An old tractor
25/06/14 07:08
The first vehicle that I was allowed to drive independently was an old Jeep that we kept as an airport car. The steering was very loose and the brakes took several pumps before there was anything there. It used quite a bit of oil and I felt very responsible checking the oil before each trip around the airport and adding oil as needed. The clutch was getting a bit worn, but basically it was a vehicle and I felt very grown up driving it around the perimeter of the airport to check all of the lights and replace bulbs that were needed. I don’t remember ever seeing the jeep go anywhere off of the airport.
After learning to drive the jeep, I was allowed to drive an 8N Ford tractor that was a general utility tractor around the yard. I learned to back up trailers with that tractor and used a blade on the back to smooth gravel on the roads and yard. I also pulled a mower with the tractor and learned to unhook one implement and hook up the next one.
I have a fair amount of nostalgia for the equipment that we had around the place as I was growing up, but I have no desire to have that kind of equipment these days. A jeep that you couldn’t drive over 35 miles per hour doesn’t seem like much of a vehicle these days. A tractor that has less power than the neighbor’s lawn mower isn’t exactly a demonstration of raw power.
The campground where we are staying has an old Ford tractor of about the same vintage of the one I drove in those years when I was too young for a driver’s license. In a way it is remarkable that it starts and runs 70 years into its career. The rubber is shot and there is an old foam pad for a seat cushion. The original didn’t have a seat cushion, just a metal seat. But it has an electric starter and they get it going every day to pull a four wheel wagon with hay bales around the streets of the campground for the nightly hay ride.
The hay ride doesn’t hold much appeal for me, but for kids that have grown up in the city, it is a grand part of a camping adventure. It was, however, a hit with our three-year-old grandson. He liked sitting in the seat of the tractor and on the hay bales when the unit was parked. Getting to ride around the campground on the trailer was a real treat. He waved to me as he went by and had a big smile on his face.
Maybe that is what those old Ford tractors do best these days - make people happy. I know I enjoyed driving one when I was a kid, and the life of this particular tractor seems to be pulling the hay ride around the campground. Let’s see, if it makes less than a quarter a mile a day and is driven only during the busy summer season, it should last them a long time in that role. They could use it for a few other small jobs from time to time as well, if needed.
I’m not ready to retire, and I’m not quite sure what it would be like to be retired, but it seems to me that it might be a bit like that old tractor. You stick around and do a little light work from time to time, but don’t have much pressure to perform. You do the things that are fun and make you look like a hero to the young folks and have more time for resting than is the case in my present state.
It is a little like being a grandfather. I get to do all kinds of fun things with my grandkids. People don’t mind if grandpa gets down on the floor and plays with his grandson, or if I go out in the yard and play his games. They smile when I chase him as he rides his Strider bike and seem to enjoy seeing me take delight in the things he likes. Other folks smile when I climb on the playground equipment and squeeze through the tubes, tunnels and slides.
There is really no “down side” to being a grandpa. It is all good. My son is a very responsible young man with a good job and he takes very good care of his family. He figures out how to set limits and when to say, “no.” He and his wife are careful parents who are doing a wonderful job raising their family. So I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to solve all of the problems. I get to just be with my grandson and have a good time.
Like that old Ford Tractor, someone else mows the lawn at his house.
It is a very pleasant experience.
The night before last, when he was getting ready for bed, our grandson asked me to read him stories. I love reading. I loved reading to our children when they were little. I love reading to my grandson. He explained his choice of who to read by saying to his grandma, “I think that grownups who are men that have beards are the best story readers.”
There is no one else in his life who has a beard. His other grandpa doesn’t. His dad doesn’t. I am in a category of one in his life. And it is a great category to be in.
I read “The Cat in the Hat,” and “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back” and “Go Dog, Go!” - three great classics with wonderful rhymes and great rhythm that were made to be read out loud. And the endings of each are fun and surprising.
So here is what I think: I think that grownups who are men that have beards are among the luckiest people in the world. And I am indeed fortunate to have such a wonderful grandson with whom to share stories.
After learning to drive the jeep, I was allowed to drive an 8N Ford tractor that was a general utility tractor around the yard. I learned to back up trailers with that tractor and used a blade on the back to smooth gravel on the roads and yard. I also pulled a mower with the tractor and learned to unhook one implement and hook up the next one.
I have a fair amount of nostalgia for the equipment that we had around the place as I was growing up, but I have no desire to have that kind of equipment these days. A jeep that you couldn’t drive over 35 miles per hour doesn’t seem like much of a vehicle these days. A tractor that has less power than the neighbor’s lawn mower isn’t exactly a demonstration of raw power.
The hay ride doesn’t hold much appeal for me, but for kids that have grown up in the city, it is a grand part of a camping adventure. It was, however, a hit with our three-year-old grandson. He liked sitting in the seat of the tractor and on the hay bales when the unit was parked. Getting to ride around the campground on the trailer was a real treat. He waved to me as he went by and had a big smile on his face.
I’m not ready to retire, and I’m not quite sure what it would be like to be retired, but it seems to me that it might be a bit like that old tractor. You stick around and do a little light work from time to time, but don’t have much pressure to perform. You do the things that are fun and make you look like a hero to the young folks and have more time for resting than is the case in my present state.
It is a little like being a grandfather. I get to do all kinds of fun things with my grandkids. People don’t mind if grandpa gets down on the floor and plays with his grandson, or if I go out in the yard and play his games. They smile when I chase him as he rides his Strider bike and seem to enjoy seeing me take delight in the things he likes. Other folks smile when I climb on the playground equipment and squeeze through the tubes, tunnels and slides.
There is really no “down side” to being a grandpa. It is all good. My son is a very responsible young man with a good job and he takes very good care of his family. He figures out how to set limits and when to say, “no.” He and his wife are careful parents who are doing a wonderful job raising their family. So I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to solve all of the problems. I get to just be with my grandson and have a good time.
Like that old Ford Tractor, someone else mows the lawn at his house.
The night before last, when he was getting ready for bed, our grandson asked me to read him stories. I love reading. I loved reading to our children when they were little. I love reading to my grandson. He explained his choice of who to read by saying to his grandma, “I think that grownups who are men that have beards are the best story readers.”
There is no one else in his life who has a beard. His other grandpa doesn’t. His dad doesn’t. I am in a category of one in his life. And it is a great category to be in.
I read “The Cat in the Hat,” and “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back” and “Go Dog, Go!” - three great classics with wonderful rhymes and great rhythm that were made to be read out loud. And the endings of each are fun and surprising.
So here is what I think: I think that grownups who are men that have beards are among the luckiest people in the world. And I am indeed fortunate to have such a wonderful grandson with whom to share stories.