Today is definitely going to be piglet weaning day no matter what! No more procrastination, but off to the weaning pen our fifteen piglets will go. The new section of the farrowing house for the pigs that Darrell added on to the end of our cow house is not quite finished as yet, there is the minor detail of there not being a roof nor solid walls installed. That small feature will not deter me however as I am rather clever at cobbling something together as a “temporary” dwelling, often much to Darrell’s chagrin! Since the piglets will only be installed in this makeshift area for a matter of a fortnight at most he is willing to put up with my eccentric looking pen. What a champ!
Now yesterday I had fully planned on staying home and working on the weaning pen. Plus, number one milk cow Lass is about to pop out her calf and she is huge this year making me a tad suspicious there may be the possibility of twins in her belly, an event I really would rather be on hand for. This was also the weekend of the Redmond car swap meet over in Central Oregon, something Darrell and I try to attend each year whereby Darrell will either take over a car to sell or some miscellaneous old cars parts. This year he trailered over his 1962 Impala SS fancy black car. I made the decision to stay at home because of the above mentioned reasons, even though I did want to go with him so I could look around and hopefully find some of the odds and ends I need for Nessie (my 1955 Chevy for those who may have forgotten). So with mixed feelings I watched and waved as Darrell slowly headed own our driveway on Friday on his way to Redmond and the swap meet.
When Darrell and I are apart, even if it is merely an overnight stint, we call each other every evening and following morning. Yes, I have to admit that although it took us a very long while to succumb to the use of a cell telephone, we have found it an indispensible way of keeping us connected. However, for those friends and relatives who have had to sit and listen to us use one … well I am sure they never get over how long it takes Darrell and I to hang up on each other. It seems the “bye bye’s” go on forever! Neither Darrell nor I like to hang up until we have gone through at least three or four rounds of “Bye!” … Who knows, one of us might pop in a last word or two that the other may miss! Anyway, a grin or roll of eyes from anyone in listening distance always seems to accompany this little ritual. But back to my story …
Yesterday morning, bright and early, I called Darrell to wish him a good day at the swap meet, it was going to be a very hot day so hopefully there would be a good turn out of browsers. After we hung up I got a familiar old feeling, a feeling that comes over not just me but Darrell too on past occasions, where we just have to see each other! This feeling hit me after I hung up the telephone and once in my mind I cannot settle until I see my dearest chap. So I gulped half of the cup of tea I had just made, dashed out the door to feed and water the pigs, chickens and turkeys, decided not to milk Heidi but to just let her calf have a very good breakfast on her very full udder of milk instead, fed the piglets and dashed back to the house. The dogs thought I was mad! I diligently had checked Lass’s rear end and udder, she looked awfully close to dropping a calf but I decided she was not immanent; yes I would go to Redmond. After gulping down the remainder of my now lukewarm tea I got dressed, grabbed my floppy straw hat and headed out the door for an impromptu drive to see my Darrell.
As I passed through Prineville I stopped and grabbed us both a cup of coffee, Darrell a small cup of decaf and myself a large fully caffeinated one and on I went to Redmond. When I arrived at the fairgrounds where the swap meet is held each year, the place was filled with people but it was easy to spot the car as it was on the main front row along with some other fancy cars and trucks for sale. Darrell was nowhere in sight so I got ready to sit down and wait … that anxious butterfly feeling still inside me … but then I looked up and his smile was radiant as he saw me and headed towards me through the teeming crowds.
There is something so special about the love and just as importantly, the friendship the pair of us share. The years have only strengthened this bond not diminished it in any way. As I saw his surprised smile and felt his arms tighten around me I felt all those anxious butterflies disappear. We grinned like two teenagers and hand in hand started strolling around the swap meet looking for likely treasures. Yes, I am so glad I am a procrastinator at times. To be there yesterday with my dearest was well worth the early morning dashing about and fast drive of 150 miles to see him for a few hours before heading back to the farm just an hour or two before he also headed home, so I could check on Lass and settle my mind that all was well with her, which it was.
One would think, as we head into our twenty-ninth year of marriage together, that a scant few hours apart would be a blessing not a bane! But no my friends, it is a great blessing indeed and Fate surely had a hand in bringing us together all those years ago… thank goodness!
