A newlywed farmer and his wife were visited by her mother, who
immediately demanded an inspection of the place.

The Farmer had genuinely tried to be friendly to his new mother-in-law,
hoping that it could be a friendly, non- antagonistic relationship.

To no avail, she kept nagging them at every opportunity, demanding
changes, offering unwanted advice and making life unbearable to the
farmer and his new bride.

While they were walking through the barn, the farmer’s mule suddenly
reared up and kicked the mother-in-law in the head, killing her
instantly.

At the funeral service a few days later, the farmer stood near the
casket and greeted folks as they walked by.

The pastor noticed that whenever a woman would whisper something to
the farmer, he would nod his head yes and say something.

Whenever a man walked by and whispered to the farmer, however, he
would shake his head, no and mumble a reply.

Very curious as to this bizarre behavior, the pastor later asked the
farmer what that was all about.

The farmer replied, “The women would say, ‘What a terrible tragedy’
and I would nod my head and say, ‘Yes, it was.

‘ The men would ask, ‘Can I borrow that mule?’ and I would shake my
head and say, ‘Can’t. It’s all booked up for a year.’