Episode#51: The Mischievous Hay Haulers

The year would have been about 1973 and the month would have been about June of that year. Steve, Rusty and me were using Steve's old 1959 Chevrolet pick up truck to haul hay that summer. We had several jobs lined up and we wanted to finish up a small hay patch just north of the Callisburg high school so we could move on to other more lucrative opportunities over around Gordonville near Lake Texoma. 

This hay belonged to a guy named Jim Titch and this little pasture only made about 150-200  bales or so. It would not take too long because the barn we were stacking it in was pretty close by. Our plan was to get up very early that morning, knock it out and move on. We agreed that Rusty would drive to the hay field and Steve would pick me up and we would meet up at 5:00 that morning. What we didn't know was there was no moon that night and it was absolutely pitch dark at that time. 

If you have ever hauled hay, you know it is much cooler to haul at night time, but there is always the danger of picking up a bale with a snake sleeping under it. Usually one guy would drive just fast enough between the rows of bales for the other two guys to pick up the hay by the baling wire and throw it and stack it at the same time in the back of the truck. As a rule, you never role the bale over to check for snakes rather you just snatch it and throw it in one motion.

The more we discussed the snake possibility, we changed our minds and decided we would wait until it was almost sun up before we started. But what were we going to do for the next hour or so? Steve suggested we find some watermelons for breakfast. We agreed that would be a great idea so we drive over by Dean West's place, which was only a mile or two away and his garden was just across the fence from the road.

We drive by slow and Rusty and I jump out the truck without Steve stopping. We hop the barbed wire fence and grab three melons. In the meantime Steve drives down the road, turns around and comes back to pick us up. Steve drives out of sight for a few moments while we are crawling back through the fence and we start walking down that old gravel road. I am carrying two melons and Rusty is carrying one.

Suddenly we see two headlights coming toward us. They get closer and closer, and the thought comes to me, what if this is not Steve? How are we going to explain what we two guys are doing walking down the road at 5:15 in morning carrying three watermelons. I start to panic a little and start thinking of an exit strategy. Fortunately it was Steve.

 We jump into the back of his truck holding the melons while Steve drives back to the Titch hay patch. He pulls off the road and into the field over near an old windmill. We cut into the melons and they are very good! We each eat almost an entire melon. Most of what is left is just the rind. 

It is getting light enough to see and we are about to start hauling hay. Rusty says, have you ever climbed a windmill tower? Steve said he had, and it is harder than you think. I said I never had but I bet I can climb that one. He said it is harder than it looks and did not think I could. 

That was all this cowboy needed. I baled off the tailgate and started up the tower. I get up a little over half way and all of a sudden these two guys are throwing watermelon rinds at me as fast as they can. Man! I fell for that hook, line and sinker! We all had a big laugh at my expense.

I went by that old hay field yesterday and took a picture of that old windmill tower. It looks exactly like it did the day I climbed up it back in 1973 except the windmill blades are gone now.\

 Those were the good old days for sure for a kid growing up in the country. You could get into a little mischief without getting into a lot of trouble and still have fun.