Opinion

Trying times

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Thomas Paine wrote in The American Crisis, "These are the times that try men's souls: the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country but he that stands at now, deserves the love and thanks of man and women." Paine, of course, was referring to the common practice of soldiers going home to tend the farms whenever the need arose.

My experience wasn't quite as dramatic: the Garnett grandkids had requested another fishing trip, and so early last Friday morning their dad brought them to the pond north of Blue Mound and left me in charge. The plan was to fish and pick blackberries, and I decided to use the Oreo approach in more ways than one. First of all, the seven-year-old granddaughter had requested double-stuffed Oreos, so grandpa made a run to the store to purchase the necessary supplies. Secondly, knowing they would rather fish than pick blackberries, I suggested we would fish one pond, pick blackberries, and then go fish the second pond.

As you know from experience, the blackberries protect themselves by having thorns, and, as I spread the troops out and we went to harvest the berries, I was hearing the occasional "ouch" from the two. After awhile, I looked up to see they were apparently picking their way back to the pickup and, despite my encouragement, did not seem nearly as excited about picking blackberries as they had been about fishing. I explained that all these berries were going back to their house where they could be enjoyed at a later date. This logical explanation was apparently wasted because a few moments later I looked up, and both of the "summer soldiers" were sitting in the back of the pickup eating Oreos and drinking pop while grandpa was out in the middle of the brambles trying to finish the harvest.

Now I know how Washington felt as he tried to keep the troops happy at Valley Forge and the hazards of working with an all-volunteer workforce. By pooling all of our berries, we managed to get a half-gallon and then it was on to pond number two. By eleven o'clock it was starting to heat up, and the grandson suggested I drive fast on the way back to Blue Mound since there is no air conditioning in "Old Red." After lunch at the "Feed Lot Café," we headed back to Garnett while they both promptly fell asleep on the way. No wonder George Washington had white hair.