The Dirty Hand!

[Barnyard]

I saw an ad on Craigslist for a yard sale out on the back roads of Indiana. The ad said there was an older tractor. I hate it when that is all they tell you. All they posted was some of the things for sale and the address. No phone number or email contact. Naturally I gotta check it out.

Rosie had to work today so I was on my own for this little trip. What the heck, it's a beautiful Friday morning; I might as well get going. The first stop is our local bakery for all the cholesterol I could get and away I go.

After about a half hour I am at the yard sale (hey, I didn't say it was far). I start looking around and finally ask about the old tractor. The woman says it''s around back and our neighbor has one just like it for sale too. Wow, do I feel lucky. I hold my breath as I go to see this old tractor. I get to it and it's a 10 year old Kubota. In a nice way I told the lady that this is not really an old tractor. She said it is to them. Well okay, chalk one up for them. It is all in perception.

Needless to say, I headed for home empty handed, but instead of turning right to take the main road I decided to go left and take the back road scenic route since I knew the road I was on went to another road I was familiar with. I had never taken this way but I knew the road ran into the one I wanted. After traveling a while I saw and old farmer standing in the road trying to get hit. No he wasn't, I just said that. He was standing on the edge of the road looking at his corn (in the garden not on his foot).

I stopped and asked how far I needed to go to hit route 252. He came over to my window and said I wasn't too far away and said to go about four more miles. Before you knew it we were talkin' away as if we had known each other for ages. We talked about the weather, we talked about how the coyotes are starting to populate the area, and we talked about the deer and coons taking out the corn this year. We even talked about the coyotes not taking out the deer and coons that were taking out the corn.

After about 15 minutes in the road yakkin' he finally looked at me and said "You look familiar, where do I know you from?" I told him he probably recognized me from all those flyers I distributed last year showing me holding the Cub Tug Trophy. No I didn't, I never told him that. I don't think we put the flyers that far out of town.

I told him my name and he said it sure sounded familiar. I told him who my dad was and he started to recall the 1950's (but not the Demo Cub). He asked about the IH dealer in Harrison and I told him that was my dad's brother. Here I am 40 miles or so from home and I run into an old farmer that remembers my family from 50 years ago.

That's all it took, the chat had a reason to continue on. We started talkin' bout spreading lime, baling hay, spreading manure and the word Cub popped up a couple of times. It was if I was living in the past and the old fella was reliving his past.

When I finally decided we had blocked the road long enough I reached out to shake his hand and tell him it was a pleasure meeting him. He held up his hand to show the grease and dirt from working on his equipment earlier. He said he didn’t want to get my hand dirty. I shook his hand anyway and told him, I'd shake a working man's hand any day and I don't care how dirty it is.

I may not have turned right when I left that yard sale, but something tells me I turned the right way.

[Jackman]

Awesome read there Barnyard , always good to hear from the old timers who remember the family ..........

[DanR]

Made the day for both of you. That's why I choose to live in the country.

[Cub-Bud]

Bill..this is a GREAT story....I'm glad you told it.

[cubguy's dad]

Bill,

Great story about life's directions and pathes.

The author Steven Covey once said "You will be the same five years from now as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read". How true!!

Thanks for reaffirming this

Mark

[redfin]

Bill , sounds like you both made each others day and each made a new freind

[Bigdog]

That's what life is all about!

[daddydip]

That's what life is all about!

and thanks for sharing

[Bill Hudson]

Bill,

Great read. There is nothing I like better than to stop along the road and talk to farmers. Just think, I used to get paid to do that. Life is wonderful.

Bill

[dakcub]

There was something missing from the story...I was expecting you located a cub and bought it.....great story anyway...I also agree with the dirty hand gesture.
Robert (shook a farmers hand earlier) Miller

[Rudi]

Bill:

Thanks for sharing an interesting and heart warming story. That reminds me so much of how life used to be and I wish was still the same today. Alas it isn't, and having moments such as you had with this older gentleman are getter scarcer and scarcer and ever more valuable. I am glad that you were able to share part of your day this way. Sometimes the road less taken is the more rewarding in spirit at least.

I too will shake the hand of a working man, grease, manure or just dirt any day of the week with pleasure

[KETCHAM]

Sometimes the world is not that big.I have found that out on many occasions. Kevin nice story!!

[VinceD]

Great story. Glad you shared it.

[Dennis]

I found this in my bookmarks and thought I'd bring it back to the top again. It's still a very nice timeless story Barnyard and worth another read.

[Barnyard]

It's still a very nice timeless story Barnyard and worth another read.

Thank you for the compliment.