The Day my Dad became a Rock Star

My dad was a farmer, the gentleman type, a teacher by day and a farmer by night.
With nine kids to help him not always by choice,
While milking the cows we would hear his deep voice.
“Blankety blank cows!” we all heard him say,
As he fed and watered and milked them each day.

This story that happened involved mom and dad,
It’s a story that’s funny, but also quite sad.
But it wouldn’t have been except for old dad.

Mom in the kitchen, mixing up dough, for chocolate chip cookies, little did know?
There was a slight mix-up, not really her fault,
She’d forgotten to label the sugar and salt.
The discovery made, us kids mourn our loss.
Dad knew exactly where dough should be tossed.
“To the chicken coop!” That’s just what he said.
But by the next morn, half our chickens were dead.
Dad learned a lesson, that salt can be bad,
In as high a percentage as those cookies had.

Another good story I’ll tell to you now, when we put in a hydrant for watering cows.
We dug a big trench, a full 5 feet deep,
And ran water pipe so the water would keep,
Under the frost line from freezing, you see,
my dad and my little brother and me.

My dad in the trench, placing rocks at the base,
While my brother and I hauled the rocks to each place.
I rounded the corner on one fateful trip,
Just in time to see my brother’s hand start to slip.
Luckily, the rock glanced off dad’s fore-head,
But the look on Mike’s face was one of deep dread.
My dad stood there speechless, perfectly still,
Then he said, “If you don’t spank him, I Blankety, will!”

While my dad counted stars from the whack on his head,
I spanked my poor brother or else he’d be dead!