The Gopher Hole

Written by Becky Glaser

I grew up on a farm about ten miles from where I live now, with my mom and dad and six siblings. It was a busy and productive farm and there was always a lot of activity. Jack Creek ran through our farm so we fished bullheads in the summer and ice skated in the winter. We worked hard and played hard, always teasing and playing lots of jokes and pranks on each other growing up. That part of our personalities definitely came from our dad.

Dad was always teasing us kids and telling us stories to see if we’d believe him. He tried to convince us that the Easter Bunny lived behind the back door in the old garage. I never opened that door for fear of making the Easter Bunny mad and risking my Easter treats.  Dad’s teasing personality didn’t fully develop though until he had grandchildren.  He loved playing with them and telling them stories just like he did with us, some of which weren’t totally accurate.

I remember one day, my dad noticed a gopher digging in his yard. My kids were pretty young and he told them that they could catch the gopher if they tied a slipknot in a piece of fishing line and put it over the gopher hole.  So my dad laid on the ground holding the other end of the string and would blow a whistle to get the gopher to peek out of the hole. When the gopher came out of the hole to investigate, they pulled on the string to lasso the gopher.

My kids were suspicious about the accuracy of this story and challenged their Grandpa to show them how exactly to catch a gopher. Dad was put on the spot to ‘put up or shut up.’ They convinced him to go out and catch that gopher while the rest of us watched from the dining room window.  He set the noose and whistled, the gopher peeked out of the hole and dad pulled the string. We couldn’t believe it when he caught the gopher with his homemade lasso. He looked toward the house with a twinkle in his eye and the grand kids were in total awe as was I! That stunt certainly moved him up a rung or two on the ‘cool grandpa’ ladder. Later Dad admitted to me that he was more surprised than we were that it worked.

These and many other memories wouldn’t have been possible if not for growing up on a farm. It’s the experience that has shaped my life and personality the most. There are so many opportunities to experience nature and learn about agriculture. Growing up, we learned the responsibility of having chores, even though there was some grumbling about them from time to time, but having these responsibilities taught us we were a part of the farm we lived on and it instilled values on us that we hopefully passed on to our children.

I try not to take for granted the things that are around us every day and to appreciate the advantages of country living. Nothing compares to the satisfaction of a successful farming season or the good feeling a newborn baby calf can bring. These are the things you can’t appreciate until you’ve experienced them and are the things that life on a farm is made of. I am grateful for all that it has given me and my family.

Becky grew up on a farm, and married a farmer and has a lifelong background in Agriculture. Before joining our Okabena location, she worked for several other local Ag retailers and has over 30 years of experience with the farmers in the area. Becky, and her Husband Tom enjoy camping, fishing, and traveling. They are the parents of three children – Michelle, Tony, and Nathan who are all married and have four grandchildren and another one on the way!