Hay Hauling

I was a tomboy growing up - climbing trees, hanging out with boys more than girls at one particular time in my life, shooting guns, and so forth. I will never forget how badly I wanted to drive truck for the guys who hauled hay for Don Brown.
Dad insisted that being out on the hay field with a bunch of guys was no place for a young lady. I begged and I pleaded with Dad to please let me drive for the boys, promising to be on my best behavior and closing my ears if I needed to. Back in those days it was not common at all for a guy to use fowl language in front of a lady and if they did they quickly apologized. Now days, however, girls mouths are just as bad, but it was a whole different story back then. Dad was concerned with good reason.
Finally after many tears and arguing, Dad made a deal with me. We lived on a piece of land that had a barn, which we had torn down, and pigs which we had gotten rid of. The pieces of the barn were scattered on the ground on and around a slab of cement. There was old fencing scattered out on the ground leaving a complete disaster in the yard. There were weeds all over - that needed pulled - just tons of hard work to get it cleaned up. "Get all this mess cleaned up by sundown tomorrow night and you can drive for the hay haulers." Dad was very stern telling me that it had to be done by sundown or it didn't count at all.
It was 5:30 in the morning when I heard the rooster crow. I jumped out of bed and put on my grubby cloths. I ran outside and started working. Pulling weeds, making neat piles with the boards from the barn, and stopping from time to time to get a drink. Dragging the fencing - even having to dig some of it up. Sweating and working a job that was not easy for a 15 year old girl.
It may be hard to picture all the hard work which lay before me. But imagine all the boards from a barn - how many boards there were - Imagine a cement slab which I had to break up as much as I could. All the weeds that had to be pulled. Sweating and hungry, I didn't stop but long enough to eat a sandwich at lunch time, then back to work again. The clock was ticking and the sun was sinking as the evening shadows fell upon me.
The cement slab was my greatest challenge. Up until now I had done everything myself. But how in the world was I going to get the rest of this large slab of cement moved off the land?
It was then that I heard the sound of one of Don Browns tractors. It was Clark Hawkins coming to my rescue. He loaded that large slab of cement and hauled it off to the old Dairy. I was done, mission accomplished and it was just getting dark.
I ran into the house exhausted and ready to drop like a rolled biscuit. I yelled to Dad to come see my accomplishment. He reluctantly went outside and before his eyes he saw a miracle. The job was very well done, better than he had expected. He looked for a moment and said, "you cheated, you can't have anyone help you." I thought for a moment and I told Dad that there was no place in the rules that said I couldn't have someone haul the cement off, and I had done everything else myself.
Choking and groaning my Dad knew I had whipped him. I had accomplished something he didn't think I'd ever accomplish - and in the amount of time given on top of that.
I'll never forget hearing Dad tell Mom not to ever believe me if I said I couldn't do something, then with regret he agreed to let me drive truck for the hay haulers.
I hope Dad realized that I was thankful for that experience. It wasn't so bad, the guys treated me well, and I'll never forget how yummy the frozen peach ice cream on a stick was that I had everyday after work. I remember after work bottle feeding the calf's as well and watching Don Brown milk the cows. Good memories it was of a great summer.