FARM PROUD!!!

From Juel:

Anybody recall how important pride was in our work as we hauled hay; trying to make the stack straight, but more over making sure we all got our fair share of the bales off the loader.  Most memorably was with Ben and David.  Four of us on the truck, Kammy behind the wheel singing the Frito Bandito Song; Ross and I would try not to let Ben or David get any bales.  I remember quite a few, not dirty tricks, but inventive tricks to get my fair share of the bales.  Long, hot, hard days that were oh so fun.  Where did those days go?  Some of my best times have been on the back of a truck or on top of a stack sharing work and time with my coworkers:   friends and family.  Windy, 90* days hauling dry bales of hay.  Following which, one would just stand in the shower at night with cold water running into open, bloodshot eyes, trying to dislodge some of the hay and sooth the scratches.  Can’t forget trying to clear your nasal passages of Green Boogers.  Then at last, a sound night’s sleep.

From Jami:
And then remember scoffing at the stacks formed by harrow beds? How 1 week later they were being braced with logs?  Yeah...

I also remember looking down at the stacks and trying to figure out how many of those bales I had lifted during their journey.

Oh and also... they talk so much about black lung disease caused by smoking.  At the end of those days as I was cleaning out all the green snot, I couldn't help but imagine all the scientists fighting over my lungs when I die to figure out this new "green lung disease".

One more thing... have any of you ever heard my dad's impression of my mom singing the Frito Bandito song???  It it entertaining... I would request it the next time I saw him if I were you! :)

What made you proud?

LUCY! You got some 'splainin' to do...

From Ross:

Who remembers the white Dodge?

This incident happened in August 1987 as I recall. We will need some help from David Little to verify the date and some other important detail that I, to this date, have not been privy to.

As Sanford and I were running the combines (95H) harvesting the wheat on the “Big Field” on this particular August afternoon, we could see some unusual activity happening at the dairy.

The Dodge pickup had pulled out a short while earlier headed toward the flat, which was normal and expected. Then as I recall, the Massey pulled out headed in the same direction, followed a short time later by the K-8 winch truck.

As Sanford and I had both pulled up to a truck to dump our loads at about the same time we mentioned to each other what we had seen, and had seen the same things.

Sanford said that although we didn't know what was going on, “at least no one had been killed or else someone would have been up to get us.”

That was good enough for me, and we went on cutting grain.

Now this is where the details get sketchy to me and possibly in need of some clarification. Apparently as David was driving the pickup down the road in his usual “safe manner”, he entered the curve by Merrill Nelsons well at an unsafe speed, to which he lost control and rolled the vehicle, I’m not sure how many times. There were no injuries (that were admitted to) in the incident.

I would like to know just what happened sometime before I die, David and Ben.