Barnyard stories

# 1 - The Little Red Hen

Once upon a time, there was a little red hen who lived on a farm . She was friends with a lazy dog , a sleepy cat , and a noisy yellow duck .
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One day the little red hen found some seeds on the ground. The little red hen had an idea. She would plant the seeds .

The little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me plant the seeds ?"
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"Not I," barked the lazy dog .

"Not I," purred the sleepy cat .

"Not I," quacked the noisy yellow duck .
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"Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen planted the seeds all by herself.
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When the seeds had grown, the little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me cut the wheat ?"

"Not I," barked the lazy dog .

"Not I," purred the sleepy cat .

"Not I," quacked the noisy yellow duck .
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"Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen cut the wheat all by herself.
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When all the wheat was cut, the little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me take the wheat to the mill to be ground into flour ?"

"Not I," barked the lazy dog .

"Not I," purred the sleepy cat .

"Not I," quacked the noisy yellow duck .
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"Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen brought the wheat to the mill all by herself, ground the wheat into flour , and carried the heavy sack of flour back to the farm .
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The tired little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me bake the bread ?"

"Not I," barked the lazy dog .

"Not I," purred the sleepy cat .

"Not I," quacked the noisy yellow duck .
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"Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen baked the bread all by herself.
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When the bread was finished, the tired little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me eat the bread ?"

"I will," barked the lazy dog .

"I will," purred the sleepy cat .

"I will," quacked the noisy yellow duck .
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"No!" said the little red hen . "I will."   And the little red hen ate the bread all by herself.


Moral:  Some are all too willing to share the fruits of others' success, but contribute nothing to help create the success.   And if the hen, through her own efforts collects insufficient ingredients for a large batch of bread, there will be those who critcize her, though doing nothing to help.


#2 - My Grandfather

   One of my grandfathers was a lifelong Democrat.  Not normally something I would admit, but given his era (born during WW I) and his profession (farmer), it's understandable.  Of course, he was a Democrat of the FDR variety, not the Clinton/Obama type.

   One of the things I remember from my childhood and early adulthood, was Grandfather's understanding of economics and accounting, which, I believe, tied into his Democratic politics.  You see, year after year, season after season, Grandfather lost money on every crop planted, or load of cattle, or hogs. 

   Don't get me wrong - it's definitely possible, maybe likely, to lose money in agriculture, especially if you're a gentleman farmer or don't know what you're doing.  But my Grandfather was raised on the farm - he knew what he was doing.

   I could never figure out how you could always lose money and stay at it.  Oh, sure, you can, for an extended period of time, build up additional debt on the farm mortgage.  But what I ulitmately learned was that in his accounting, if the crop/commodity/livestock price at any time during the season was greater than what he ultimately sold his for, he considered the difference a loss.  Not necessarily that he didn't make an operating profit, but that he failed to sell for the highest price that might have been offered during that season.  And he firmly believed he'd really lost money.

  A lot of folks are like this.

   Democrat or Republican, it's not uncommon for us to focus on the difference between the potential and what we net, and conclude that somehow we've been cheated, dealt a bad hand.  Too frequently, we see the empty portion of the glass, and fail to give thanks for the part that is filled.

   My own glass has been fuller, but I know that many in this world suffer from true thirst, staring at empty glasses, or have no glass at all.  I'm thankful for what I have, and keep working to make a better tomorrow, with confidence that with the Lord's guidance, and my obedience, my glass or cup will eventually run over.