These two caught my eye as I remember that spring of 1966 very well. They were taken on May 22 along our road. The snow banks were still there. This was in the days when we thought there was another ice age coming, of course.
I was home from 1st year University. Dad had bought a 14' Morris Rod Weeder at a farm auction about 5 miles from home and sent me with the tractor to bring it home. This was the end of April but looked more like mid February. There was snow banked everywhere. The banks on each side of lane into the farm site were about 8 feet high in the caragana trees. I dutifully hooked onto the rod weeder and started down the lane.
Now a 14" rod weeder is about 22' wide with the drive shafts sticking out, as you can see from the picture of this very old one. As I started down the lane, it narrowed and the ends caught in the snow banks. I couldn't back up and had to keep going, bending the shafts. Dad laughed and took the unit into town to get repaired. Our local blacksmith started the story that I had been working summerfallow and had got between two snowbanks and bent it all up. That spring it could have been almost true
I saw something nasty in the woodshed.
ReplyDeleteToday at Sears I saw Joe slobbering over the riding mowers. He refuses to get one; says we don't need one, but I'M the one with my finger on speed-dial to the ambulance when he's mowing grass. I saw one with a "push bucket" on the front for snow removal and even though I told him he'd be cute, riding the neighborhood in winter, clearing the driveways for $10, he still didn't get one.
ReplyDeleteBuy one. It is better than a heart attack. Or at least get a self propelled walking mower. If snow is a major problem, get a snow blower. shoveling snow is a guaranteed heart attack.
ReplyDeleteSummerfallowing between snowbanks. You could do that in Saskatchewan. Lots of springs, I think.
ReplyDeleteWell, we have had snow in May a few times but that was the only time I recall it being left over from winter that late in the month.
ReplyDelete