My husband’s grandfather went by the name Pete. It wasn’t his given name, and no one seems to know for sure where he got it or when it started.
Pete was as amazing as they come: the perfect blend of gentleman, comic and hard worker. His kindness radiated out of his sparkling eyes.
He lived to be 98. We were all hoping he’d make it to 100, but when it’s time, it’s time. He lived a full life – he made a hole-in-one on his 95th birthday and made the local paper!
When I think of genuinely kind people, I think of Papa Pete. He gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, “For the love of Pete!” Usually this is said in aggravation and frustration. As in, “For the love of Pete, just get your work done!”
However, if said in regard to the actual Pete, “For the love of Pete” can mean to love like Pete or remember Pete’s love.
Pete’s dad had a farm in Georgia. I never met his dad, but my husband remembers visiting the place as a young boy. I think that’s where his love of agriculture first blossomed. I’ve mentioned before that we didn’t have family in ranching – and we didn’t. The farm was gone by the time my hubby started school. Our parents and grandparents didn’t ranch, but there were slivers of agriculture in our lives here and there.
For those of us lacking a plot of land that has stayed in the family, we look at other aspects: like the love of Pete.
Most agricultural families operate out of a heart of stewardship: respect for the land and the animals. Respect for their neighbors. Respect for leases and permits. It’s part of the overall lifestyle that we admire.
Respect. We hear it isn’t as common as it once was – although I’d like to believe we can change that.
Recently, I was shocked by the lack of respect a ranching friend experienced. She shared an incident that happened on their state lease that they’ve had for 40 years. The area offers recreation, so at certain times of the year, the area is busy. However, this was in October, after the busiest part of the season.
Their family was gathering cows, and her husband had their 11-month-old granddaughter on a four-wheeler with him. They had been there three days prior and everything was in place.
However, as they crossed a culvert, a nearly invisible wire strung between two posts caught the four-wheeler handlebars, twisted the controls on the handlebars and bruised our friend badly. Thankfully, their granddaughter was in a pack and wasn’t riding in front of him or the wire would’ve hit her in the neck and caused serious, if not life-altering damage.
A week later, they went back to check for missing cows, and the wire was back up.
For the love of Pete. This lack of respect would’ve shocked him.
We may not always agree with one another, understand one another or even like one another – but that doesn’t change the fact that we are all working in the cattle industry together.
Whether this wire placement was done by the state, someone recreating or a nearby landowner is unknown. Regardless, state land is not for people to rope off as their own or put up clear wire that could hurt someone else. They were checking their cows, taking care of business, in a place where they had purchased the right to do so. Respect seems to be subjective.
On a smaller scale, a few months ago, we had someone out walking their dogs in the fields of the ranch. When asked what they were doing, they said, “Walking the dogs.” When asked if they saw the private property sign they passed to get in there, they said, “Yes, but we just liked it here and wanted to walk the dogs. We’ve been in the car a while.”
What if they had entered the bull pasture? Or walked between a cow and her calf? Most of our animals aren’t mean, but they are animals and instincts are real. It’s our job to protect what is in our borders. As the old saying goes, “Leave the gate how you found it.”
Agriculture is going to be around as long as there are people on the planet. I hope I will be as respectful as Papa Pete was throughout his life. Thankfully, most of us in ranching show respect already, so let’s continue it, for the love of Pete.
