Farmall Cub

My first driving experience was on my Dad's Farmall Cub. Barely tall enough to sit in the seat and reach the pedals, he turned me loose to take the tractor to the barn. Simple enough, after all, I had been riding in his lap and watching him ever since I was old enough to sit up.
He set the throttle very low, put the tractor in first gear and told me to let the clutch pedal out very slowly. Off I went feeling like I owned the world. It was a straight shot and I didn't have to put it "IN" the barn but I soon realized, he didn't tell me how to stop. I pushed on both brake pedals with all my might but nothing happened. I clipped the edge of the shed and kept going with the bee hives right in front of me. Thankfully, I missed them and just before the pasture fence, I pushed the clutch pedal and came to a stop. Dad came running and after he realized I was alright, we both started laughing.
My mom sold the tractor after my dad died. It had been too close to a fire and the wiring and tires burned off. It was one of the saddest days of my life when I came home from school and she told me it was gone.
I recently bought a cub that has been restored along with several plows and a mower. It seems a lot smaller than when I was a child but I still feel on top of the world when I am driving it.

Missing Them

Maybe the road in my last post was actually me feeling isolated knowing my kids are so far away and somewhat disconnected.

The Road

Last night I traveled a road that I've gone down hundreds of times but progress has brought changes that somehow startled me. This two lane road, cut through miles of forest with houses few and far between, always seemed strong, brazen making it's way past giant trees, over streams, and across hills. But last night it seemed diminshed, shrinking itself to hide in the dark. Mighty trees once sheltered the road, embracing it and shading its travelers but they have been cut away leaving bare ground on either side. The thin black ribbon seemed hardly wide enough to carry my vehicle. Maybe this will be a road less taken.