The Meeting of the Minds

This morning, we kind of waited around for the trapper, but we couldn't wait all day. We had a new chimney built for the house by the Amish, and Tim is anxious to get that up in the 'Golden Hours', defined in this instance as the warmest part of the day: afternoon but before it started to get dark

After waiting until nearly 10, we had to go. We needed to get to the gym. 

When we came home, I was delighted to see the  truck parked in front of the old house. "Drop me off," I said. "I will grab the mail while I am down here."

I made good use of my time while I waited. When I walked to the mailbox, I saw a bit of plastic flapping in the wind. I did a little digging and discovered a package that had been delivered who knows when. The snowplow going by on the road had effectively buried it.

So I dug our package out and rifled through the mail, and my patience was rewarded. After 15 minutes or so, he came walking around the corner of the old house.

The first thing I noticed is that he wasn't a kid. I would guess he was in his 60s. He greeted me cheerfully. I said, "I wanted to talk to you about your exchange with my husband yesterday." 

I could tell that he knew exactly what I was talking about but he said, "I didn't mean anything by it."

I said, "Maybe you didn't but let me be really clear. You are here because you were given permission to be here." I pointed to the two white trucks back at the gas well. "You are not the only one. The well tenders will be here. We have a seed collector who will be back there from time to time. We have grandchildren too, and let me tell you , the first time you say anything like that to one of them, you and I will go toe to toe."

He got mad then. "I would never talk like that to a kid!"

"You have no reason to be talking to anybody like that." 

"Well, he scared the shit out of me!"

"For ex-military, you don't seem to be very aware of your surroundings. The man did not sneak up on you. He walked right along the stream bank."

He snapped, "I know he wasn't sneaking up on me..." and glared.

I continued, "and as far as the ex-miltary stuff, that doesn't impress me much. That log cabin three doors down? That's my brother in law. He's ex-military. Two driveways down this way? That's my nephew. Injured in Iraq. Up on the hill there? That's another nephew. He did two tours in Afghanistan. Me, myself? I am ex-military too. So don't be pulling that card here."

He changed tactics then. "Listen, I am just a simple trapper..."

"Who needs to have some respect. If that kind of talk is ever repeated, you will not be permitted back."

He did apologize but he also said, "I thought this was S---------'s property!"

Mr ex-military not only has no awareness of his surroundings. Poor bastard can't read a plat map either.

"No," I said. "His property is behind ours."

He said, "well. I apologize. It won't happen again."

I said "I expect it won't," and headed up the hill with the mail. 

So...that's done.