A John Deere Tractor for my Dad......

July 11,2012...My Dads Birthday. He turned 75 today!
       If you have ever heard the sound of a 1955 60 John Deere tractor  you can maybe relate to my story. I would say that it has a combination between a "putter " and a "pop". To me it is a soothing sound that brings me back to a whole different time in my life.......that happened to me today.

Today is my Dad's birthday....a hot summer day and what ever family could come was coming to the farm for pizza. I was fine with my Dad turning 74 but my mom informed me it was 75.....that kinda hit the spot in my heart that makes a lump form in the back of your throat. I have worked beside my Dad my whole life and I miss having him here on the farm everyday. I was busy outside all day today and all of the sudden I thought of something I wanted to do for my Dad's birthday.....of course I need just a little help from Dan who is always so willing to help me when he sees somethings is tugging at my heart. I wanted to get dad's old 1955 JD 60 out and have it setting on the yard when he came tonight... I even thought he could take it for a ride.... he would put it in 6th gear...ride down the road wide open ...turn around on the North Place and come back again!!
    Since the tractor hadn't been started for  a few years we would have to pull it started....this meant that we would hook a chain to the 60 (Dan would drive  the 60) and I would pull it with another tractor till it would start. After 30 some years of farming I asked him to remind me of how this was going to go and what the "hand" signals for this little "jumpstart" were going to be. Well I pulled the chain tight....pulled the 60 only 25 feet and it started right up.....the "putter" -"popping" sound purred in to the quiet summer evening.The force that hit me was unexpected....my heart just filled  with memories of being a little girl and being with my Dad  and Grandpa on the farm.

     As my eyes filled with tears I climbed up the back of the tractor....I slide the handle in gear just like my Dad taught me....a little more gas....push the clutch ahead real slow. Pop pop pop. My life seriously went back to being 10 years old.... I went north....memories of my Grandpa dressed in his bib overalls drivng the baler in that field... I could even smell it. I drove south....memories of my Dad showing me how to use my leg to help push that handle to the next gear....how to pull a load of hay from the field driveway....how to drive the feeder wagon thru the gate to feed the cattle....seriously I felt 10....I felt like I had pig-tails blowing in the wind...hot sun on my face and a deep love for two very special people in my life. I inhaled and  I had one of those moments where as a  woman we cry and laugh at the same time. I just drove that  old tractor up and down the road till my dad came. He got up on the tractor...gave me a few instructions to adjust the sparkplugs to make it run even smoother and off we went...in sixth gear.....wide open...to the north place...turn around and come back. "Do you think we should sell this thing sometime?" he asked............" No Dad... " I said "Let's just keep it". .... I think I might want that feeling again sometime..... it makes me feel close to them. Funny how a sound can instantly bring you back 40 years......Dad got in the car to head for home.... "thanks for everything" he said...."it was a good day".  Yeap Dad it was a good day.