Hard Work and Helping Neighbors

Lazy or not, my teenage work days were fourteen hours a day on a tractor, plowing or cultivating. As if that were not enough, Pa sent me to plow for the neighbors, such the Hoeks or De Boers when they had family tragedies. During harvest time, I had a team and a hay wagon and loaded and pitched bundles, as many as fourteen loads on each threshing day. Threshing went on for three or four weeks from neighbor to neighbor until the harvest was done. I continued to work on the farm for Pa and Ma until they moved to Milaca. After that, I plowed and cultivated for brother Jake until I started college in the fall of that year.