Heck of a Man

[HDRider]

I was back in Arkansas last week, maybe you saw my crawfish posting. I was there to do some fencing around a pond. I want to tell you about the fellow that did my fencing. He did another pond for me last year. He is a fence artist, and 70 years old. There begins my story.

Seventy years old, slim, fit, smokes and works like a mule, six days a week. He said he fenced every day for the last two years after he lost his other "real" job as a caretaker for a large cemetery. This guy worked circles around me, which isn't saying much as I have been behind a desk for the last 35 years and it ain't been kind to my stamina.

He said he has done fencing for over fifty years. Did I say he is a fence artist?

He takes care of his 90 year old mother, and took care of his father who was 16 years older than his mother, who was sickly in his later years and died in the mid-90s. The guy strikes me as honest as he can be, and I am pretty good at reading people. He saves his money, drives a truck that would have won the truck bed contest on CT, hands down. It is mid-80s F250 4x4, beat to heck. His get around car is a little truck. I think it was a little Chevy. Point is, he is frugal, works hard and saves his money. He has never been married, but has adopted (sort of) a daughter of a lost love. He plans to leave his estate to her.

Speaking of his estate, let's just say it is substantial, and baby he did not inherit anything but a heck of a work ethic.

I worked along side him all that week. The guy so impressed me, I had to share. Can't say for sure, he might clean up good, but won't win a beauty contest as is.

I will confess one little oddity. He carries on a heck of a conversation with his dead father when he doesn't realize someone can hear him, and he is hard of hearing.

I meet phonies, posers and pretenders all day, every day. It felt good to meet someone this real.

 

[HDRider]

The old boy runs about 15 old longhorn cows he accumulated at the sale barn. Keeps a Charolais bull on them. Throws a yellow calf, that rarely shows horns. He is beside himself at getting $2.20 or more out of the 400# calves.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

I grew up around a bunch of old men like that except most of them were married and raised a family. But they were all hard workers. I sure miss most of the a lot.

 

[cow pollinater]

I know of a seventy-five year old that cowboys for a living and there are NO excuses made for his age. If you knew him you'd swear he's not a day over sixty. He runs a hundred cows of his own and handles them by himself except for branding time and is the head honcho on a place that runs about five hundred(not this year) and quite a bit of the time he's out doing it by himself. AND, he still rides outside horses that he's training for someone else and ropes after work whenever the weather allows. AND he is the first to offer when he thinks I need help.
I'd give at least one testicle to be half as handy as he is and both plus a few fingers and toes to do it at his age but his most striking attribute is humility... I've worked hard to learn everything I can from him.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Sounds like a great guy. I love stories like this. I too have met some good people like him. One of my best friends in the cattle business is in her mid 70's. She can work circles around me!
It will be a sad day for me when that generation of farmers and cattlemen are no longer with us.
I guess when that time comes, we will be "that generation." :cboy:

 

[HDRider]

I have to say, he showed me something I haven't seen for a while. Maybe there more, maybe a lot more. I just don't run across them.

I met someone like this right after I got out of high school. He was from Switzerland. Lived around Lake Norfork. Was cutting hay by hand with a sickle. I gave him a Miller. He didn't like it. I don't either now.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Most of the ones I knew wouldn't have give a nickel for a beer, they liked branch water.

 

[larryshoat]

Sounds a lot like my dad except being 70 he is 80.

Larry

 

[highgrit]

Well when I get down to Perry FL to see Uncle Ernie, I will take some pictures of him and his cows. He will be 94 shortly and he only runs 450 moma cows by himself. Still puts up his own hay 1000 rolls a year. Runs all old Ford tractors without cabs, and each piece of hay equipment has its own tractor. "Cabs make you soft" He has no kids that are living, he said he's going to give all his stuff and money to his church. There's no telling how many millions he is worth. Everybody said he was well off when I was a boy. And he's never taken a vacation in his life.