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The chainsaw assault
Dixie Diva
rich ronda new
Ronda Rich

To be honest, I was more than a mite worried. I was plenty worried. My husband, raised not in the South or in the country, wanted a chainsaw. The one farm accessory that has brought down many a man. From an early age, I was taught respect for that chewing, sawing, respect-for-no-man power tool.

Tink, when he sets his heart and mind on something, is like a crafty teenager wearing out a parent to get what he wants. He begins a steady, strategic assault that puts General Sherman to shame. He follows me from room to room and will not stop pleading his case.

“We have dead trees to cut down,” he pointed out. “Did you see that one next to the stream that died over the winter? Look at all the bushes growing out of control. I NEED a chainsaw.”

“No,” I said repeatedly. “It’s too dangerous.”

For over a year, he campaigned but I, like General Lee in the early days of the war, stood strong and long.

“Those things will kick back and attack you when you least expect it,” I’d shake my head and walk away.

“I know to be careful.” He listed examples of his being careful, then I brought up the one example of not being careful that trumped all those. I looked at him sternly like the mother of a teenager and then spoke just like she would speak.

“What about the Bush Hog?”

He paled. I had him and he knew it. A few years ago, I bought a large Bush Hog zero-turn lawn mower from Kabe Cain who, with my brother-in-law Rodney, had helped me pick out the right mower. If you’ve operated a zero-turn, you know how great they are — can turn on a dime — but they take some initial getting used to. It takes a couple of times of running one before you have all the coordination down.

The first summer we were married, Tink decided he wanted to learn to run the Bush Hog so he could cut grass. Behind our house is an embankment that is tricky. Most of it has to be done with the weed-eater because it’s so steep. I was cutting grass one day when Tink insisted on taking over. I showed him how to operate everything then said, “Go over to the side yard where it’s level and practice where it’s safe.”

“Why didn’t you cut more of that embankment?” he asked.

A red flag flew to the top of the pole. “DON’T dare go near that. I cut it as far down as I could. If you go too far, the mower will turn over.” He nodded. I walked up the steps to the back porch, put my hand on one of the French door knobs, then turned to look as he climbed on the mower. The greatest sense of worry and fear came over me. I knew something was going to happen but I didn’t want to treat him like a child. So, I prayed and asked God to protect him.

I went down to the front pasture with a backpack to kill the thistle that is always the bane of my summers. Suddenly, I heard an explosion of sound and saw Mississippi, the cat, jump from the rock wall behind the house and race toward safety. Then, I heard nothing. And the sound of nothing with a big lawn mower is the loudest sound of all.

Tink disobeyed me. And the price of that disobedience was a tumble with the mower, down the hill and over the rock wall. God answered my prayer so, miraculously, he had no injuries.

He swallowed when I reminded him of that and said, “I learned my lesson.” Then, he struck with a teenager’s smarts. “OK, then hire someone to do all that work.”

Ouch. He hit my frugal bone.

Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of “There’s A Better Day A-Comin’.” Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter.

Know Your Neighbor: Inside the Life of MLB Champion Josh Reddick
Former Major League Baseball player, 2017 World Series champion
Josh Reddick Know Your Neighbor

(What you won’t find on social media … even if you’re approved as a friend)

  • Born: Savannah
  • Status: Married to wife, Jett; 6-year-old twin boys, Maverick and Ryder
  • Alma mater: South Effingham High School
  • What’s on TV: “NCIS,” “Dragon Ball Z”
  • Most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done: Drove to Nashville at 11 p.m. and got there at 8 a.m.
  • Most memorable home run or play in my career: A 2017 grand slam in my first game at Truist Park in Atlanta. As a Braves fan growing up, that was awesome. Also robbed Hunter Pence of a home run in 2019 in the ninth inning to save the game.
  • What I drive: 2017 Lamborghini Huracán with a Spider-Man wrap; 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty
  • What I’m reading: Children’s books at night with my boys — mostly “Pokémon” right now.
  • Favorite movie: “The Count of Monte Cristo”
  • Actor who would play me in a movie: Seann William Scott
  • Toughest pitcher I ever faced: Tyler Clippard
  • App I can’t live without (no judgment): Amazon
  • Worst habit: Biting fingernails
  • My walk-up song: “Careless Whisper” by Wham!
  • On my office walls: Baseball memorabilia — my own and autographed items I gathered during my career
  • Favorite go-to comfort food: Grilled cheese
  • First thing I do in the morning: Brush my teeth
  • Pet I’d have if anything was possible: Penguin
  • Favorite MLB stadium: For the experience, Yankee Stadium; performance-based, Camden Yards in Baltimore
  • Most used emoji: 🤣
  • First job: Worked with my dad installing irrigation systems, landscaping, and mowing lawns
  • What I like about Effingham County: It’s my roots and where it all began for me. The people I’ve known and grew up with are a big part of me.
  • Snack I can never say no to: Chocolate or boiled peanuts
  • Favorite sports team: How ’bout them Dawgs?!
  • What song always gets me dancing (or singing): “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee
  • Favorite value in others: Being genuine
  • Advice I’d give my teenage self: Ignore the haters. Don’t let them affect you in any way.
  • Talent I’d most like to have: Speak multiple languages
  • Dream date: Ruth’s Chris Steak House and then Topgolf — that’s our usual date night, and I love it.
  • Most ridiculous thing I believed as a kid: That I had to wait 30 minutes after eating to swim
  • Attribute I like best about myself: I tell it like it is.
  • And least: I speak when I sometimes shouldn’t.
  • My hero: Ken Griffey Jr.
  • My bucket list: Explore Alaska
  • My motto: “How can you hit the ball thinking of all the possible ways you can miss.”