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Western Oregon | Thank you sir. I have no desire. I lived it....James
Copied from something written after I retired with a few updates. Don't know why, but....
Born 1956 to a small dairy, Dad was 56 that summer. I was a sickly kid from birth. Almost a dozen surgeries in the first month. Inside parts outside, outside parts inside. Most of my intestine removed, small pouch for stomach. I wasn't thriving until Mom figured out I was lactose intolerant. She couldn't nurse me, old neighbor lady set her onto goats milk.
Farm accident at 6 to my left foot. Polio at 7. I spent 14 days in an Iron lung. Leg braces and crutches for about a year, left for a while longer as it was affected more.
All I ever wanted to do was farm. Neighbor had sheep, We had peppermint on the farm and back then sheep were used to keep grass out of the mint. Old neighbor lady gave me 10 head of ewe lambs for helping around her old homestead. I chased them all over the hills, while I still had the braces on my legs. At 11, I worked at a neighboring dairy for 20 heifer calves from heifers bred to a Hereford bull. The old lady next door had a lot of old pastures that she wasn't using and an old Farmall B that she had overhauled, but somehow no antifreeze got put in and it cracked the block. I welded the block, got a mower, rake and baler together and made hay that summer for my animals, her animals and the other animals at the farm. My sheep flock had grown to 60 ewes. Things were not good at home, I left at 12, lived in a chicken coop on 19 acres down by the river. Bought later and paid for by 16. The dream, all I ever wanted. I had attained my goal in life.
Old neighbor lady wanted me to clean up her farm. Fence rows everywhere. I made 1 60 acre field and planted it to wheat. Mixture of the B and my 2 ponies, I got it plowed and seeded using whatever I could find and use. Tire drag and an old 8' IHC horse drawn hoe drill. Little money for gas. The farm grew over the years. Farmall M, 4020. New 4430 in 1973. I was farming 600 acres by 1975.
March 1 1976, I was 19, my life changed. Has affected my life since. I had another farm accident, slipped on a roof. While sliding I reached out for the old nailing strips but sliding too fast, nailing strip was jerked out of my hand and hand was cut on the tin. Cut tendons in 3 fingers on my left hand, both in index and middle finger, 1 in ring finger. Had some horrific scars in the palm of my left hand. It was a nightmare, doctor just stitched it up. He was going on vacation a month later and sent me to a hand specialist. I went to the appointment and was put in the hospital that day to repair the tendons. Remember my 2 fingers were just straight out for that month, bandaged up. Hand was cut from the tips of 2 fingers to the base of my palm, to find the tendons that had shrunk. Many surgeries that first year to try to get tendons to work, many each winter for years. Farmed the rest of the year. Tendons would adhere to scar tissue, surgery after surgery to cut tendons loose from scar tissue. Artificial sheaths, artificial tendons. Arthritis got in joints, 2 removed. Another farm accident where the too short tendons and joints pulled down into the palm of my hand had ruptured the sheaths, everything tight. A stick used as a lever caught on fingers and pulled all the muscles that attach to shoulder blade. Over time it caused curvature of the spine, 3 surgeries, 3 fusions in 2 different places, one in neck, 1 between shoulder blades and the 3rd, next to that.
I was farming 1600 acres in 1980 but my health was failing so I cut back to 800 over 4 years. Downsized, let rented land go, bought a farm next door. Went to easier crops, grass seed, clover seed and cover crops for silage for neighbor dairy.
Sept 12th 1992 I had a polio relapse. Was flat on my back in the hospital for 30 days. Doctors couldn't tell us if I would live or not. Wife and I had a house built in town for her and our 2 kids to make it easier for her. Sold most of the farms and equipment. Took 2 years to rehab. Took a job in the city water dept Dec 24 1994. There was a computer there, it ran some systems of the plant. I learned to type on that computer and learned how to use a computer, myself, never took typing. I use the ring finger of my left hand and index finger of right hand. We had bought a computer for the kids so I went on farm forums and started typing. 20 hrs a week at the waterplant and 6 as supervisor of the entire water department, I was never able to work more than the 20 hrs/week. I made it to 55 in 2011 to draw my PERS retirement. The city had been good to me until the last year, new city manager, new department head, way too much stress. 16 years had taken it's toll. A broken leg and ankle at 50, surgeries to repair ankle and 2 breaks in small bone in lower leg. Surgery to remove joint and fuse when the ankle broke down 3 years later. Never missed a day, went to work in the morning, had surgeries, back the next day. Right in the middle of a 4 million dollar water system upgrade.
We had bought a little place to get away in 1995. We put up solar before Y2k. Gravity fed spring. We moved out here full time the day I retired. This fall we had a small shed to cabin built to replace the old scale shack. Very minimal but some 120v with a solar generator wired in.
We bought a little 2000 Class A motorhome in 2014 but had to wait for cataract surgery on both eyes. That did not go well. I had the crystal type, like looking through a shower door. I did some work on the motorhome to get ready for travel while waiting. I ripped out old systems, put 100w of solar on roof, installed 2 outlets to plug in a 100w portable panel, removed the roof AC and installed a 12v fan to move air through the vents. Installed a 12v freezer, used a cooler for refrigeration. Freezer is more efficient than refrigerator. Use frozen water bottles and frozen meal prep to keep cooler cool. We ran minimal and light. Ready to boondock. That summer, we just went anyway. 4 good summers and then covid. The last year I redid an old Chevy Kurb Van into an RV. 4 cyl Iron Duke, S-10 running gear, small and light. We did that 1 year. During c I built a RV out of the cab of a '36 IHC cabover, a aluminium box van and Cavalier parts, lighter yet. My last RV is my old original 1976 Chevy Short van, bed across back, chuck wagon style kitchen under bed, storage behind drivers seat and a cassette toilet, ABS pipe on roof for outside shower. S-10 running gear, 4 cyl Iron Duke engine.
68 now. Back to a smaller version of paradise, down by the river. What I dreamed of at 11, chickens, goats and a garden. I help son some with his farming, do a few projects to keep busy. Winters are tough with my limitations but it is what it is....James
Story of my life. | |
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Jwal10 please write a book
