This is not a really long or even exciting story. It’s just a quick note at my first time behind the wheel of a real motorized vehicle. Pawpaw, my Dad’s father let me sit in the seat of the FarmAll M tractor as we drove it across a field from our house to the area of the farm where he lived. I didn’t actually get to work the clutch or the break, just manage the steering. Pawpaw stood on the axle next to the seat and hung onto the back of the seat and the steering column. I proudly gripped the big round steering wheel, one hand at 10 o’clock and the other at 2 o’clock as if I clearly knew what I was doing. The trip was thru the middle of a great big open field. There was absolutely nothing at all in our path, except a few rocks on the ground. I twisted the steering left and right dodging the rocks with the front wheel of the tractor. After a few time rocking to the left and right Pawpaw asked “What the heck are you doing boy?” I said, “Trying to miss the rocks Pawpaw.” And he said, “They won’t feel a thing, go ahead and run over them so we can get home quicker.” I held the wheel straight from then on.
From that day on, I have always tried to drive straight, ignoring the rocks and small animals that get in my way. It’s easier.
Teddy Burriss 