Some help on the weekend

TERRY

I am guessing that IF you were to ask Terry is she better she may say she is the same BUT.  I can tell when we move from one place to the other using the wheelchair she is stronger.  How much?  Very little but every little bit helps and down the road a ways she will walk again and then maybe evern run!  As for NOW she is still spending her days mostly on the couch or the bed.  We do go for a walk every morning which is a nice outing.

Terry's daughter Kim is in town for a few days so she will be here some of the time in the afternoons. Yesterday we ate better then usual because Kim made the meals!  

I got onto the tennis court yesterday for a short time as there is a group of guys who play each Saturday at 9:00.  I played about 45 minutes which was all I needed to tell me I am so out of shape and so out of my tennis groove!  I do not know what is in store for this coming week.

Today will be pretty much like the past week with a walk about 8:30 or so and then home for the day. I am sure Kim will be here part of the afternoon and that will be a help.

August 16, 1957---63 years in the past!

It was a Friday and we were now finished with our harvest.  The last of the crops to be taken off the fields was the wheat that was across the creek to the west of the farm.  Mom had said that she was very thankful for the wheat as that was the best crop of the summer.  Dave and I were not sure but Dad had hinted that IF we finished the plowing in time we may be able to drive down to the Twin Cities and take in the Minnesota State Fair.  That was GOOD reason to get out in the field early in the morning and stay late into the evening.  Our rule of thumb was when the sun set so that we could not see any of it we were done for the day BUT over the next few days we often were plowing with our lights on!  We heard Mom and Dad talking and Mom said she was sure that if we went we could stay with Olaf and Mabel.  That would be double fun as it was always fun when Olaf was around.  

So by 7:30 AM Dave and I had milked the cows, eaten breakfast and were on the tractors headed south to Uncle Jim's land.  That was going to be the most fun land to plow.  For one reason we did not have to worry about the plows plugging up with straw because there never was rye on that land.  This year there had been oats and wheat.  Also there were few if any rocks.  Dave always drove the "M" with the three bottom plow and I would drive the Ford with the two bottom plow.  The plow behind the Ford was attached to the drawbar so If a person hit a rock which was under the soil the entire tractor would stop in it's tracks.  That would mean a bump on the head or a bloody nose as my face might hit the steering wheel!  The three bottom plow behind the "M" would just unhitch and there Dave would be driving without the plow!  Also Jim's land was flat and straight so it was always easy to start a new track and then see how low it took to plow the plot we were on.  The negative thing about working down there was there was, of course, no bathroom.  BUT there was a groove of trees and that would serve us well if we had to go to the bathroom!!!  One might ask why did you not bring some toilet paper with you?  Well all the time I lived at home we NEVER had toilet paper.  The toilet was stocked with catalogs or in the fall with the wrappings of the peaches.  That was the best!  Anyway Dave and I headed south for the day.  When I say "south" Jim's land was about a mile south of the farm.  We would drive the half mile on the road, take a right and then a quick left after we crossed the bridge and then there as a trail to the land.  The trail took us past George's land on the east and Rollof's land on the west.  We would drive through the prairie land that we hayed and then there would be the fields.  We were too far from the farm to see any dish towel on the barn door and of course we did not have a time piece so as noon arrived we would get off the tractor and stand facing north.  When we felt that our shadow was straight north it meant it was noon and time to go home for lunch.  We had thought about taking our lunch with us but we also needed to gas up the tractors at noon so home it was.  Now if we were dragging a field or picking rocks we would try to stretch noon to as long as we could get by with BUT with this plowing duty and the possibility of the Minnesota State Fair ahead of us our noon time was pretty short.  

We did finish all the plowing that fall and we did drive down to the state fair which was always a BIG thing.  AND Olaf and Mable would sometimes take us out to the pancake house for supper which was a big deal!  They actually had several jams you could put on the pancakes BUT of course they did not have chokecherry which is the BEST!

How we spent our time at the fair is another story but it was a fun fun time and special to be with Dad.  I am guessing that we took in the fair maybe 2 or 3 times and each time it was very fun.  One time we stayed with another of Mom's brother Phillip and his wife Maye.  They had a large yard in New Brighten and had many flowers and fruit trees.  Phillip worked for a seed company and was into plants and trees.

So here I am sitting at the computer and it may be time for breakfast.  I have been up since about 4:30 as Terry needed help and when we were finished I just could not get back to sleep.  My FP will keep me going for a while but not sure if it will last into the afternoon.  Yesterday I took a nap but I will see what happens today.