Christmas is almost here. For some it’s a fun time to get together with family. For others it is a stressful or lonely time.
In the case of those less fortunate, have each family do something nice for someone else outside of your family. Then when you get together for Christmas have them share what they did and who they helped.
This encourages all of us to be givers. There is no one that is too young to start this tradition.
At church, the preacher’s sermon was about making room for Jesus. He asked us to each reflect on our life—sometimes stressful, sometimes extremely busy trying to make a living.
But he said, “How much time do you really give him?” Some of us go to church every week and some occasionally, but most of us only talk to God if we have a problem.
I have used portable corrals a lot for gathering cattle. They are extremely handy, but like with any equipment there can be certain times they can be dangerous. Do not let anyone stand on the side of them when moving them and also when you unhook them.
A long time ago I went to hook one up to my pickup. I backed up to the hitch, lifted it up, but it was on slightly uneven ground so one wheel in the front moved slightly back. So I backed up the pickup again a few inches to lift the tongue again. But again the same thing happened moving the tongue farther from my hitch.
The third time I lifted the tongue it went over my head and laid it flat on the ground. I was standing in disbelief as the ground wasn’t that unlevel. If anyone would have been standing on the side of the corral he would have been smashed.
Something similar happened a few weeks ago except we were rolling the corral up to move it. The corral had been used a lot as we have had it for a long time. My son said, “Dad that side is leaning more than usual.” I said, “It’s old and we need to weld on it.”
We started pushing the side in and one of the pipes on top gave away and the whole corral collapsed. Luckily we were pushing it and it fell away from us. Had either or both of us been pulling from the other side we would have been smashed or killed under the corral.
If your corral sides lean be sure to examine it and have it welded.
A gal walks into a bar and asked the bartender, “What do I get for man that has everything for Christmas?” He replied, “A divorce—then he only has half of everything.”
Editor’s note: The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent the view of High Plains Journal. Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
