Ditto

Conversations are hard, especially when we are working and there is some kind of equipment running. Many times, the hearing is compromised because someone or everyone is wearing earplugs.

Hay season has us all shouting at each other most of the day. All in an effort to communicate information.

Today, my right hand helper was walking right next to me as we were conversing. Mike pulled up in Big Red, the old farm truck. Now to say that Big Red had seen better days is like saying something is just a little dead. Big Red had seen better days long before we even bought him and that was 30 years ago.

Big Red rusted out his muffler system several decades ago, he sputters and gallops and stalls around the hay field, most of the gears don’t work and the air brake is so sensitive that it could send a body flying right out of the cab. But Big Red just will not give up the ghost. He keeps plugging along, albeit very loudly, but plugging along just the same.

When my right hand helper and I were talking, I had just said that he had done a good job stacking the hay in and above the rack on Big Red. Now my helper is just a teeny bit afraid of heights and this compliment meant a lot to him.

By this time, Big Red was right next to us with much noise and grinding of gears. My helper responded about his expert stacking over the loud noises coming from Big Red, “You are a great teacher!”

I have to say I was flabbergasted. Yes it was me who worked side by side with him in the bed of the truck stacking loads. And yes, I showed him how to stack above the racks and how to tie the bales together with alternating placement of bales. But a great teacher? I may have even blushed a bit.

Big Red had just gotten maneuvered into the barn, the air became still again after a belch and a groan when Mike turned off the ignition. I said to my helper, “I bet you are going to say the same thing when you foul up a load and half the bales fall off!”

That’s when my helper gave me a funny look and said, “What do you think I said?” I  replied that his complement that  he thought I was a great teacher warmed my heart. He set me straight by replying, “I said, FEAR is a great teacher!”

Now really, I believe those 2 sentences are the same, don’t you?