Well, you know what they say...It’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt.
Yesterday morning started out like any morning here on the farm. I was trying to get my outside chores done before the rain set in. I was in a bit of a hurry as I had to move hay for the cows, get bales tarped, pull fresh hay to pad down a nice bed for Poppy, unload the car and mix chicken feed. Not that I will melt in the rain, despite what my brother has told me for years. It’s just that doing chores dry is much more pleasant than doing them drenched.
Being a good sport, Elfie tagged along to help me as best as he could. We got some new hens about a month ago and they are starting to lay eggs...Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!! Even the girls are shocking themselves, as you can see by the face on one of the Blue Plymouth Rock girls as she looks at her very first egg!
Yesterday morning started out like any morning here on the farm. I was trying to get my outside chores done before the rain set in. I was in a bit of a hurry as I had to move hay for the cows, get bales tarped, pull fresh hay to pad down a nice bed for Poppy, unload the car and mix chicken feed. Not that I will melt in the rain, despite what my brother has told me for years. It’s just that doing chores dry is much more pleasant than doing them drenched.
Being a good sport, Elfie tagged along to help me as best as he could. We got some new hens about a month ago and they are starting to lay eggs...Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!! Even the girls are shocking themselves, as you can see by the face on one of the Blue Plymouth Rock girls as she looks at her very first egg!
Anyhow...Elfie climbed up into a nest box to help collect eggs. Next thing I know, I hear a small pop. Looked over, thinking Elfie my gut of broken an egg, but his back had gone out. I had cautioned the little man to lift with his knees and not his back, but in his haste to get the job done, he hurt himself. I quickly rushed Elfie and the eggs into the house. My mom said she would ice Elfie’s back and let him rest, while I finished chores. Leaving Elfie in capable hands, I headed back out to mix feed.
As I’m mixing feed, my phone starts blowing up with text from the big guy himself. You know the big guy, the one in red....Santa! Apparently, Elfie snuck my mom’s phone while she was bringing him a heating pad to go with the ice. He texted the North Pole and filed a Workman’s Comp complaint against me for unsafe working conditions and lack of proper equipment. Apparently, he seen on tv that some farms have little chutes for the eggs to roll down once they are laid and they end up in some holding area where you can safely collect them. Anyhow, Elfie had lodged a complaint, I was getting a HUGE check mark on my naughty list and Santa wasn’t happy at all about having to deal with this during his busy season.... So, he gave me TWO naughty check marks. I was dumbfounded and horrified. In the matter of two days’ time, I had accumulated three naughty checks under my name. |
I finished up my morning chores and headed into the house, nearly in tears. I told my mom about Santa’s text while Elfie napped under the Christmas tree. Being riddled with wisdom brought on by years as a parent, my mom came up with an idea that she thought might smooth Elfie’s ruffled feathers...So to speak. Once Elfie woke from his nap, mom asked if he was hungry. He agrees that he was rather famished after all the hard work he had put in this morning, but his back still pained him and he didn’t know if he could muster up the strength to rise from his bed. This is when my mom offered to let Elfie fry up that mean ole egg that hurt his back. You should have seen his eyes light up as he sprung from his bed. Ends up, vengeance is best served slightly salted and peppered with a side of muffin and sausage. By now Elfie was so energized about cooking breakfast that he forgot all about his back pain. It’s amazing how a simple egg served sunny side up can turn a frown upside down. It appears that a good hearty breakfast can cure what ails you, it sure cured Elfie and we didn’t even eat any bacon. |
After breakfast Elfie apologized for contacting Santa and filing a Workmen’s Comp complaint against me. I told him, all was forgiven, as mom handed him her phone to text Santa, clearing the air. After hearing how well Elfie is eating here, and that he really is having a grand time in the farm, Santa told Elfie he was erasing all three of my naughty checks! Hip, Hip, Hooray!!! From around the farm...All’s well, that ends well. To be continued... |