On the Moraine, Part XXV

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

It slowly became spring in 1963. Dad spent the winter – when he was home – relocating and building new fences around the homestead.  

As normal, he had eyes bigger than our ability to do work. He expanded the garden by about tenfold with his fence realignment. He planted two rows of horseradish about 75 feet long – enough horseradish to feed Highland County and about half of Adams County, I am sure. I often wonder if there are remnants of those horseradish rows still there.

He bought some “new” (to us) equipment, too. A 1948 Case DC showed up. A first for us – a tractor with a starter. There were implements, too. We would only be planting the Beaver Farm, as the McNary Farm still had another year to go in the Federal Reserve program.

One nice Saturday, Dad said we would move the bees from the McNary Farm. We took the Case (which also had lights and a “road gear”), my brother John, who had a very bright battery-operated red flashlight and the trailer.  

We went over to the McNary Farm about mid-afternoon and waited for dusk. At that point, we nailed the beehives shut, loaded them in the trailer and headed for home. We pulled in at the Beaver Farm after dark and unloaded the beehives in the corner of the garden where we had prepared a place for them.

I don’t know what else we had for supper that night, but I remember Mother had made Boston cream pie. I had never had it before, and I thought it was a pretty cool dessert.

I was also introduced to 4-H that spring – the Marshall Junior Farmers. Pat Smith was the adult leader.  

They made me the secretary, and I spent all summer trying to get the paper (not The HCP) to print our news. Finally, I succeeded once. I am glad to see they are still in business.

Being in 4-H, I needed a project. I decided I wanted a pig. Dad bought some Landrace pigs from someone he worked with in Troy. One was selected to be my pig, and we built a pen and shelter for him.  

I named him Julius Caesar. He brought $17 at the fair that fall. I used to have the check stub, but it seems as though I have misplaced it now. I think that was the first check I got for anything.

Mr. Wisecup had a math tournament one week in class. Two at a time, we went to the chalk board. He would have the “contestants” write down 10 three-digit numbers and add them up. First done correctly wins.  

I figure that you could add the first column while you were writing them down and win because you would only have two columns to go when you got done writing down the numbers. That worked for me the first day. No one could beat me because they were waiting to start adding until they had all the numbers written down. 

On the second day, Dave Smith came in ready to go and beat me that day. Third day, I recovered and won again, but Dave had made it tougher.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.