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Thankful not to be on the treadmill

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Bulls, elephants and other large animals... oh my!

Inspiration

By Charles Towne

Back on the old home place we never owned a bull. We usually kept a cow for milk, a pig or two for slaughtering, a couple of horses, and chickens for eggs, and an occasional chicken dinner. but no bull.

In my somewhat eventful life I have been chased by a broad assortment of critters. A disgruntled elephant was the largest. A bull elk with blood in his eye almost got me. Chased by a horde of bald faced hornets, some of which caught me, chased by a dog or three, and yes, I was chased by a very ticked-off bull once, but that is another story. The fact that I am still taking up space on planet earth should tell you that I outran most of those varmints. Daddy had a farmer friend who owned a big, old, mean bull. That bull was one dangerous animal until the farmer came up with an idea.

Now this was many years ago when many of the farms didn’t have electricity, but the farmer fixed that belligerent bull, as well as the electricity deficit at the same time by making a treadmill powered generator. He would lead that bull up onto the treadmill, throw a lever, and the treadmill would start to slowly turn just by the weight of the bull. As the treadmill turned, the bull would walk, and as the bull walked the treadmill turned, ad infinitum. As the bull walked and the treadmill turned the generator started to gen, or whatever it is that generators do, and the farmer had electric lights in his barn.

Pretty darned clever if I must say so, and that bull was so tired after walking for a few hours he lost all his desire to create mischief. I mean, that mean old bull walked until he was too pooped to pop.

I suppose Papa God could treat us that way but He gave us free will which to my way of thinking was pretty darned considerate, if you know what I mean.

cropped-picture-300x255Live fully,

Love openly,

And make a difference, today

Charles Towne is a longtime Apopka resident, member of Insp!re Church and a published author.

Bulls, Charles Towne, Inspiration, Treadmills

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