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HOW I LEARNED ABOUT MANURE SPREADERS© Dennis Leger---Park Rapids, Minnesota, 1951It was my mistake---my fault---I should never have told Sam that his dashboard clock was wrong! He wasresetting it with both hands when we went off the road at about 50 miles an hour. We bounced along inthe ditch at a crazy angle. Sam landed on my lap then on the next bounce he grabbed for the steeringwheel, pulled himself over and gave it a big twist to get back on the highway. Sod and gravel sprayedover the hood as the front bumper tore into the steep side of the ditch. We careened back into the ditchbefore finally coming to a stop.We were stuck. And we had destroyed a section of barbed wire fence. Now a herd of dairy cows wasmoving toward the gap in the fence, ready for a chance to escape. At least they were thinking about it.I was 10 years old and my friend Sam was probably 75. In his little cabin on the west end of LakeBelletaine, Sam usually had soda pop and store-bought cookies to entertain anyone who came to visit. I
can’t remember what we talked about
on my visits, but I think he was always happy to have company,even a ten year old boy. We had become friends because of my sweet tooth and his loneliness.I knew that Sam was not much bigger than an elf, but back then I
hadn’t
noticed how much he lookedlike Santa Claus. He had a red face and thick snow white hair. His thick glasses made his eyes look huge.Red suspenders held up his pants because a
belt just wouldn’t work
and when he laughed his roundbelly shook like---well, like a bowl full of jelly.Although everybody in the neighborhood knew that he was legally blind, Sam was a travelling salesman.We understood that the Blue Jay corn brooms he sold to stores were made by the Society for the Blind.He drove his territory in a brand new 1951 Packard sedan.One summer morning Sam asked me if I wanted to ride into Park Rapids, seven miles to the west. What
kid isn’t
always up for a trip to town? When I ran home to get permission, nobody was there. That was ayes! A definite yes! But now Sam and I were stuck in the ditch. And there was a whole herd of cowsready to venture out onto Highway 34.
I know I shouldn’t have reminded Sam that his clock was wrong, but my big lesson for the day was still
ahead of me.On a hill about a half mile away, we saw a farmer on a tractor. My mission? A cross-country run across ahilly pasture. But when I reached the field, the tractor was driving away faster than I could run. A farmboy might have waited for the tractor to turn and come back, but I was a lake boy, and I had to followthat farmer and get his attention. After all, his cows were going to escape!But then a farm boy would have known about manure spreaders and would have known better than totry to chase one down on foot. But I was a lake boy, now involved in a messy business. Even if I avoidedthe airborne product, the footing was slippery and unpleasant. I fina
lly got the farmer’s attention
and Isuppose he was surprised and quite amused by the sight of me.
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