Goin' fishin' (OPEN)
Aug 22, 2012 11:35:06 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2012 11:35:06 GMT -5
There was only one thing that was for certain around the Kinsler farm, there was ALWAYS something to do. The only reprieve from the lengthy list of chores was school, which the Kinsler kids actually enjoyed. A chance to get away, see something different.
Four times each year, the Kinsler's cattle herd was sent on a drive north to the sale lot for their own very special reaping. These drives occured in February, May, August, and November. Kevin tended to the herd during three of these four drives. February was the treacherous drive. Cold and often still snowy, all hands had to be on deck, if that also meant missing a week of school for Kevin, well so be it. Some things were just more important. By the time the May drive came around, the kids were already out of schooling for the summer, and the November drive occured over thanksgiving break. There was no way Kevin could even begin to weasel his way out of those. Not that he really minded. The August drive though, that was the perfect storm. The ranchers banded their herds together, and drove them up north in one big pack. The conditions for the drive were perfect, it was always hot, and clear, with next to no chance of rain or outside interference. With school starting at the same time, all the ranchhands (more commonly known as the ranchers children) were left behind to prepare for the upcoming year.
As you can imagine, a cattle ranch with no cattle was a pretty helpless place. Amongst the chores that needed doing: Gather the eggs from the chickens (which Elyse handled), and keep the house tidy for Papa when he returned. Kaitlyn handled that duty. That left pretty much nothing for Kevin to do. He could service the equipment normally, but this summer had been rather harsh on the machinery, and everything had broken down so recently, it was still working right from the repairs.
After an hour or so milling about in the barn, and having a heart to heart conversation with Woodson, one of the family cats, it was pretty much decided that finding a fishing hole was the only thing left to do. Of course, they didn't have any fishing gear, but they did have a surplus of eggs piling up, as well as a freezer stuffed full of meats. The Kinslers had a tough year with the calving of their heard, which thinned them out quite a bit, but left them with a surplus of milk-sweetened Veal.
A pack was loaded carefully with Veal cutlets, those tan colored chicken eggs that taste so much better than the white ones, and a large supply of beef jerky. The jerky was more for personal use than it was for bartering, but if the right proposal presented itself, it could probably be made available. After a solemn promise was given to his mom, he headed out the door and towards the township square, Woodson's nose plastered to the back of his grimy boots as he walked. The only part of the conversation the cat had understood was "fish", but it was definately one of his favorite words.
Four times each year, the Kinsler's cattle herd was sent on a drive north to the sale lot for their own very special reaping. These drives occured in February, May, August, and November. Kevin tended to the herd during three of these four drives. February was the treacherous drive. Cold and often still snowy, all hands had to be on deck, if that also meant missing a week of school for Kevin, well so be it. Some things were just more important. By the time the May drive came around, the kids were already out of schooling for the summer, and the November drive occured over thanksgiving break. There was no way Kevin could even begin to weasel his way out of those. Not that he really minded. The August drive though, that was the perfect storm. The ranchers banded their herds together, and drove them up north in one big pack. The conditions for the drive were perfect, it was always hot, and clear, with next to no chance of rain or outside interference. With school starting at the same time, all the ranchhands (more commonly known as the ranchers children) were left behind to prepare for the upcoming year.
As you can imagine, a cattle ranch with no cattle was a pretty helpless place. Amongst the chores that needed doing: Gather the eggs from the chickens (which Elyse handled), and keep the house tidy for Papa when he returned. Kaitlyn handled that duty. That left pretty much nothing for Kevin to do. He could service the equipment normally, but this summer had been rather harsh on the machinery, and everything had broken down so recently, it was still working right from the repairs.
After an hour or so milling about in the barn, and having a heart to heart conversation with Woodson, one of the family cats, it was pretty much decided that finding a fishing hole was the only thing left to do. Of course, they didn't have any fishing gear, but they did have a surplus of eggs piling up, as well as a freezer stuffed full of meats. The Kinslers had a tough year with the calving of their heard, which thinned them out quite a bit, but left them with a surplus of milk-sweetened Veal.
A pack was loaded carefully with Veal cutlets, those tan colored chicken eggs that taste so much better than the white ones, and a large supply of beef jerky. The jerky was more for personal use than it was for bartering, but if the right proposal presented itself, it could probably be made available. After a solemn promise was given to his mom, he headed out the door and towards the township square, Woodson's nose plastered to the back of his grimy boots as he walked. The only part of the conversation the cat had understood was "fish", but it was definately one of his favorite words.
