth

I could tell you his name, but it doesn't really matter. In fact, I don't have to tell you much of anything about him that this photo doesn't already divulge. He's a farmer, the salt of the earth.

My Little Buddy

All the clichés you hear about being a grandparent? They're true. The great reward for enduring parenthood? Dead on the money. All the fun of kids without the responsibility. Bingo! Spoil them rotten then turn them back over to their parents? Oh yeah, that just might be the best one of the bunch. When Cam the Man, our first grandchild showed up, something else happened that I didn't count on. I started doing the math. If I want to see him graduate from high school, I'm going to have to live to 77. College, I'll need to try and hang on into my mid 80's. Great grandkids.....that's where he math lesson ended and I had to admit, my own mortality is going to keep me from seeing Cam accomplish all that is ahead in his life.

My Little Buddy, as I call him is fast turning into a "gear head." He loves machinery and noise, with busses, garbage trucks, and yes, tractors being his current favorites. Trains are soon to follow if I have anything to do with it. Cam's never been afraid of the tractors. He loves riding on them with "Bah-pa," and let's be honest, "Bah-pa" is pretty happy to have Cam as a co-pilot. He busies himself with grabbing for the various levers and the steering wheel. He's been onboard with the subsoiler, rototiller, and even helped plant a field of strawberries. Not only do I now have to live to a ripe old age, I feel a real responsibility to keep farming. The warm late spring sun, the roar of a tractor, and a smile on my little buddy's face as we work ground on a tractor. Not sure if there is a grandparent cliché that covers that one, but there sure should be.