One summer evening when I was about 4 or 5 years old, an owl was hooting off in the woods. It was a moon-dark night so from inside the cabin all that could be seen was a pitch black empty.I stood at the window and tried with all my might to see the owl. “who..whoo” the owl hooted. It sounded closer but all I could see was blackness. I moved upstairs thinking it would be better if I was higher up near the trees. "Who…Whooo...

Dad was a very special person to me. Here are a couple of special stories about Dad that tell you about our relationship. The first story is one set in the deep snows of a spring blizzard. We had about 4 foot of snow on the level with more in drifts. After the snow had stopped, Dad and Granddad turned to caring for the livestock. The cattle were fine as they were in along the meadows and in reach of hay. However, the wint...

Granddad Art and Dad were the only mechanics we could afford so anything that broke, they fixed. Our farm machinery was all second hand and mostly old so there was no lack of work. The Ford tractors were particularly troublesome. One of the Ford’s had broken down and wouldn’t start. Granddad towed it down next the shop and began the “Fuel, Spark” ritual. Having cleaned filters and primed the gas pump to no avail he began...