Past, present & plans 10-10-16

 

Past

 

Remember, I was eleven when dad moved us to the farm in Hughesville. We needed a tractor to work the land the following year, 1966, so dad took two Allis Chalmers tractors and made one. It was old and dirty, with a dingy red color. Most times we started it with a hand crank, but you had to be careful that the crank didn’t kick back on you.

 

The brakes didn’t work that good, so sometimes you would have to let the implement; plow, disc or rake, help slow you down. I hated those brakes.

 

One day, I was in the field doing some tractor stuff, when mom motioned that lunch was ready. I thought I would take a short cut up the hill, between the house and the pump shed instead of going down and around the pig pen.

 

As I was driving up the incline I had to stop, but the tractor didn’t want to stop. It started drifting backwards. When I took my foot off the clutch the front of the tractor rose about three feet. I feel it would have killed me if it continued tilting over backwards. So I stepped on the clutch again and after all four wheels were on the ground, I was able to back it downhill. I have never forgotten the fear I felt in that moment, that was a learning experience to be sure.

 

Present

 

I’ve been down here in western North Carolina for five days now and have enjoyed my vacation with Raymond very much.

 

We have gone in every direction to see what we could get into. The first day here I found it very difficult to get in and out of the car, Raymond made it very easy for me. He would stop so I could take pictures from the passenger seat. He couldn’t do that all though.

 

By day three it was much easier to get in and out of the car. Repetition of movement seems to be the key.

 

Plans

 

I will wake up in my own bed Tuesday morning and I already have set my phone alarm clock for 8 am to walk. Even if I come back and take a nap, I am going to walk every morning at eight am.