Drive - A Memoir 68th Installment
a
payment from the mink farms.
“Twenty–four
thousand,” Barney announced as we were leaving. “A good number –
I’ve heard of bigger drives but not many. Hopefully, this’ll help
save my first crop of hay so I have enough feed for the cattle this
winter.”
Chapter
16
We
were really busy this summer because we were in heavy demand as hired
hands all over the upper Snake River Valley from Hamer to Terreton
and Medicine Lodge to Roberts. We worked farm jobs near all of these
towns; but mostly we worked for Carl on his two thousand acre farm,
Don’s huge dairy farm, Ted’s farm and our own farm at nights.
With all that farm work, I had filled out nicely for fourteen years.
What had been considered baby fat evolved into a wide–shouldered,
barreled chested, muscled, tough guy. When we were working, Russ
would keep up with me out of sheer determination. The word was that
the Cenell boys could work as hard as any two adults, sometimes three
or four adults. We were in such high demand that summer, Edith became
our manager. She would take the calls, arrange our schedules, and
lastly take
our money (to be put in the little safe for college).
“Here’s
the schedule for the summer, starting with the list Edith just handed
me. I’ll read what it says,” I announced to Russ.
“I
can read!” he retorted.
“I
know, but think about it. If I read it out loud, it takes one reading
and one listening at the same time. If we both read it, it will take
twice as long. Get it, I’m efficient if ‘nothing else.’
“I
vote for nothing else,” Russ held up his hand to grab the list.
“Nope,
no vote allowed,” I held on and shook his raised hand.
“Here
goes,” I began, “and I may want to editorialize. Okay, this is
Monday through Saturday with Sunday off – except moving Ted’s
sprinklers, our chores, Don’s dairy plus moving his sprinklers and
our hay on Sunday. Well, we don’t haul hay for Carl on Sunday and
that gives us a few hours during the day to go fishing or work on the
Whiz Gizzy.”
“5:30
am – Get up and eat breakfast. Great, we eat.”
“6:00
am – Take the tractor to Ted’s sixty acres and move the four
sprinkler hand lines.”
“7:15
am – Milk our cows and do our chores.”
“8:05
am – Milk Don’s fifty head dairy and move his two sprinkler hand
lines.”
“9:30
am – Go to work haying for Carl’s ranch.”
“12:30
pm – Lunch at Carl’s. Great, we eat.”
“1:00
pm – More haying for Carl’s ranch.”
“5:00
pm – Move Ted’s four sprinkler hand lines.”
“6:15
pm – Milk our cows and do our chores.”
“7:10
pm – Grab a sandwich. Great, we eat.”
“7:25
pm – Milk Don’s
500 more words tomorrow
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