“On The Dead Run”

My earliest memories of my folks is how they worked. They always worked, very rarely was there any time to sit down and relax as they worked the farm/ranch with one thing in mind to make things a success. I learned at an early age they viewed life as if you didn’t work you were a sinner. Idle hands created trouble and if you were not busy there was something really the matter with you.

The picture you see of them in harvest in the 1960’s is very typical of my folks. You can see my mom is going one direction and my Dad is running the other. Very typical of these two hard working people.

My dad always said this type of work was “On the Dead Run”.. They walked the talk, they worked hard and almost every day. My dad and mom tried to take Sunday’s off, but in Harvest all bets were off. They worked till Midnight some days and then my Dad was up at 4 or 5 the next morning ready to do it all over again..

When I became an adult I can remember my Dad coming to me one day and asking this question, “Why do you work like you are killing snakes?” My answer was that I had two good teachers. Lo and Behold the son learned well. I have learned to relax some in my later years, I can sit down now and watch a TV show or a ballgame without a great sense of I should be up doing something, anything instead of sitting.

I am not the least bit ashamed of my work ethic that these people taught me. I am proud to be a son of hard working, honest, Prairie People. Thank you Mom and Dad.