Ranch Philosophy 202

The old pickup rolled slowly down the ranch road at not much more than an idle. It was a beautiful spring day in South Texas. The temperature was mild with a bright sun shining. This was a rare time of year when everything was green and starting over again. In just 30 short days, most of the green would either be brown or beginning to wilt. The summers lately had just been unbearable. Cap and Ely rode without saying a word, listening only to the truck squeak and rattle. They were just taking it all in.

“Reckon what this country looked like 100 years ago?” asked Ely. He was prone to pondering far off things and places. It was just his nature as a curious soul.

“I hear tell it was mostly prairie. Not a tree in sight for miles in some places. Just nothing but grassland and some maverick cattle scattered about.” Replied Cap. “From what I understand this coastal territory was full of cattle that nobody claimed. They were free for the taking, if you were able, that is.”

“I wish I coulda lived back then. Just ridin’ and checkin’ things everyday. Heck, just goin’ about the everyday chores probably took most of the day. From the time you woke up in the mornin’ till you went to bed at night was very primitive. Just think of all the things we take for granted nowadays. They couldn’t just turn on a faucet and get fresh water, you know, things like that. It was a rougher life. Guess that’s why people didn’t live to be all that old back then on account of them workin’ so hard just to survive everyday life.”, observed Ely.

After that he got quiet. They rode a few more minutes in silence. Sometimes not talkin’ was the loudest communication ever. A man could listen to what the world was tellin’ him instead of someone else. Cap spent a few minutes thinking about what Ely had said.

“You know Ely, I reckon you’re right. Things back then were probably pretty hard. But I guess it’s all relative.”

“How do you mean?” asked Ely.

“Well, remember last fall when I had to spend a week in Austin? I went up there for that Cattle Raiser’s Meeting. I stayed in a fancy hotel, and ate big meals every night. I was really livin’ it up for a day or two. Then it started to wear on me. At night the noise was loud since my hotel was right next to a freeway, and with all of those city lights you couldn’t see not a single star when you looked up at night. By the end of the week my nerves were shot. I’ll tell you, when that week was over, I drove 80 miles an hour to get home. That trip took years off of my life.”

What surprised Ely the most was Cap drivin’ 80 miles an hour. He only drove 70 one time that Ely knew of, and that was when Martha was in labor.

More silence for a few minutes. Just driving and riding.

“So I guess you goin’ to Austin and eatin’ good, but not likin’ the life up there is supposed to be like me wantin’ to go back in time to the old days?”

“Well kinda. I think you are following me.”

“Freeways and street lights botherin’ you are different than what a good hard day’s work puts on you.” Said Ely.

“No doubt. But what I’m getting’ at is that life is shortened by enough things out of our control. No sense in acceleratin’ it any by not doin’ what you want while you’re here.”

“Good point”