The plow line was perpendicular to the railroad tracks. So, one set of rows would be plowed going toward the track, then turn and plow away from the track. Plowing was hard work and the tractor was noisy. Billy was making the...
Read MoreI’d pick flowers to bring to mom. Stan was about two years old. He’d grab handfuls of weeds and give them to her. She would honor his gift of weeds as if it were a beautiful bouquet! She was teaching me by honoring...
Read MoreMy father was generous beyond a fault. He considered it his duty/prerogative/calling to take care of his family and friends with the bounty that God had provided him… even when it wasn’t bounteous. Any time we would...
Read MoreCharles and I played football in high school. We played for the Santa Ana Mountaineers. I played quarterback and defensive halfback. Charles was tough. He played halfback and fullback on offense, and halfback on defense. One...
Read MoreMom (Eunice) and Dad (Lester) got tired of me and Charles bickering as we got older. So, they bought a couple of pairs of boxing gloves. Charles didn’t like the gloves. He preferred fists. Whenever Charles and I got in a...
Read MoreGrowing up on a farm provides many opportunities to learn life skills, to make mistakes … and to learn how to correct them. Dad (Pawpaw) expected me and Charles to learn how to do do valuable chores, and to do them...
Read MoreWe had a barn on the farm that we called the haybarn. It had two floors, and we kept the hay on the second floor. The hay was kept clean and dry on the second floor, where it was bound in bales using twine or wire. The bales...
Read MoreFarm life was difficult. Working the land took a lot of effort and skill. The tractor was invaluable for the farm. Attached to the rear of the tractor was a 4-inch square steel bar on wheels. The bar stuck out a couple of feet...
Read MoreWhen I was a boy in the farmhouse near Coleman, we had a four-wheel trailer loaded with a 500 gallon steel tank for water. The water was used in the house as the main supply so we didn’t have to use polluted water out of...
Read MoreWhen Billy was attending West Ward School in Coleman, TX around the 7th grade, he and Charles rode the bus to school each day. On this particular day, Billy was in Ms. Delaney’s last-period study hall, and needed to use...
Read MoreLiving on the farm was difficult. Winters were cold and the farmhouse was drafty. One cold night, Billy and Charles were in the farmhouse alone while Lester and Eunice were in the barn gathering eggs from the hens, feeding the...
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