plowing a field

On The Trail With Basho Encore #8 plowing a field

source: google, the bottom cutter
was like the one in the story

She was only about 10 but there she sat on the red Farmall tractor, cutting stalks in the field.  Her auburn hair, blue eyes and freckles were but accents to highlight the God given beauty within her heart.  Long sleeved shirts, jeans, sturdy work shoes and a straw hat were the attire of anyone working the blackland fields of Texas.  This 10 year old was no exception.

A slight gust of wind blew the hat from her head.  That would mean a certain sunburn to her fair skin.  So she devised a plan.  She would plow to the end of the row and grab the had on her way back.  The turn was made and she headed toward the hat.  She could hold the brake with one hand and lean down to grab the hat with the other hand.  That is exactly what she did.

Losing her grip on the brake pedal, she fell to the ground.  The tractor leaped forward. The last thing she remembers is seeing the stalk cutter, all those sharp knife like pieces of metal, heading for her.  Her daddy looked up to see her standing in the field.  The tractor with the stalk cutter in tow was running in a circle.  It was heading toward her and she was just standing there, dazed.  She is 75 now.  Still does not know why she did not get chopped to bits by that stalk cutter.

clap of thunder!

startled plow-mules bolt

torn down cherry tree

©  Janice 'petra domina' Adcock

FYI, Another of the stories from childhood.  It happened to my older sister.

Thanks to Chèvrefeuille for daily prompts on 

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