Being raised on a farm in rural Sabine Parish, when I got big enough to help my Dad, I had specific chores. My Dad would go by the “pine pile” where we had a big pile of rich lighter pine and would take the axe and cut a big pile of splinters. My job as a little feller was to gather up all those splinters and I would bring them in the house and put them in a special place on the hearth. The splinters would be used to help start the fire the next morning. And another chore I had when I got big enough was to make sure and bring the old wheelbarrow and park it near the large stack of oak wood. My Dad on the way back from feeding the stock at the barn in the evening would load the wheelbarrow up with good dry firewood and would push it near the door. We would take several sticks inside and would stack them near the splinters because that would be what would make a good warm fire on a cold morning !
But I had a very important job…and yes that was more important than gathering the splinters and helping bring in the wood. Now remember that in the late 1950’s rural folks all had a good milk cow. Now a milk cow was a prize possession that provided good fresh milk for the whole family. Plus from this fresh milk we would use Momma’s churn and would churn some fine rich butter. Boy it was good on a big hot cat head biscuit ! But the milk cow had to have special treatment from the out cows. My Dad would put Sookie, our old milk cow in a stall just for her. My job was to make sure after Daddy got through milking was to close and latch the gate to keep the milk cow in her stable so she could eat all the sweet feed and hay that was in her feed trough.
But one evening I got distracted following my Dad around the barn trying to help him with all the other livestock. I forgot to shut and latch the gate to Sookie’s stable ! Well the next day when my Dad went to check the stock he looked and was surprised to see Sookie grazing out in the field. And guess what kind of tasty treat she was enjoying ? Yes bitter weeds ! Well before there was ever different flavored types of milk we had “bitter weed flavored “ milk ! Well my Dad came and got me and asked if I had shut the gate and latched it on the milk cow’s stable. “No sir, I got busy helping you and forgot to shut the gate”. Well I learned a life lesson from my Daddy that morning. No it was not what you might think. He took me over to the gate and he gave me words I never forgot. “Son, always shut the gate” and he walked with me to the gate and I shut and latched the gate after he had put Sookie back in her stall. Now due to my mistake, we still had to milk Sookie even though the milk tasted like bitter weeds. All the dogs and cats got fresh flavored milk for the next 3 days ! After about 3 days the milk lost its bitter weed taste and it was good fresh milk for us to use. But I learned a major life lesson from my Dad right there at that stable gate. I learned to always shut any gate I opened at the barn from that day on. Now this has been many many years ago but when I go now to tend to my stock and I get to the barn gate, I can still hear Daddy teaching me “Son shut the gate”. And to this day I continue to shut the gate and latch it no matter how busy I may be. Thanks Dad for teaching me something I have never forgotten !