This morning I found myself cutting a Lipton tea box into neat rectangular pieces that would fit nicely in a shirt pocket or clip to a pickup truck visor. I almost always cut them up, because if I were to just throw the boxes away, my Gramps would probably smite me from heaven for wasting such beautiful note board.
Gramps would cut up any good, light piece of cardboard...from tea boxes (which I best remember) or gift boxes or boxes parts came in....because it held up better than paper for all the notes and numbers he kept in his pocket. I think all ranchers must, even now when we can type notes into our cell phones. I haven't done this but I'm fairly certain that in Cohagen you could walk up to almost any rancher, ask what was in his shirt pocket (an informal, nonscientific survey) and around 85% would have among other things a chunk of light cardboard with numbers or notes on it. The other 15% would be on their way to town, had to change shirts, and now that you pointed it out, their essential pocket files would be in their work shirt at home.....curses!
When you need a list of cow numbers for sorting certain ones out of the bunch (we use the word "bunch" not "herd"), it's perfect; no ripping or going to pieces when it gets wet. In the pickup, it keeps calf numbers, feed schedules, bale counts, parts needed, windmill notes, salt'n'minral trough placement and also, maybe, the phone number they need for the hay grinder guy that they always MEAN to put in their phone's memory but never really have the time to do so.
They're usually tucked in the pocket near the little book the banker or insurance person gives them which holds the entire intelligence of the operation in manure and oil spotted pages. In the house will be a filing cabinet with "official" papers but if you want to know about the blood and gears of the place, it's in the rancher's pocket.
Every once in a while I go through my work coat pockets and find these little cardboard files, too; usually from when we sorted cows or I helped put out pairs. Often there will be an extra 5/8 inch needle with it...just in case the other needle breaks when I'm giving shots. It always makes me smile. I think about my kids in the age of technology...will they break with tradition, or will they too cut up tea and parts boxes?
I hope so.
Gramps is watching.
:)
