Howdy friends and neighbors. Can you believe that they up and put summer in July this year??? It’s funny to hear everyone talk about it being hot. Yeah, its summer time, it seems to do this every year. I’ll bet money right now that in January folks will be talking about how cold it is! Oh, its human nature and it’s something that everyone has in common.
Now it’s my turn…. Man, it’s been hot! It’s so hot the cows are giving evaporated milk. (Rim shot) It’s so hot grasshoppers are working at night. (Rim shot) It’s so hot that catfish in shallow water are already fried. (Rim shot) It’s so hot that I saw two trees fighting over a dog. Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled eggs. You discover it only takes two fingers to drive a car. Prime parking spaces are determined by shade not distance. Squirrels are handling their nuts with potholders. (Rim shot) For the road crews, it’s so hot that I have discovered that asphalt has a liquid state. (Rim shot) And finally, it is so hot that OSU cowboy basketball fans have taken the bags off their heads! (BIG RIM SHOT!)
I have also heard from many wise folk that mid summer is the only time people in Western Oklahoma lock their car doors. Because if you don’t your neighbor will put a sack of yellow squash in it. Well, it could be worse. We could have high humidity! But we are blessed with it being dry. (I’m joking of course.) The only dry joke I’m going to share is one my granddad used so say. “It’s been so dry that if it started raining we have three year old catfish that would have to learn how to swim!” He also always said that here at Sunny Point during Noah’s flood, we just got an inch and two-tenths. But then he would always remind me that the good Lord will let it rain five minutes before it’s too late.
Don’t believe the news casts, people are still good. I have a neighbor that shared a funny yet heart warming story with me. Scott decided the other day that he needed to bush beat the entry way that led into his house. Make it look good for the passers by on Highway 6. So he’s out near the highway showing pigweeds, mare’s tales and sandburs who’s boss by introducing them to high RPM flailing steel as he made a pass over his water meter. He thought to himself that it would be an opportune time to read his meter. The only problem is that the actual read out is pretty deep inside this meter box that is somewhat out in the middle of nowhere next to a busy highway. Dust, dirt, insects and all other critters that like the underground habitat cover the dial one needs to see to record the month’s usage. Scott’s arm is about two inches short of being able to wipe the dust off the dial to see the numbers so he twitches his mustache, removes his latest style of palm leaf cowboy hattery, somewhat lays on the ground with his face cheek planted in the sand and sand burs. His other cheeks of the posterior end are sticking skyward as he gives it all he has to reach the meter and wipe the lens clean for a reading. If you can picture a plainsman about one hundred years ago with his ear to the earth listening for buffalo, you have somewhat of a picture of what Scott looked like. The tractor motor was still running as Scott lay in this awkward position for a spell. As he arose from his water meter expedition, his mustache took another position as a crowd had gathered around Scott. He somewhat startled the good Samaritans (if you can imagine their view of the situation) that had stopped because they saw a tractor setting there with some poor fellow laying on the ground, missing a hat and exposing his wisdom dome (bald head) plus it appeared he had one arm missing and his rear was stuck up in the air. A family on a trip in a van plus a trucker had stopped because they thought Scott had been in a bad accident. It just proves that people are still good and willing to stop and help. This situation turned out to be a funny story and Scott told me that other than being embarrassed, he felt good all day about Friends and Neighbors.
I’m Monte Tucker, and that is what’s under my, it’s so hot my hat needs a hat, hat!
