Our son and his family are on a vacation trip. For many years, with a few exceptions, they have gone to San Diego to visit his wife’s grandmother at Thanksgiving time. It is a gathering of her family and the excellent weather makes a good break from life in the Pacific Northwest. While they are gone, we are checking in on their farm to make sure that things are in order. That means that for a week, I have farm chores. It isn’t much. There are two chicken coops that need fresh water and food and eggs to gather. The cattle need to have water and grain. I don’t have to feed hay, as a neighbor with a tractor is keeping a round bale feeder stocked. After the chores are done, we pop into the house to put away the eggs and make sure all is well with the house.

It seems like a small amount of labor in exchange for the supply of eggs that we receive from the farm. We also benefit from a full freezer when it comes time to process chickens and cows.

It happens that we are also caring for my sister’s dog this week. Cody is a 7 year-old Australian Shepherd and I have to keep myself reminded of his age, because he is a very fit and energetic dog. I walk him every day and most days I find an opportunity to take him to an open field and throw a ball or frisbee for him to fetch over and over again until he begins to tire a bit.

Australian shepherds were bred to help on cattle ranches, but Cody has lived on a ranch for only a short amount of his life. However he has the soul of a ranch dog. Whenever we go to the farm, he is immediately at home. I open the door of the pickup and out he pops. He checks on the critters, but he respects fences. The chickens will startle when he comes too close to their territory, but he pays them no mind. When the chickens are out ranging in the yard he never chases them. They are always in the coop these days after a predator attack resulted in losses a few weeks ago. The dog stays in the yard and doesn’t venture out into the street. I’ll throw the ball or frisbee for him a few times, but he allows me to do my chores without any problem.

When we walk the dog away from the farm, I have to be careful as he has a tendency to overreact and bark at garbage trucks, delivery vans, and other vehicles. He also can be a bit aggressive with other dogs, and I find myself apologizing for his barking from time to time. He is good on the leash, but he can pull hard - enough that Susan doesn’t feel comfortable walking him by herself.

I’ve taken to saying to people we meet when walking that Cody’s problem is that he is a ranch dog and I don’t have a ranch. It seems to be the truth.

He loves riding in the pickup and he thinks that he should be with me every time I drive it. He doesn’t seem to care about the car. He loads up into the truck without a problem whether we are coming from or going to the farm. I just open the door and say “load up” and he is in the back seat. He’d be in the front seat, but I’ve installed a dog barricade to keep him (and the mud, shed hair and other dog mess) in a controlled area.

I get the best deal through all of this. I get to play rancher, without having the problems of running a ranch. I don’t have to worry about the price of hay or the price of cattle. I don’t have to mend fences or treat sick animals. I can get away with skipping out on the day the chickens are processed. And I don’t have farm chores every day except for a week each year when our son and his family take a vacation. I can justify keeping my pickup truck and utility trailer because they really do contribute to the farm. I haul a few bales a couple of times each year and use my chainsaw to cut up a bit of firewood. They call small acreage places like our son’s “hobby farms” and the title is appropriate. It is enough space for a really large garden and a few animals, but not large enough to be a full time job. Our son and his family manage all of the farm chores while the kids attend school and the parents work as professionals. Our son commutes to work in a stream of traffic every day. Then, when he gets home, he has kids who need attention and farm chores that must be done. Comparing his lifestyle to mine and it is easy to call myself retired even though I do have a part-time job.

And the dog? I love the dog. He is a very nice animal. But he is also quite a bit of work and a fair amount of mess to clean. I joke that I need to check him from time to time to make sure he isn’t going bald with all of the fur that he leaves behind. I enjoy walking him, throwing the ball or frisbee for him, and having his company at home and in the pickup. But I am also very happy that I get to return him to my sister. I don’t miss him when he is with her most of the time.

When I was working full time, Thanksgiving week was always a special treat because I would get a three day weekend, something that rarely happens for a pastor. Unless there was a crisis, people were mostly otherwise engaged for Thanksgiving and the next couple of days. This week, I’ve added a few more chores to my schedule, and it still seems light. We’ll have a fine dinner with a few guests and the work load won’t be heavy. I get to play farmer and then return all of the animals to others.

It’s a good life for an old guy.