[woofa.express]

One of many memories from my childhood.

I remember times growing up on our farm. My parents had limited capital and nothing was easy. I was the eldest and needed to work. I enjoyed the tractor work but didn’t like milking cows. Being compelled to work did me good and I often say the problem with kids today they have never had any cow shit between their toes. Or chook or sheep poop whatever.
But I am getting away from my story. We did really need a truck but had to suffice with a tractor and trailer. The pin to attach the trailer was this steel pin about six or seven inches long with a rectangular head. When they were new the shank was square. We had several wooden boxes full of these pins (old and corroded) so if one was lost we had many spares. I later learned dad purchased these from clearing sales. Again I later learned that dad would frequent clearing sales and before such an auction would begin the auctioneer would have a look at the crowd and announce “is Harold (dad) here”. If not the auctioneer would suggest he would postpone the start for a few minutes in hope dad may still be on his way. Dad was a sucker for sundries. Years later I also learned mum would put these “sundries” in the boot of our car (which you American readers call the trunk), drive to the river and chuck them in. Mum would call dad penny wise and pound foolish. Dad had often said he needed one component in a big box of sundries and would have to take the lot. he'd tell mum about all the money he had saved.
Times were difficult for dad and mum when I was a kid. We grew up without expectations of clothing or material goods. My dearest wish was to have a bicycle but that was not possible. Today I see maybe 50 in the local rubbish tip. Times have changed haven’t they? Frequently I think our society is too extravagant.
Well the pins we used to couple the tractor and trailer were infact railway spikes otherwise known as dogs. Very used ones (new ones pictured). I guess it was improvisation and substitution that got us through. When me and my siblings discuss growing up, none of us has any resentment of these times but commend our parents for their courage and perseverance.
We did have three Model A's. However they were Farmall tractor Model A's. (Pictured below- from the internet). One in particular had a high oil consumption and we used waste oil we stored in a 44 gal drum behind the chook house. For a very long time it had stood upright and chocked under one side so as not to ingest rain water. Dad reckon all the impurities would have bottomed out and our pump stem was about one foot off the bottom of the 44 gal drum so it delivered only good clean oil he would say.