Fred works for Braymer Fuels, our oil heat supplier.
Every May, he comes to check out our oil heater, clean it and make sure it’s working in advance of winter. Fred is one of the exciting people that I like up here, another in the revolving wheel of people who help us on the farm. I just should call them Big Men in Trucks, but now, there are Big Women in Trucks as well.
They make our world run.
I’ve seen Fred every May since I moved up here. I tell him every year to come when he can and just walk in. He goes. We trust him completely. He is full of animal stories when he comes. They are a huge part of his life.
I meant to get a portrait of Fred, but I was too distracted to think of it when he came. I got a picture of him with our three dogs; they are crazy about him. So, most of the dogs and cats are in the area.
Fred is one of the most devoted animal lovers I know; he has ten cats living in his house, one of them a nasty viral cat who has adopted him and sleeps in bed.
It’s mesmerizing to see him with our dogs; he can scratch, pat, and speak to all three of them at once. They are crazy about him. He could do this for hours. So could they. But he has lots of other oil burners to clean.
He puts food out on his windowsills for the other feral cats, who come by every morning but aren’t ready to come in yet. Fred is crazy about our dogs, and they are crazy about him. Stories about Fred and animals around here are legends.
Some dogs we know who are notoriously unfriendly melt like an ice cube in August when Fred comes by. Our dogs know his truck, and while they usually bark when anyone comes near the door, they never bark at Fred; their wagging tails could cool the house. Dogs remember him from year to year.
When Fred comes, he vanishes into the basement for an hour or so and comes up when he’s done. He knows where everything is.
Then it’s dog time. He says goodbye and then waits. I wouldn’t dare not bring in the dogs who come shrieking, wiggling, and wagging to greet him. Fred talks to them in dog language, and they talk back. Some people are just part dog and cat; it’s in their genes.
Dogs know who loves them and who doesn’t. One thing most dogs have learned is how to love back.
He does a great job with the burner too. There is never a problem.
I’ll call Braymer Fuels in the morning to see if I can’t get Fred back here for a portrait and perhaps a photo with the dogs.
Our little old chocolate lab, Peppermint Patty, had 2 *Most Favorite Days* every year. The first, in the spring, Daylight Savings when she would get to have her breakfast an hour early. The second, the day in September when Dana, our furnace guy, would come.
Sadly, one year when I called to schedule I was informed that Dana was retired and that he had actually retired 2 years before but the prior year he had come in just to do a few of his seasonal services. I feel grateful that Patty was one on that list.
Jon, yes, please, bring Fred back for a portrait! I wish a pet portrait artist could paint him with the dogs !
Being from Arkansas, I appreciated the phrase “melt like an ice cube in August.” I’m happy to see the return of posts from your home this week. Pax