Trucks and Trunks

On Friday there was an auction at my parents' farm held to sell the farm equipment and miscellaneous items (think old snowblowers, gas tanks, etc.) that were owned by my grandpa.  I wasn't sure what to expect since I have never been to a farm equipment auction.  I have been to household estate auctions and I think those are fun.  Farm auctions seem to be almost exclusively the domain of men.  The only women there were my family members, the women who worked for the auction company and maybe one or two other ladies.  But the men poured into the yard.  It seems that farm equipment auctions are the perfect "friend date" for men because many of them came in groups of two or more. 

This sale wasn't especially nostalgic to me since farm equipment comes and goes over the years but a few things made me stop and think of the implications of them not being there anymore.  Mostly, these two grain trucks will be missed. 

I have never driven one, never especially enjoyed riding in them (so dusty and hot!) and never thought much about them but it will be pretty strange not seeing them out in the fields and hearing them rumble up and down the driveway.  They have been at our house since the 1970s and they have always been together!  I hope that wherever they are now they aren't missing each other too much!

The auction company business office was in this very large semi trailer which just happened to look like Mack!  There was a happy little boy roaming around the yard that morning. 

 

If you look in the background you can see the cars parked along the road.  It was a sight I had never seen before!

 

Nothing beats a morning spent outside and when you add Mack and also many other trucks and tractors and lots of attention it will be hard to beat!

 

The main topic of conversation was the fact that there are two rather large houses standing next to each other in the yard.  The new farmhouse is almost done which means moving day is coming. 

 

 

We moved to the farm in 1991 and I switched bedrooms around 1997 (I think...it was the summer before 9th grade) so there is almost twenty years of crap built up in my old room and the time has come to clear some stuff out.  I will probably never be completely moved out of there and fortunately the new basement has a large storage room but I decided to take some things with me on Sunday. 

 

 

This trunk was given to me (and all of the girl cousins on my dad's side) by my grandma in the early 90s sometime.  I would guess it was maybe 1993 or 1994.  A hope chest has always been a common gift for a young girl but what makes these different is that my great aunt did the painting, which is a traditional Norwegian art called Rosemal.  If you don't know much about it, I can tell you that her work is very good.  Also, my great uncle and her husband (my grandma's brother) built the trunk.  So it was a very special gift.  I know hope chests are intended to store special things that a girl saves until she gets married.  I think of impractical and obsolete things like embroidered handkerchiefs and fancy tablecloths and stuff like that.  Mine was full of old chapter books from elementary school and high school keepsakes like my graduation hat and my high school diploma and some prom memorabilia. 

My "letter" was in there.  Now this is the letter of a girl who was well rounded.  I can't believe I did all that stuff. 

 

Why do theater masks have to look so creepy?

 

My girl scout sashes were in there too. 

 

 

The Brownies sash actually had all the patches sewn on both sides.  It doesn't seem like much but I was one of the few girls who actually had this privilege because my mom didn't have a job (outside the house) and she sews.  Most of those were earned when we lived in Wyoming and I remember some girls having their patches stapled and pinned on!  I secretly was proud of mine.  Then we moved to Hatton and I was a Junior (the green sash) and I guess she got too busy!  Haha.  Now I can sew so there is no excuse!  Maybe if Tessa is ever a Girl Scout I can sew mine on when I sew hers on her sash. 

Truly though, I have a daunting task ahead of me sorting out that room.  There are so many dust gathering trinkets in there!  And I have, several times over the years, cleaned out the room and donated and thrown bags of items and it's still bad.  Most of what is there is not going anywhere (pictures, scrapbooks, collectibles) so I guess I will have my own corner in the new basement.  Ughhh...clutter clutter everywhere.  I was clearing off this stupid little wood shelf with a heart carved out of it (straight from the 80s) and I asked my mom how she would feel about it going to a rummage sale and she said, "I would feel really good about that!"  Goodbye, dust gathering shelf.  I have dusted you for the last time!