There's Another Man...

It's true. There's another man in my life. I've known him as long as I can remember, but just realized this week how much I love him. He called me on Wednesday...wanted to do lunch. I had planned to put Isaac down for a nap, but agreed to meet him anyway. You might know who he is...many of you have even seen me with him. Oh, calm down already...it's my dad! Yep! He called me on Wednesday, and said he was selling some calves at the sale barn, and wondered if Isaac and I would like to meet him to watch them sell, and then eat a burger in the cafe. ABSOLUTELY!

I love going to the sale barn with my daddy. Actually, I like going anywhere with him. When we were little, he'd let me tag along with him to ball practice. Sometimes, he'd let me go with him to a tournament planning meeting (they had doughnuts there!). I almost always got to go with him during the paper drives for the Booster Club in Vandalia. And to go grocery shopping with him...well, that was just fun (Oreo's anyone?). In high school, he first took me to a livestock auction, though, and I've loved them ever since.

Farm folks are just my favorite people in the whole world. They're practical, they're sharp, they're friendly, and they are fun to listen to. I suppose if I went to the sale barn daily, I'd grow tired of the sights (and smells) of the place, but when I take my boys and meet my dad, it's a special day.

Ordinarily, I abhor the smell of tobacco smoke...but at an auction, it's just part of the atmosphere...as are all the other smells. I love the fragrance of sizzling burgers from the cafe, coffee, pipe tobacco, and dirt. I like the denim, the boots, the hats, the trucks, and, well, just all of it. I know...I'm crazy...but I love it.

We were too late to see dad's calves sell, but we sat and watched the sale for awhile anyway. Dad's an excellent teacher, so as we watched, he answered all my questions I used to be to embarrassed to ask, like "Is that per calf, or for the whole lot?", or "How do you know those are all steers from way up here?" (well, obviously I know the physiology of a steer, but when the whole pen is full of cattle, how do you know what the ones in the middle are?)

Anyway, we watched the sale, walked the catwalk overlooking all the livestock. Isaac especially enjoyed that, because you are above the cattlemen and their cattle, and to watch them open and close all those gates and lead the cattle to the arena...well, it's just heaven for a little boy. And I just followed my daddy, and listened to him explain the whole process from beginning to end to my littlest boy, who felt 10 feet tall as he walked behind his grandpa.

It may not sound like a date to you, but on Wednesday, I had a burger with my daddy in the cafe at the sale barn, and it was definitely a date!

Love you Daddy! Thanks for the date!

Leslie