Some random thoughts -- before I forget them. Recall gathering corncobs out of the hot lot to the west of the barn at home to put in the heating stove and the cook stove. I thought it was a bit humourus to occasionally put a few dried hog turds in with the cobs. If mom missed them and dumped in to the cook stove, but when they started to stink I caught the devil. Back in the late 40's and early 50's the sows, and maybe the fattening hogs, were fed a lot of soaked grain. Can't recall if it was rye, oats, or wheat. It didn't smell the best, but they sure went for it. Remember there being a tank at the northeast corner of the two hoglots that also served the cattle on the north side of the fence. In the wintertime that tank was covered with boards and had a tank heater in it. I don't recall whether it burned wood or had a kerosene tank that dripped into the bottom. There was a tank right by the windmill just west of the house that had a heater in it, too.
Recall dad butchering hogs and calves. Would hang the carcasses from the windmill, at least sometimes. One time we had the volumnus guts of a beef piled on the wooden sled to take it out away from the buildings. Dad was standing on the sled and I was pulling it with the Ford tractor. Was going slow and smooth, but for some reason I slowed down. Dad fell forward right into the rather large pile of guts, etc. There was some discussion about my driving. Talking about the hogs, in later years, in the 60's dad had feeder pigs in the pen by the barn, which wasn't too far from the house. Brother Don was married to Paula and they came home from Lincoln one time. The pigs were fed by the metal feeders that had the doors that the pigs lifted up with their snout and got in to the feed. Of course, when they backed up the lid would slam down. Metal on metal. It made a clatter that we had gotten used to. After we had gone to bed, Paula raised such a ruckus with Don about the noise of the hog feeders and it keeping her awake that he asked dad what could be done. Dad went out late at night and locked the hogs in the barn so they couldn't get to the feeders until the next morning.
Not sure of the reason why, but I played the baritone one summer in the Callaway City summer band. Seems like a Savage girl led the summer band, but can't remember her name. Then when I was a freshman I played the trombone---even though my two older brothers had both played the sousaphone. In my freshman year the son of the Superintendent played the sousaphone. When he left the next year, I took over at the sousaphone. It was rather big to carry around -- was the brass kind then, later my little sister played and they had bought a fiberglass one that was somewhat lighter. Recall marching at the home football game -- for the Callaway Bears -- and many of the students thought the huge bell above my head was collection place for paper wads, popcorn sacks, etc. Recall marching at least one year in the stadium at University of Nebraska at Lincoln when they had band day. Seems like we went every 2 or 3 years, so surely did it more than once. The one time I recall we were rehersing early in the day for the half-time performance when a lot of bands performed and I heard "Hey Miles". Looked over to the sideline and there brother Don was. He was attending the University at the time, earning his BS degree there, MS degree later at Hastings, NE and then getting his Dr. of Microbioligy degree back at Lincoln later.
Here is some copy I just made from some "Notes" on my computer from 2003:
Cars – Rambler Classic, bought new in October of 1962 bought in Broken Bow at Pontiac-Rambler dealer. Dave Maddox traveled out to Callaway with me, and we went to Broken Bow where Dad co-signed the GMAC loan. I have just started work for Union Pacific. It was a 2-door, had standard transmission with overdrive. Had a white top and gold lower part, from windows down.
Paid $2,400 price, though it was financed. It did not have any seat belts, but they were just coming in some cars then. I bought add-ons and bolted them into the rear floor panels. The front seats were bucket seats. Gold vinyl. Both seats would lay back as a recliner.
1965 Buick Skylark. Traded the Rambler in on the Skylark at Grahm Buick in Omaha in February or March of 1965. Phyllis was pregnant with Cam and wanted a four-door and a car with automatic transmission. Traded for a difference of $3,200. Car was an Ocean Mist green. Had tail lights clear across the back. We bought clear seat protectors and put over the cloth seats. When was in Salt Lake City we had worn the seats badly and had them reupholstered. Was still driving the Buick when we went to the elevator in Coin in October of 1974. I later sold it to a part-time emplyee who lived in Bedford. He later totaled it.
Bought 1975 Chevrolet Impala in 1976. Was a company plan car. Was yellow in color. After drove it a while decided didn’t like it and in 1977 bought a new Oldsmobile Wagon from place in Glenwood, IA in June. Within 2 weeks we drove to Tampa, FL where Darrell was working and living and spent time with him and going to Disney World.
Drove that ’77 Olds Wagon for many years. Finally gave it to Cam when they were in Wisconsin. He drove it until had about 175,000 miles on it and sold it to a junk yard for $75.00.
We drove many Subaru’s -- Art Greenwood got me onto them and he was doing repair work on them and could get old ones to run. At one time had 3 Subaru wagons all in same color of blue, think one was an ’84, one an ’82, and one an 83. In 1998, in the spring, bought a 1996 green Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon in Omaha. It had about 45,000 miles on it. Still driving it at Christmas time, 2003.
Have had several vehicles since then, but won't go into that right now.
More later, Maybe..............Lynn
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