Looking for Salina Journal photos? Click here! 
Discussion Salina.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here. Read our full online terms of service policy.
Most Commented: Mistrial declared because of article 8/7/2008 Man blames Salina crash on 'brain freeze' 6/10/2008 3-year-old takes drive, hits car 5/15/2008 Child care provider arrested 5/14/2008 Chapman recovering from tornado damage 6/12/2008 Most Read: Man blames Salina crash on 'brain freeze' 6/10/2008 Chapman recovering from tornado damage 6/12/2008 Twisters hit Salina, Chapman 6/11/2008 Drug raid yields unexpected results 8/25/2008 Anderson's Leather burns 5/21/2008
Additional Stories: Internet site to give voters information about judges 8/29/2008 Event calendar 8/29/2008 Animal shelter 8/29/2008 Horst defeats Arpke for county GOP chair 8/29/2008 Gas prices 8/29/2008 Police Blotter 8/29/2008 Deputies continue to search for teen 8/29/2008 Bennington girl hurt in crash 8/29/2008 Testimony in rape case to resume today 8/29/2008 Man accused of striking woman with pickup 8/29/2008 |
Print this story Have you ever taken a drive or a walk down a country road and noticed the fence posts? Maybe it is the country girl in me and most folks wouldn’t notice such a thing, but often times my mind begins to wander when I am out in the fresh air enjoying a carefree stroll. I grew up on a farm near Columbus, Nebraska and recall riding in my grandpa’s jeep as a young girl. We would drive along the fence of the pastures and make sure all of the barbed wires were taut and secure. Oftentimes grandpa would stop and grab his bucket of tools and pull the wire or attach some wire looking thing around the wire and the fence post. All the while his black angus cows would be watching us making sure we weren’t opening some gate for them to move on to greener pastures! Winter time was always fencing time for my dad and brothers since it was after harvest and before planting season. On many a cold day they would be out checking fences for loose or broken wires or fence posts that needed replacing. Fallen trees or storm broken tree limbs would often be the culprit for downed fences. These trouble areas would easily allow the escape of livestock if not tended to. Long horseback rides were one of my favorite pastimes during my childhood. I would spend hours anytime that I could on the back of my palomino mare named Honey. To justify this non productive time, I would oftentimes ride along the fence line to make sure all was well. I was always proud when I could come home and tell dad that I found a faulty wire that needed his attention! How old are some of these fence posts? I would often ask myself this question when I would see two new T-Posts and then this crooked looking wooden piece of old tree limb close by. Weather and time had changed the brown bark to a mossy looking rust color with holes and cracks. Did grandpa put this fence post in place or maybe it was my great grandfather who I never knew? Or maybe it was even older than that! How many blizzards or summer hail storms did this fence post encounter? How many sunrises and sunsets? How many generations of deer jumped over the fence it held up? Boy, if this fence post could only talk and tell me its story. Once in awhile I will see a lone crooked fence post still stuck in the ground. I’m sure it is often used as a perch for a resting meadowlark or a hawk in search of an afternoon snack. A new fence lurks closely by reminding me that everything sooner or later will be replaced by something new and better. But the old post in all its glory is still there overlooking the green pastures, resting as if to say, been there done that. Now it is your turn to do the work. Written by Jacki Ryba |
|
||
