CntryBoy777 - The Lazy A** Acres Adventures

[CntryBoy777]

Well @greybeard I am the "Fruit of a Tree" that once gave the younger sister of my dad, a joke gift for Christmas 1 yr.... after she had lost her 2 front teeth. While they were growing back in, she ran around and sang the song "All I Want for Christmas is my 2 Front Teeth", so my Mom got 2 hog's teeth from the slaughter of a hog....wrapped em up and gave them to her for Christmas. The aunt ran around crying and stopped singing the song. That story was relived thru out their lives at family gatherings....with many laughing and rolling, while she stormed out of the room. So, I too have been around a "Master" and it is literally in my Blood....

 

[AClark]

I drove in nearly seventy 7' teeposts with the loader bucket of my backhoe one afternoon in a drought year, when this clay soil was harder than a demon's heart.

That's what we have, clay, and man when it's dry it is hard to drive a post into. I did end up picking up a t-post pounder for our goat pen adventure. I have 14+ t posts to drive in and I wasn't about to try it with the sledge. I looked at the spring loaded ones and checked out a video on youtube...not impressed, ended up buying a regular one. Even the guy at the farm supply store said the spring loaded ones were crap.

As for the SIL, I think that's reasonable to tell them the kids are responsible for leaving gates open. My kids are responsible for closing gates as well, and I've told them the exact same thing. Why should I be out chasing critters because they "forgot" to close the gate? Not to mention but it is a safety issue for the animals as well. So far, knock on wood, my kids have been good about closing gates. I taught them to just climb over the fence to the horse/goat pasture because it's easier than lifting that gate and they can't accidentally leave it open. I mean, accidents happen, but it's good for kids to know when they do something that results in animals getting out, they are also responsible for getting the critters back where they belong.

I don't know what to tell you about the tan. I am brown right now. I have been mistaken for hispanic before, but I'm naturally olive skinned. No native that I'm aware of, but a lot of middle eastern, Indian (from India) and eastern European in me. Three of my kids have my skin tone, both the boys are olive and my 6 year old daughter (though her dad is half Mexican) - the other two are pasty white. Especially the baby, but DH is French Canadian/ Native Canadian ancestry, so she might change skin tone.
My oldest boy even has that skin condition Vitiligo. Half his chest is very white, the other side is olive colored. He's split almost in two, it's pretty neat.

 

[CntryBoy777]

@AClark I'm a regular "Heinz 57" as far as I know, but they say my mom's dad was FB Irish, but no verification...but, if it is true, then that would be the largest amount of any lineage that I have. It is said that the Native American blood comes from my dad's side....Cherokee. I never really pursued it, because it didn't matter that much....tho, I did enjoy participating at PowWows....singing and dancing. I don't burn easy, just get darker...but under the cloth I am lilly white.

This heat and humidity are really wearing me down this yr, and it hasn't really gotten Hot yet....so, it could be a really tough summer to survive. I just hope it gets better when the company heads home on Wed and I can get back to taking a nap thru the afternoon. Everybody is prodding me to do more, but I just can't do it anymore. I apologized for letting them down, but they just don't understand that I'm struggling and can't breathe outside. I told them that I was fishing by myself in the 3rd grade, so all they have to do is walk to the pond and fish....but, none want to learn Anything for theirself, just push me to do it for the grandkids. So, it is obvious that they must not want to go bad enough....otherwise, they'd be over there. They want to be in the boat, but none want to learn to skull the boat...they want me....and none want to fish from the bank. There are too many things to watch for...like snakes, bugs, pioson ivy/oak and turtles. I do apologize to y'all for posting all of this, but sometimes ya just gotta "Vent" and y'all are my Friends.....

 

[Bruce]

Just say "no" Fred! Remind these family members that getting older doesn't mean things get easier ... after a certain age (like 25 or 30). Sure, walking got a LOT easier about the time you turned a year old and running got easier some time after that and ... Then remind them that they TOO will get on the downhill side of "easier" and might want to cut some slack to such people now in hopes younger folks will cut them some slack when they are the one needing a bit more time or that afternoon nap when it is too hot and humid to breathe outside.

 

[greybeard]

Just say "no" Fred! Remind these family members that getting older doesn't mean things get easier ...

They won't believe or accept that Bruce. They, are still young, bulletproof, invisible and able to jump tall buildings in a single bound...yada yada yada.

but, none want to learn Anything for theirself, just push me to do it for the grandkids. So, it is obvious that they must not want to go bad enough....otherwise, they'd be over there. They want to be in the boat, but none want to learn to skull the boat...they want me....and none want to fish from the bank. There are too many things to watch for...like snakes, bugs, pioson ivy/oak and turtles.

Ahhh, yes. They want their kids to experience time with Grandpaw, maybe........ like they did with their (and your) own grandpa? That's not such a bad thing.

As far as the bugs, snakes poison ivy...that's part of it. They all need to quit spending so much time worrying about that kind of stuff, it's part of spending time outside civilization.
Suck it up Countryboy...I've had all 4 of my kids, their city spouses and my 10 grandkids here at one time for a week. It gets hectic, but they will have memories for a lifetime, and not of an old sarcastic curmudgeon that didn't want to spend the effort teaching them to fish, shoot, or feed the cows.
You're a grandpaw..feeling bad comes with that age and job but you still have a time honored traditional job to do.
You (and I) will be gone some day.
How do we want to be remembered?

 

[AClark]

Grey has a point. My grandparents raised me, being an only child, apparently that wasn't too bad. My grandfather taught me tons of invaluable things, not how to fish or real outdoorsy stuff, but he taught me how to shoot, bought me my first gun, and almost always had time to spend with me even though he was still working up until I was 5 or 6. Those are things that I'll remember forever.

That being said, the parents should know when grandpa has had enough and needs a break from heathen children. When I bring my kids to visit my "parents" (grandparents) I round the kids up to go do stuff and leave them alone, because they are elderly and get tired of loud rowdy kids. My grandfather takes the little ones up to feed the horses grass by hand, and it's one of their favorite memories. His memory is starting to fail (at 89, I suppose that happens) but he will tell you about how Trinity (6 year old) was 3 and he handed her a big handful of grass to feed to one of their studs, and she was so little and didn't know enough to let go when the stud took the grass from her and just about lifted her off her feet. They both got a good laugh out of it. I appreciate that my children get to know their great-grandparents as well.

There's a balance there Fred, just gotta find it. Do what you can, enjoy the grandkids, but also let your kids know when you need a break.

 

[CntryBoy777]

GB, now just what do ya mean? I've never had a grandpa alive in my life....no memories. I had no dad in my life...he lived in the house, but never did a dad-blame thing to make anything but bad memories. A man can't control the memories of another....and if the first 4k of a 5k race carries no "Meaning and Memories", but all depends on that last 1k, then, so be it. I have taken time with each of them...I have shown, taught, and played with them...sang songs and acted "Crazy" around them. I have "Sucked it Up" and tried to make those "Memories", but most are so ADHD that when they ask a question, they never hear the answer....because they are distracted by others around them. It is fine if I am around them, but none will trail me to spend time with me, or to try and help or learn about what I am doing. So, if it takes having a heart attack while sculling a boat to make those memories, I think I will pass on that. I'm thrilled that you have a good situation, but that "Template" sure doesn't fit this application.

 

[greybeard]

I only know that there are two sides to teaching and learning in school. Teacher..and student.
One is usually the adult, the others are well...kids, being...kids.

I never cared much about teaching mine what I was doing..I tried to learn what mine were doing or wanted to do, my own life and it's goals being insignificant compared to those just starting out and still on that long hard road. When they visited, I put work on hold for the most part. I can hire help easy enough if I need it, and it was never important to me for them to know how much work was involved in a farm setting. If everyone knew for sure just how hard it's apt to get, no one would start to do it to begin with.
Kids and distractions..gee, who wulda thunk?

 

[CntryBoy777]

Oh, I do that too....I play video games with them. It isn't the kids that are so much the problem, it is the parents that want to control everything.

Anyway, I'm having a problem getting the rear tire off my cub cadet rider....I've taken the 1/2" bolt out and pulled the tire out about an inch, but no further. Is there something else to do to get it to slide off the rest of the way...or tap it with a rubber mallet?.....I just don't wish to break something with trial and error.....Thanks @greybeard

 

[AClark]

I'm gonna speak from a bit of experience here...
Two of my kids have ADHD, despite the ideology that they are just improperly disciplined kids, this is an actual medical issue. One is medicated for it, and she is unmanageable without it, the other I took off the meds and just cope with the lack of attention span.
That said, those two kids do SO much better with outdoor activities. I literally find things to wear them out and they function very highly with simple things that are active.
The more they play inside and sit on video games, the harder they are to live with. The more I take them outside to do stuff, the easier things are. It takes the edge off the "hyper" for sure.

It works for us. I was a hyper little kid, and if you can tell by my journal, I'm a fairly hyper adult. I know it's a matter of time until they learn to be more reserved, and they will, I did. Until then, keeping their minds occupied is the best thing for them.