Reminiscing

Karl and Kristin are getting married in a couple of weeks. I received a lot of good natured teasing about an October wedding during harvest. Well in this picture Karl and I are finishing up unloading the last of the crop for this year. The main reasons for an early finish were an early start, less bushels per acre, and a great crew. As I was reminiscing about the last of our six children to leave the house it made me think back 35 years to the last time it was just Jan and I.

My first combine was an IH 715 but after a major breakdown Drost Ford sold me a New Idea uniharvestor. It was designed to take off the combine and use the power unit for other jobs such as ear corn picking or chopping silage. We run a Uni from 1977 to 1987. I still wear the belt buckle I was given for buying a new combine. Although the concept was good they should have called it a bad idea rather than a new idea.

In the winter of 1973 as a senoir in high school I obtained an FHA loan and borrowed $26000 for a line of equipment. This was my first tractor. I bought it from my dad who bought a bigger model. Because I was going all over the county doing custom anhydrous I thought I needed a cab so in 1976 I sold this tractor and bought a 1066 which I still have today. 21 years later I was fortunate enough to find this tractor and buy it back. Last year it was overhauled for the first time by my son Kurt who needed a project at Kirkwood College. It had 12000 hours on it.

Since we had a fair amount of livestock in the early years chores were a load for just one tractor especially during fieldwork. So I borrowed an idea from my father-in-law and built myself a second tractor. The front half was a 1957 Chevy ton truck and the back half was an old Grahamn Bradley tractor. I used both the truck and tractor transmissions so when I needed road speeds I just put the back gears in high but when I was in the field I would use the lower gears. It still runs today although it is seldom used anymore.




I saw this gal for the first time in tractor school during the 8th grade. Back then if you wanted to help neighbors for hire you were supposed to go to tractor school. I never talked to her then because at 13 years old I was still scared of girls. Then during the summer before my senoir year Jan and I were introduced by mutual friends at a church softball game and we went on a motorcycle ride together. I've been in love with her ever since. I graduated from high school in May and we were married the following March. Solomon says in Ecclesiates 9:9 "Enjoy life with your wife all the days of this life God has given you for this is your destiny in life and in your toilsome work under the sun". I am so blessed.