Influences

We live out in the country and have animals of one description or another. One thing we have is cats. Some would say too many, but some would say just right. We do enjoy them. But they aren't just for decoration. On a regular basis we'll find a pile of squirrel hair from one of our cats feasting on a squirrel. We don't have an issue with squirrels getting in our tomatoes, which is worth a lot. We don't regularly have snakes around our house. Dallas used to say a good cat will drive snakes off.

Anyway, I started out with one old grey mother cat in my shop which I built 10 or 12 years ago. Not sure how many years now. But after it was built, for some reason, I ended up with a girl cat in the shop. (I woke up early this morning and my coffee this morning seems to taste extra good. Sorry about this break from the cats!) Momma cat proceeded to take over the shop. This was her shop, and she made sure every cat knew that. Any cats that intruded in her shop were shown the door and left convinced to not come back.

Momma cat had her babies late one summer and virtually told me to take care of them. So I made a little house in one of the high tunnels and hung a light in their house and that's where the kitties lived all winter. They made it. We are down to one of them left, and she is called Kittie Girl. She's a lot like her old momma in the shop. At times she is grouchy and possessive. Well, Kitty Girl usually has her kitties in one of the tunnels. One of her babies was BB.

BB got sick as a baby, so I hauled her down to Dr. Jeff, and he fixed her up and saved her life. So as a result we had an investment in BB, so Marge let me bring her into the house, so she is a house cat. Kind of an onery little dickens. My old shop cat was never very tame, so we never spent much time with her. Her baby, Kittie Girl, we did spend time with, and so have we with BB. What we have found is both of these like to be petted a certain way when they want petted. Do it wrong, and they will bite you. Not serious, but hard enough one has to look and see if they drew blood. I'm betting the old mother shop cat was the same way. Was this trait passed down through blood lines, or was it learned? I don't have a clue. But it was.

We bought three steers from a guy down by Kennett, Missouri, and they were described as Jersey steers. All three kind of looked like Jersey steers. They were all colored like a tan Jersey and all three had horns. One though was different. He acted different. That sucker could kick. All one needed to do was get a little too close, and he'd whale away at you. Don't think he ever actually connected, but that wasn't because he didn't try. This steer would almost threaten us with his horns as well. He'd shake his head and bob it like he was telling us we better be careful. We always wondered if he was mostly Jersey with just a tad bit of those Mexican fighting bulls mixed in. Somewhere this one steer was influenced by either his bloodlines or his environment. I know I always carried my trusty hickory cane with me when around him. I was glad when he ended up in our freezer.

We hardly ever really think about the things which influence us. I grew up in cattle country in the heart of the Sandhills of Nebraska. There wasn't such a thing as grits up there. We had to move south to come around grits. Plain grits don't cut it for me, but now cheesy grits with some bacon in it is mighty tasty. Still can't do sweet tea. Sweet tea is a southern thing. Not sure where the line is from sweet to unsweet tea, but up north you order a glass of tea it will be unsweet tea. You order one down south and don't specify unsweet tea it will be sweet. But most everyone down here drinks sweet tea it seems. Dad always doctored up his coffee with real cream and sugar. Always! Seems like people down here in the south drink mostly black coffee.

If one grows up on Folgers, there is a really good chance they will stick with Folgers. If the family tends to use ketchup, then most likely the kids will as well. If the family tends to eat veggies, then the kids will as well. From the time our grandkids were little, they have eaten cucumbers and turnips. They still do.

Families who spend a lot of time around the water will most likely raise their kids the same way. I grew up around the water, but I was fishing. Some of our friends down here grew up in the water. They were swimming and wading and just playing in the water. That's an influence. If we spend time around a group who regularly cusses, we will little by little probably begin cussing.

Part of my schooling was in counseling, so I used to do some marriage counseling. One of my first questions was what couples do you regularly spend time with? Are they happily married couples who have been together for a number of years, or are they on the brink of divorce? It makes a difference. If a couple or even singles spend time with someone who has a baby, they will be influenced to either never have kids or start planning for a new addition. Growing up in church will influence to a degree whether the kids will attend. Smoking or chewing tobacco has the potential to influence the kids.

Down through the years, we've all watched commercials on how we should be careful how we are acting because there are little eyes watching us. There is even a country western song on this same topic. It should give us pause to be careful.

Good behavior will rub off on others. Don't ever downplay the number of people we will influence. Respect all people, but especially those who are just beginning life and those who are up in years. Respect them. Give them a helping hand, whether it be a kind word or a sack of groceries or a ride somewhere. Your act of respect might impact someone watching from the sidelines. Respect those in authority whether you agree with them or not. I grew up calling some Mr. Helmer or Mr. Steinke or Mr. Cross simply because they were in authority. Two were teachers of mine, and the third was over the education in Arthur, Nebraska. You may not like the preacher, but respect the man or woman and leave the judging to God. I have a hard time with some who display no Godly behavior whatsoever, but God is still their judge.

I guess, live your life so that it may influence others to live a better, more Godly, respectful life.