Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Just Fix The Problem

“The second string will be the carload team at Denver, and then will also get to judge at Houston.”

It was the coach’s evening announcement that nearly made a 20-year-old recently married college junior’s shirt snaps pop open.

“Thanks, Dr. Able, but the bath room is froze up, and no way to be ready to leave tomorrow morning.”

He assuredly grinned, “You’ll get it fixed. We won’t pull out of the Weber parking lot until you’re in the station wagon.”

Well before daylight, sure enough, teammates were loaded, waiting, and with a bit of harassing National Western bound.

Personal bust knocked K-State out of the carload title, but on the college’s first team at Houston created lifetime memories.

That broken sewer pipe was mended enough for ranch use with heat lamps guarding further damage.

Couldn’t help but reflect those “good ole days” when the ranch foreman was having stop-ups last week.

While most cowboys aren’t too uppity on plumbing, admittedly problems of nearly a half century ago were less complex than these days.

So professionals must be called in and still a major ordeal when temperatures remain below freezing.

Not necessarily positive but a learning experience for today’s younger set who’ve never heard of an outhouse. They didn’t even have a clue what a commode was, but soon learned rather than subzero going to the barn.

Headlines have been crowded with freeze up stories, and certainly those city slickers were groaning loader than the ranch folk.

Anything related to plumbing issues whenever and whatever the weather are difficult and always most aggravating.

No matter how well planned and developed, country water systems are going to have bothersome issues some time. Even with repair and revamping earth’s movement continues arising troubles.

The ranch front’s bad, but a rental’s more complicated. Landlord is always first blamed, first called, immediate action expected. Not answering the phone or insinuating wrong number never work. They always call back, until repairman has been found, even to the extent of new lines.

Proud of his more than 100 city rentals, tenant plumbing predicaments are always an issue for one good friend entrepreneur. Story is he turned off every communication device and left town last week.

Reminded of Second Chronicles 24:13: “The workmen repaired and restored in accordance with specifications even strengthening it.”

+++ALLELUIA+++

XII–2–1-7-18

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