Granny Gets Wheels April 2001
What an exciting time for one elderly grandmother: It’s Easter morning and we are awaiting the arrival of the Easter Bunny bringing the new toy. It’s something I’ve wanted for the last several years; however, to get John to agree to buy a golf cart has been a major undertaking. Of course, he can and does walk miles and miles without problems so it was impossible for him to understand the dilemma of this overweight gardener who longs to spend countless hours in the shade garden, which is across the dirt road from the house.
John is as tight (money wise) as the bark on a hickory tree. I’ve told you over and over that if you put a “hikker” nut in his rectum and a nickel in his hand, he would crack the “hikker” nut before he’d let go of the nickel. Perhaps the frugality has something to do with our upbringing since we grew up during The Great Depression. I’m not a big spender; however, I don’t believe in “raking up dead leaves for somebody else to burn” either. Let them work and earn their way as we have.
Anyway, I have mentioned “golf cart” on numerous occasions and was either ignored by the One I Love Best or he just “poo pooed” the idea. Recently when some of our family visited from Georgia the subject came up and Daniel mentioned that he thought he could find one. That was the last I heard of that until I mentioned it again. I decided that Daniel thought the subject was a little too hot for him to get involved. Ha! I agree, at times it has been rather heated.
John had a pasture of beautiful heifers and last week a man came here driving a Mule. You know, the one made by Kawasaki, and he wanted to buy the heifers. I suppose this took John by surprise and after the visiting party left we began to discuss the purposed sale. John told me what he was going to price the bovine at and I agreed, further stating that we could use that money to buy a Mule for our use. Of course, the Mule costs something like $5,000. Wow did that ever light John’s thinking. “We could use the Mule to visit the pasture and the cows,” I remarked, “to say nothing of that neat bed on it that could be used to haul salt for the cows as well as potting soil for the plants in the garden.” We went our separate ways and after a little time John came in the house and opened that conversation yet again. “I believe a golf cart would be safer for you to operate,” he stated and I thought to myself “Well, that’s an unusual way to get him to agree to buying a golf cart — but I’ll take whatever method works.” He would never admit to what changed his mind; however, I didn’t just now fall off the turnip truck – he was thinking of the difference in the price of a Mule and a lowly little golf cart.
When we were next in the vicinity of the golf cart yard, I had to be the one to suggest that we visit. We did just that, but John would not even touch a cart and I know absolutely nothing about machinery; however, I got in with the salesman and went for a spin, – returning to the parking place driving the buggy. Before we left, John insisted that we purchase the red one – which is what we did. After we started home, he began to tell me how it could be used around the farm and began to mention things like taxes and depreciation!. The very idea! You would have thought this purchase was John’s idea in the first place! Now as we await the arrival of the cute little set of wheels, I can’t wait to get my hands on it and go for a spin. This is how life is the Windy Knoll with it’s style of country living.