Daddy doesn’t often raise his voice. His words aren’t ever harsh, but he sure can be stern—and he saves that for when little cowboys are in danger. Mostly, if Daddy has something important to say, a lesson that needs to be learned, you’ll go haul hay with him.
Hauling hay isn’t hard, and there’s quite a bit of road time if you’re taking it to a far-off pasture. You can’t go very fast, and the radio in the old ranch rig quit working years ago. It’s a pretty good time to talk. Often, he’ll ask questions and offer up advice. He’ll remind you about the words written in red, and how they’ll always guide you, even when Daddy’s not around. If it’s really important, he might suggest, “Y’all sit outside,”…