Never Thought at 63!

Yesterday it was cool and cloudy with no rain predicted until the night so I made myself climb up on Holly. My Kaci and Bailey have named everything out here on the North Forty.  Since this is a Holland Tractor it was christened Holly.

Holly and I are not close like you would think we should be.

You see I am intimidated by her. Look at the tires on Holly.  When I drive ole John around (the smaller John Deere) I feel okay. But sitting on top of  Holly I get nervous. The view from the drivers seat feels like I am way too high off the ground and when I look down I see nothing but the huge black tires turning and I am thinking it would only take a minute and I could be under one of them.

The only time I use Holly is when I absolutely have too. She has a shredder and since our area has had nothing but three and four inches of rain about every other day for the past month I have no choice but to stop being a sissy and climb up put her in gear and hope for the best. The weeds are just too high for a smaller tractor.

While sitting up there yesterday I drove her so slow it gave me plenty of time for reflections. I thought of my Granddaddy Keeton and how he made his living off of driving tractors. He was a farmer. I bet he never sat up there looking down at the big tires scared. Also I am positive he did not ponder on things like I do. I think of silly things like how did a woman like me at my ole age end up on a tractor named Holly.

I mean I was born and raised on the Coast. We only saw tractors if we visited my granddaddy in East Texas. Sure it was cool when my dad would sit me up on his dad's lap and take my picture but good gosh I never thought when I was in my 60's that I would be the one driving.

Then I thought of how Grand Dad and I both were alone in our old age. I remember going to see him and how I felt sorry for him living alone in an ole farm house down an old dirt road with just a dog on the porch for company. It bothered me as a child thinking that one of us should stay with him instead of us all getting back in the car to go home. You see I had four brothers and in my mind two or three of them could of stayed and kept him company. lol  I wondered if when Kaci and Bailey are driving off waving at me if their thinking the same thing.

On the long trips home I asked my Dad and Mother questions concerning him being alone. I even suggested that leaving one of the boys with him was a good idea. It seems they just told me to sit back and enjoy the ride home. The ride home was sitting in the middle of four brothers and one of them constantly was striking a knuckle sandwich on the brother farthest from them putting me in the line of fire.

I think of my Grand Dad Keeton often on how he lived and raised five children by himself. My dad's mother got sick right after the fifth child was born and they were raised alone by their dad. I was told that Grand Dad was such a good baseball player that he was contacted by the Phillies to play pro ball for them but being a single father he passed up probably his dream in life of playing pro ball.

Baseball though was always a big pass time for the Keeton family. When the farm work was done they played ball in the fields with the neighbor kids. Same thing me and my brothers did when growing up except we played in a empty lot next to our house.

Rumor is when mother and daddy were young he told her he wanted a big family. If possible 9 boys for a base ball team. Well I was the second born and being a girl that put a kink in their plans but they did have three boys after me.

Now my grandson Bailey has the same dreams of playing pro ball. He is only 7 but his plans are to play football and baseball for the University of Texas. Then he plans on playing for the Dallas Cowboys after college. 

I am pretty sure that Bailey will make his dreams come true. I don't think at the age of 63 he will be sitting on top of a ole tractor wondering How did he end up there?

Hopefully if it keeps raining over the weekend I can slow down and catch up with you. I know I keep telling you I am going to be a better blogging buddy but it seems like every day something puts a kink in my plans. lol

Have a wonderful weekend! I will be thinking of you.

Love to all

Maggie