Past, present & plans 10-28-16

 

Past

 

We had a mule, ¾ horse, pigs, cow, calf, dogs and cats. Our first fenced in area was about one and half acres of high ground. As dad and I were digging the holes for the gate he told me, “The hole will be there when the pole is long gone.” I didn’t realize till a few years later, that he was talking about sex.

 

This area was for cows, equine, horse stall, corn bin and piles of material. Dad, George and I were in the corn crib working on something, when mom came out. We didn’t see it, but she said, “That cow chased me, so I ran back to the house.”

 

Dad said, “Your mom was raised around chickens, but she’s afraid of larger animals.” I can’t remember mom ever coming back out there.

 

George got kicked in the chest by the mule one day, so that’s why he didn’t play with the horses anymore. Poor George, shortly after that, during a Pony League baseball game, he got his jaw broke by a fastball that didn’t curve. I can’t remember him playing much baseball after that either.

 

Present

 

Yesterday I talked to a man that has a small lot of waterfront property for sale. I might be able to buy it on time. The lot is very small, but has water, sewer and electric on it.

 

It’s big enough to accommodate a small trailer, couple of sheds, deck, fishing pier and a two car parking area. I like living on the houseboat, but it would be nice to own my own land again.

 

Plans

 

I have a trailer that needs a little work and that’s something I can take care of myself. Right now it’s my storage shed.

 

I have no money and get very little every month; so the work on the trailer, building the deck, sheds and pier will take a while to complete. But it would be mine and the little money I get is enough to pay for it.

Past, present & plans 10-19-16

 

Past

 

Dad was from Sulfur Springs, Texas and he was raised plowing the cotton fields by walking behind a mule. They were too poor to own a tractor in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

 

However, in the 1960’s we had a tractor and dad taught me how to plow, disc, pull a trailer, back the trailer up and many other aspects of a farm tractor.

 

After, I had that down, he went to the Charlotte Hall Farmers Market and bought a mule. He taught me how to plow the field walking behind a mule, so I could get a glimpse of life without machinery.

 

Sometime after that, dad had a Middle Buster plow, sent to our farm in Maryland from his family in Texas, so we used it to unearth the peanuts and potatoes.

 

A normal plow digs into the ground and throws the dirt in one direction and that’s to the right. With a Middle Buster the point goes into the earth, then throws the dirt to both sides, thus the name Middle Buster.

 

I was amazed that we had a tractor and we broke ground with a mule. No one else in the neighborhood did that. I thought that was pretty cool.

 

Present

 

On October 1, 2016 at the age of sixty two, I was enrolled into forced retirement by Social Security. So I lost my Medicaid, but my Medicare will not start till June of 2018. I found out I was in the donut hole, can’t go back and can’t go forward.

 

I went to Social Services this morning and because I receive so little money, I was able to renew my Medicaid. That brought tears to my eyes.

 

I had four more appointments to fill out the rest of the day. The day started at 7:30 am and ended at 9:00 pm. Suffering from COPD that made for a long draining day, but very beneficial.

 

Plans

 

Tomorrow I’m going to sleep late, then call and reschedule the four doctor appointments that I had to cancel last week.

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.

Past, present & plans 9-30-16

 

Past

 

My brother, George, and I used to play Cowboy and Indians, but on the farm we were able to use a real horse. The Indian was always on the horse and he would get shot off by the cowboy all the time. We had to be careful though, not to dive off the horse and onto a tobacco stalk. Each of us did that a couple of times and it never felt good.

 

We also had vines hanging from the trees in our woods, so we would swing on the vines pretending to be Tarzan. That was a lot of fun.

 

One time we picked up some tobacco ground leaves and took them to our hiding spot. While in there we rolled the leaves into a cigar and lit it up. After a draw each, we decided that we didn’t want to do that anymore. Maybe, if we had been smokers and needed a cigarette bad, it would have tasted better; but, this was terrible.

 

Present

 

My buddy, Raymond, and I went to the Clark Senior Center today and had a great time. Raymond is very knowledgeable in a lot of areas and I try to be a little funny, so between us we tend to attract some really nice people.

We decided we’ll go back to the center and take advantage of the fun they have scheduled for us. If you’re sixty or older you can join for free in less than ten minutes; and, a lot of the activities are free also. It’s a very worth while organization.

 

Plans

 

Next week Raymond and I are going down to Georgia to visit some of his kin folk. We always seem to enjoy ourselves there. Two of the guest bloggers for, “From my Head to Yours” live down there. It will be good to see and hug them again.

Past, present & plans 9-22-16

 

Past

 

I told you guys that we didn’t have any running water after moving to Hughesville. We had what I called walking water, because George and I carried it from our neighbor. However, there was a non-working well fifty feet from our back door and about thirty feet deep.

 

Dad talked about sending me down the well on a rope seat to investigate. I was so excited to do such a thing and a little bit scared too. That task never happened though. I guess because I was only twelve.

 

He did get the old fashioned hand pump well working though, so we carried the water from our well instead of the neighbor. It was six months or so before the family had running water.

 

Present

 

Yesterday I helped a friend, Bill, remove an old weighted window and replace it with a newer double hung window.

 

After the first hour I had to sit down because of my COPD. It took another four hours to complete the job and I had to sit at least eight more times, probably more. During the last hour I felt dizzy several times and thought I was going to pass out, but I couldn’t stop until the hole was weather tight. I used my experience and Bill did most of the work.

 

If you smoke, COPD could be in your future. I would suggest quitting.

 

Plans

 

At sixty two, I suffer from type two diabetes, COPD and, of course, an assortment of aches and pains. I’m sure the COPD is why I’m disabled.

 

Because of these issues I don’t do much. Maybe if I lost fifty pounds and moved more every day, I would be able to last longer than an hour before I had to sit.

 

I know I need to lose weight, because I don’t see very many older fat people; but, it’s much easier to think about it, than to actually do something.