Friday, August 1, 2008

Farmer's Advice

My Grandpa, 1930's, Howard Co, IN
.....
An Old Farmer's Advice
.....
* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks, bankers and lawyers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen
anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think
back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with,
watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes
from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin'
it back in.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try
orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
~~unknown

33 comments:

  1. Willow - what a great photo of your grandfather, a real family treasure.

    "Always drink upstream from the herd." Ain't that the truth!

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  2. Priceless, every word a gem.

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  3. Wow! You always have THE BEST entries! I'll be back to ponder these a few more times today!

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  4. I love these... How funny yet true!

    There's an award waiting for you over at the Tea Society...I suspect you've received many of these already:-)...

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  5. I loved this, so logical and practical and funny. The last one sums it quite nicely, I believe:

    "Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly."

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  6. Hi, Willow! I found you via Eleanor from Thatchwick Cottage--you have a wonderful blog with lots of variety! This wise post was lovely...and especially that last line tugs my heart. Happy Days :o)

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  7. Gotta say those are pretty universal words to live by .. and your Grandpa looks like Tom Joad/Henry Fonda!

    :-Daryl

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  8. Great pic Willow...
    The Bach

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  9. 'Keep skunks, bankers and lawyers at a distance' LOL!

    What great advice :-)

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  10. A great photo and a great post, too!

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  11. Oh--and what wonderful words to live by! Those are great. And what an amazing photo of your grandfather. I love old photos and have some treasures I wouldn't part with myself.

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  12. Fabulous photo you have to treasure.

    This one kind of jumped out at me (me being a cat-person):
    Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin'
    it back in.

    So very true.

    Kat

    P.S. Glad you enjoyed Kermie and Rainbow Connection

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  13. Great photo! My maternal grandfather was a coal miner in Pennsylvania. I wish I had a photo of him in his miners clothes but the only photo of him is from his wedding day.

    These were wonderul proverbs. Very "salt of the earth"
    I love the last lines also!

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  14. Really fun list and Edward is especially fond of the next to the last bit of advice!

    I also love your new header!

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  15. This post is just charming and wise, Willow. And there's a new look to your blog! I like it. Great photo of grandpa, too. Your blog is always a treat.

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  16. I loved your embarrassing song list!!
    I just went to the revival of South Pacific and discovered I knew every single word of every single song.
    Robert told me that he had heard enough.
    Some enchanted Evening is quite perfect as utter mush - how glorious.
    My children had "Disco Duck" which they played on the Fisher Price record player.Very jolly indeed.

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  17. Thanks all...I love this pic of my grandpa from my family collection...yes, very Tom Joad. The advice was from an email forward...I like it so much that I posted it for you to enjoy.

    Elizabeth, I know ALL the words to the songs in "South Pacific", too. WT can empathize with Robert!

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  18. I'm glad you picked up The Architectue of Happiness! I just know it will resonate with you as it did with me.

    My copy of Assending Peculiarity from your book list, arrived yesterday!

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  19. Hi Willow...I always like these old pictures of your family :) Now these words are great and sound like some I've heard before, being from the south. I wish I could memorize a few...when I used them, folks would think I was a wise ole southern lady. "Sometimes you git and somethimes you git got" that's the southern way of saying it :) What a fun post....I love your new header...very classy, lady.

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  20. What a wonderful post! I love your new header, very beautiful: it rather resembles you I think. :)

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  21. I had this Sargent painting as a screen background one time when my daughter was home and she said the same thing! ;)

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  22. I love the photograph of your grandfather and the "farmers" advice. Thanks so much for sharing. Roxanne

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  23. Love your new header Willow - it bears a resemblance to you, don't you think? There are so many wonderful lessons in this post. Here are a few that I like:

    Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.

    I don't mind going nowhere as long as it’s an interesting path.

    The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

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  24. what a wonderful thing to share with us!!! these made me nod my head with approval, smile with delight and long for the good old days!

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  25. Suza, I love those three quotes...especially that second one!

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  26. I love this!!!!!!
    I want to write that all down and put it where I will see it every day.
    It really brings you back to what is important in life.
    As we say around here.......
    "Keep it simple, stupid!!"

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  27. What a wonderful post - and all of it so true. How lucky of you to have that fabulous photo of your grandfather as well.

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  28. You don't need a degree in psychology or be a psychoanalyst to be this wise.

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  29. You don't need a degree in psychology or be a psychoanalyst to be this wise.

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  30. Willow, very nice tribute to your grandfather! I especially like the phrase "Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads."

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  31. "Lettin the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in"....LOL

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  32. I love this photo too! Same age like my father but total different location. Funny,
    regards, Michael

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  33. An interesting mix of posts and pics.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)