An awesome visit

You may have noticed that our President is in the hospital with a case of the dreaded coronavirus. It is number one subject for the twenty four hour news stations as one would expect. Fox News seems to portray it in a more positive light than the Main Stream Media as one would also expect. Then of course some of the more brash news people have to be positively gross in expressing their true feelings that they wish him dead things like that. Those persons must have had a different Christian upbringing from that which I try to pattern my life.

From the news reports that that I’ve gleaned President Trump seems to be having a light case of the Wuhan curse and I can only wish him a rapid recovery. I would expect that he and his wife plus their staff who also have been diagnosed with the coronavirus disease most likely are receiving the latest and best of medical care. I can only wish them all a rapid recovery.

Last week I took a somewhat nostalgic trip up into the open spaces of rural Hayes County. Back in the days when I was courting my Grannie Annie she lived almost exactly 30 miles north and west of McCook. She roomed in town to attend McCook high school but if I wanted to see her in summer it was a 30 mile trip both ways on graveled U.S. Highway 83 and the final third on dirt, no gravel yet, country roads. For a 16-17-18 year old the solo trip was a worthwhile venture. Actually the first time out there I flew and landed in a stubble field across the road from her family’s house.

The recent trip was to a farmstead about eight miles beyond the place where Ann grew up and yes the roads are much better. Paul had seen me in the Heritage Days parade and called me to come and look over his 1925 Model T Curbside roadster. It only has one door and that on the right or “curbside” to get in or out of the single wide seat.

We found his car in a beautifully restored barn. It has sat for ten years or so and had one flat tire that he was unable to reinflate. We poured some gasoline into its tank and hooked up a six volt battery. Voila the starter worked and the engine made popping noises. I jacked up a rear wheel and with a little coaxing the old girl started and ran. Then Paul and I went for a little ride not very fast and not very long due to the flat front tire. My assessment is that, the car can be made to run well with some tender loving care and a few replacement parts. So now your old columnist has another project to tinker with.

Friend Paul and Delores’ farm yard and the three more that he tends to is near heaven for an old iron lover. He has about twenty older tractors sitting around his “working tractors” plus a long line of rusted horse drawn farm equipment all parked on a strip of concrete—no grass or weeds.

Then too there are farm wagons and about a half dozen old combines. The grass is mowed, “Delores enjoys mowing” he told me. The out buildings are all in good shape which is “my day job” so he says. I’ll be back for sure.

The thirty eight miles northwest of home reminded me of how our countryside has changed since my courting days sixty some years ago. Back then most farmsteads were lived in and well cared for. Now it seems that most are abandoned, neglected with buildings deteriorating.

Farmers then raised mostly wheat with a few fields of dryland corn. Now the predominate crop is again dryland corn but the majority of that shows promising yield with modern no-till, chemical weed control and fertilizer. Nearly half of that dryland is planted to soybeans which were nonexistent a half century ago. Irrigation has arrived with many center pivot units all showing high potential yields this year.

Not far west of Ann’s childhood home the country changes from hard dirt and rather prominent canyons to the more rolling sandy hills of Hayes County. Miles of gently sloping hills mostly covered with corn and soybeans. Some grass pastures in contrast to the steeper grassy canyons further east. All are populated with sleek looking cattle.

Then less than a mile east of Paul’s place sits the White Church now not attended but kept in good repair. Typically for the day there is no running water and there are outhouses out back. A hundred years ago White was a community, with a post office, a general store, a repair shop and a few houses but now all are gone except for the church building and a cemetary. The White Church proudly states on its signboard that it is St John’s Lutheran. Knowing a little history one can surmise that this area was homesteaded by Germans who emigrated from Russia bringing their religion and traditions with them but quickly learning the English language to proudly become Americans.

Just before it was time to leave Paul mentioned that “I used to be a farmer with a lot of old tractors but now I am a collector”. We then entered a large steel building with his collection inside. There must be at least thirty Ford tractors neatly aligned by model starting with a 1939 aluminum hooded 9N version produced for only six months.

The models progress right up to the latest model available. All have been carefully restored, painted and complete in every detail. Nirvana for an old farm boy raised driving my dad’s 1943 model 2N. It helped make me what I am today.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail