Character

Sanford (photo courtesy the Campbell family) 

From Juel:

I remember plowing one spring when a few snowdrifts remained in the fields, and also a few wet spots. As I was plowing, I unfortunately ended up in the middle of a wet spot and buried both the plow and the D-5.   Well, with a little effort and the D-6 we were able to retrieve them both.   Sanford could tell I was feeling a bit bad about what had happened, so he related to me the following story (Anyone who knows this story feel free to correct me.)

When the petroleum pipeline was being laid in 1950 or 60 something, Sanford was plowing snow for them down where the underpass is now,  by Jose and Christine’s house.   The workers had gotten a truck stuck, so Sanford backed up to them with the D-6 and they hooked a chain to the back axle of the truck.  Sanford got the chain taut and then pulling forward proceeded in their efforts to extract the truck.  Well, Sanford felt something give so he poured on the coal, when he turned around he noticed the men all wore long faces. . .looking down to the end of his chain he saw the rear-end axle and wheels. Have you got a mental picture? When Sanford turned around he could see the “BIG BOSS” of the project coming down the road.  He hurriedly backed up, got the chain unhooked, climbed back into his rig and commenced plowing snow.  He told me he kept his nose pointed forward and didn't look to the right or the left as he passed the “Big Boss.”  Upon returning to the scene of the crime later that day,  the workers told him he did well to leave quickly;  because when the boss saw  what had happened,  he was not just upset. . . he was furious and chewed his men up one side and down the other.  However, they said about a half hour later the “Big Boss” returned and apologized to his men.  Thanking them for their efforts, he told them the only ones who do not make mistakes are those who don’t try.  He complimented them on the great job they were doing and encouraged them to keep it up. 

Preachy I know,  but contrast that to another story he told me about when they were drilling the exploratory oil well up Glen Canyon.  It seems like the well depth was down to about 600 to 700 feet when a worker accidentally dropped a hammer down the hole.   It took them two days to fish out that hammer before they could continue to drill.  When they finally got it out, the “Boss” handed the hammer to the worker who had dropped it and promptly said, “You’re fired!”  The worker took the hammer and this time deliberately dropped it down the hole.

Stories like these are important; they can help shape our character.  What kind of boss or leader do you want to be remembered as?   How have you allowed Juniper to shape and define your character?

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.

You Never Forget

From Juel:

I remember one day late in November, after Sanford was no longer able to drive in Logan, there was a couple inches of snow on the ground.   I was in a pick-up truck with Sanford behind the wheel; right there in front of the barn Sanford spun a cookie for the fun of it.  I was in the passenger seat and I just kinda looked over at Sanford and raised one eyebrow.  He looked back and said, “Once you learn, you never forget.”  Well, later that day we were headed down to the flat.  This time with me in the driver’s seat.  Due to slick conditions, I missed the corner there by Henrie’s and went into the borrow pit, up along Gordon’s fence for a way, then back through the borrow pit and onto the road without slowing down.  And away we go on down the road.  Sanford looks over at me with one eyebrow raised.  I countered, “Once you learn you never forget!”  We had some great times together.