Years ago after sis left home somebody had to take her place of ridin the corn planter. The control that let the seed out had failed and had to be held in position by a big foot. Ole Jeep didn't wanna do it as he had other more important things to do, fish, hunt, ride horses etc. Guess who was next in line? Yep! You guessed it! That very important task fell upon the rather small shoulders of ME! In the heat and dust of followin pap and the H Internationa that toted the planter, rode yours truly. I did get a BIG straw hat to wear for some shade. Me and old Pap planted every row of our farm ground with that old 2 row planter. I wasn't big enuff to help with the seed or fertlizer at the end of the "through". Pap would climb down from the H and start fillin the seed and fertllizer boxes-preparin for the next "round". Water was always in short supply for drinkin, it seemed. I don't know why, never even thought of askin why. Pap never took any either and again I don't know why. After all these years [about 50] I still don't know why I didn't ask to take some. Not real smart on my part because I was big enough and old enough to know what was goin on. Guess pap never give it much thought either. Well anyhow, I certainly was glad when plantin time was over. I HATED ridin that old planter! Winter wasn't much better either. Seemed we always ran outta firewood in about January when all the snow was on the ground. Pap would take ole Jeep and me to the woods to cut poles. We'd drag'm to the house with the H where they could be "buzzed" up by the buzz saw. The "good old days" weren't all that good. I didn't like a lot of the ways we done things but it was common practice back then and seemed nobody done it any differently either. Thank God for propane heat, central A/C's and planters that work as they should. I HATE straw hats and don't have one on the farm either. Water Jugs are rather plentiful around here now. Forget the little 1 gallon jugs-give me the 2 gallon ones. Dump a bunch of ice in't and we'll do jest fine.I DO miss the close ties with family and neighbors. The slower lifestyle was a whole lot more acceptable than today's hurry up and wait mentallity of the majority of people. Believe I'll take life's simple pleasures as well as the "good" of these modern times and see if we can co-exist and have some peace while waitin for Jesus Christ to shout: "Come up thither"! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), September 08, 2000

Answers

Hey, Hoot! I got to ride the planter only one summer, the spring of '54, when I was a senior in HS. Had a week off from school "senior week" and I rode that planter every one of the days off. Much better than working in the house, though. You probably got the job in '55-- I was spending my time at GSH in Vincennes, washing bedpans, etc. By the way, that is a sure cure for biting fingernails! Never chewed my nails after that! I really enjoyed "outside" work, but got very little of it since I had 7 brothers and no sisters. The summer I helped Pap, the 3 oldest brothers were in military and the 4th was married, working somewhere off the farm. I remember all the dust! For a week or so after finishing the planting, I was still blowing MUD out of my nose. I don't remember the lack of water. That same year, Pap trusted me to disc with W-20(?) A mama fox had her den along one of the fencerows and every round I'd make, the little guys were out there watching, but scurried into the underbrush as I approched. About the woodcutting--I helped carry it into the house, and sometimes was the doorkeeper, opening the door for whoever was coming in with arms full, and closing the door as soon as he got inside. Picked up a lot of woodchips and corncobs for kindling but have never split a stick of wood in my life, even though we heated entirely with wood for 20+ years after I married.

-- ruth (bobtravous@email.com), September 15, 2000.