June 29

Yesterday's thing, after our loved ones left the area, was to work a few of the neighborly calories off. Neighborly calories are those calories created by the extra bites you take after a meal is finished. As everyone lingers at the table chewing the fat and being neighborly you reach over and place another small piece of meat or just a couple of bites of a dish on your plate. Depending on the length of the neighborly talk this can happen several times. It is impossible for some------------me, to avoid the temptation of, one more, then one more, then one more bite of anything left on the table. This neighborly table talk should never be after a meal but before!

Speaking of neighbors, one of ours left leaving a few things undone on his newest acquired property. That being, I decided to help him accomplish some of his goals while he is incognito or at least gone to another aspect of his life that was a little higher on his priority list.

Age being a natural sprout cutter is one way but then you've got to contend with the resulting trees. He didn't want that so he has been clearing sprouts. I spent awhile doing that for him yesterday and ended up a tad disappointed when I discovered that I had lost only two pounds instead of the four that was my goal. That means back up the hill to the sprout patch today.

When I arrived at the patch yesterday a doe was treating herself to the buds off the already fallen sprouts while her fawn frolicked about. I watched and enjoyed the little ones antics for nearly twenty minutes until a guy drove up to the trash cans with his trash and ran them off. I did get a few pictures but as close as I was I didn't get a good recognizable photo of the beautifully camouflaged fawn.

I remember helping my uncle Bryan cut sprouts when I was only twelve years of age. Back then they were cut with an axe, not chain saws. It seems a lot easier now. Still there are some cautions that should be observed. One I learned, barely missing the hard way was, be very careful when cutting a sprout that has been pushed over but is still attached to it's roots. When the top is bowed to the ground under other ruble and the root end is still in the ground extreme care should be taken when cutting it loose from its roots. When cut, the bow will suddenly straighten out and depending on the severity of the bow, could kill a mule or an ass, dumb ass that is, if the end should hit him/it. The teaching one missed me but taught me well. It scared me enough that a drop or two of sweat ran down the inside of my left leg. After that most of the perspiration was originated from my upper body.

Some of yesterday aggravations were created Saturday when Mikey and I took the walk around the horn. Along the highway there are some tall weeds that we had to wade through. I think passing through there caused me to become the host to a huge party. Some of the little feasters had so much fun they're still hanging around and so far haven't taken the hint to leave. Their partying and the scratching to get them to leave have left the party areas in a nasty condition. Glenda told me that clear fingernail polish was a good way to get rid of chiggers so I tried that. That seems to have helped quite a bit. No more weed wading for me!

A foot is a device for finding chiggers in the grass.