i went to the country just the other day to see my uncle bill and sorta pass the time away i asked him how he d been since last i d passed his way he rubbed his chin here s what he had to say my wife s been sick the young ones too and i m darn near down with the flu the cow s gone dry and them hens won t lay but we re still a livin so everything s okay the hogs took the cholera and they ve all done died the bees got mad and they left the hive the weevils got the corn and the rain rotted the hay but we re still a livin so everything s okay the porch rotted down that s more expense the darned old mule he tore down the fence the mortgage is due and i can t pay but we re still a livin so everything s okay the cow broke in the field and eat up the beans the darn rabbits they got the turnip greens and my ma in law just moved in to stay but we re still a livin so everything s okay my land s so poor so hard and yeller you have to set on a sack of fertilizer to raise an umbreller and it rains out here nearly every day but we re still a livin so everything s okay the wells gone dry and i have to tote the water up from the spring about a mile and a quarter my helper he quit for the lack of pay but we re still a livin so everything s okay the house it leaks it needs a new top when it rains it wets everything we got the chimney fell down just yesterday but we re still a livin so everything s okay the corn meals gone and the meat s run out got nothin to kill to put in the smokehouse the preacher s comin sunday to spend the day but we re still a livin so everything s okay the canned stuffs spoiled else the jar s got broke and all we got left is one old billy goat we re gonna have a new baby about the first of may but we re still a livin so everything s okay my crop it rotted in the ground i asked for another loan but the banker turned me down but we re still a livin and we re prayin for better days so after all everything s in pretty good shape