Scene: as father and son leave the farm in the truck they are both chatty. As the ride wears on they become focused and quiet, mentally assessing the day ahead of them.
Son: “Dad, how far are we going today?”
Dad: “Far enough where you can’t cause any problems.”
scene: with a very surprised look on his face the son has nothing to say. The dad turns with a very grim look on his face and says,
Dad: “You know, like the other day?”
Scene: but as he is saying that a mischievous grin slowly inches it’s way across his face and he says,
Dad: “You were all scattered, all over the place, looked like you wouldn’t be able to hit the broadside of a barn. We’ll fix that today.”
Scene: The son now understood what his father would allow him to do today and he would be with him all day to show him exactly how to do it.
Scene: It was still very dark thirty as they arrived at the first stop and the son seemed a bit confused.
Dad: “Well, do you want to drive or not?”
Son: “Yes sir!”
Scene: They get out and switch seats. The son climbs in and settles into the drivers seat, the seat, mirrors and radio are adjusted the way his father has shown him, he hits his blinker and pulls out onto the desolate country road.
Scene: It is a very long stretch of road they are on and so the father allows the son to drive on until he can see the excitement in his son has worn off and his son has settled into a work like attitude checking his mirrors and comfortable on the road.
Dad: “Ok son, we can start right here. As we come over the next little rise there will be a low area for quite a long ways with good moisture. We should have some good action there and then we can move farther north as the sun comes up.”
Scene: The son slows up just a bit, reaches down for the implement controls and gets to work laying down a nice even coat of…
frost!
Son: “I see now why you wanted to come North, the weather is just right.”
Dad: “Plus the folks up here are used to it. Not like those Southern folks you freaked out the other day. You were so patchy with it. That really causes people problems. One second they are on a nice dry road and the next instant they are headed for the ditch. You would think after the first slippery spot that they would slow down. But oh no, lets just keep the hammer down. Like work won’t still be there or that they have biscuits in the oven or something. Now son this is the road that runs through the big marsh, where you got all those grouse that time, so go ahead and get a feel for the old girl, she’s running good and you’ll be able to lay down a nice even coat and make everything real pretty but thick enough to let everyone know what’s coming around the corner in the next month or so.”
Scene: As the son settles into the drivers seat and starts to feel like he knows what he is doing, he thinks of his grandfather and his goofy smile.
Son: he thinks to himself, “If he could only see me now.”
Scene: You hear the rumble of the truck, a good healthy, working rumble and then you hear the RPM’s pick up and the father and son with the son at the wheel get to work as only a father and son can.
To be continued… (wait for it)
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