Well, that brings me around to another member I’d like to
dedicate a recognition. To me the name BOHMAN has always been in
close harmony to reunions and steam. This time, a junior citizen
from Galesburg, Ill., HAROLD BOHMAN, with a span of 12 summers and
already a record of 9 years attendance to Mt. Pleasant show. I met
Harold last September, together with two other ‘engineers’
wearing engineer’s caps, of course. Here I sensed a promising
future indeed and what a proud Grandpa, Harold had, REUBEN G
BOHMAN, who had driven the boys over. Riding on the Baker engine
through the parade was quite a treat, but Harold later went beyond
the good fortune of most youngsters, when he was selected as the
young Burlington Railroad engineer in dedicating a locomotive from
said railroad to the city of Galesburg in December, 1961.
That brings me around to another junior member I wish to
acknowledge whom I haven’t met yet. This bears out my thinking
as how unlimited the possibilities are for future reunions. It was
my good fortune to meet PAUL BRYANT from Braymer, Mo. who gave me a
couple pictures of a model steamer he has built and is being
operated by his 9 year old son, DAVID. To me, these pictures
portrayed a lot of potential. I, for one, wouldn’t underscore
David’s possibilities. Maybe I shouldn’t let the cat out of
the bag, but it is David’s good intentions to do the
teeter-totter stunt with this engine at Old Threshers meet in
’62. Reckon he figures, ‘If PETE BUCHER can do it, so can
I’. More power to you, David, we’ll all come to observe
your challenge.
Back in January, one sunny day, temperature 15 below freezing,
the count down was on, STANLEY PETERSON, from Shell Lake drove in
our yard for what he called a ‘cornfest’. It was simply to
toy around with my 10-20 Titan and shredd the last of my corn, and
taking a tape recording of same, besides some pictures. By that
time, ALICE had lunch ready and prior to Stanley leaving, we run
some tractor and sawmill slides.
BRYAN PETERSON, age 9, went ice-fishing with his grandmother who
had chopped a hole in the ice and upon getting ready to drop the
fish line in, he remarked, ‘ You know what? If we got a big
pickerel, we’d have to put on a girdle to get it through that
hole’.
At this writing, last of February, we’ve been blessed with
about 52 inches of snow-notwithstanding the drifts. Yeah, one naber
who has a windmill, I believe it is a Challenge had to shovel snow
so’s the wind could get at it. At any rate, the abundance of
snow has hampered logging and working in the woods, has practically
halted farmers hauling manure, bar any type or size of equipment,
save for the lowly man with a team of horses and sleds. For the
dairyman with ‘push-button’ barn cleaners the problem is
doubled. Prestige never struck my fancy-my ‘barn cleaner’
was bought in ’41 at the cost of $11.75; upkeep has been nil
and it still has the original handles. At least, I can stock-pile
without expensive equipment.
I doubt, if there is any enterprise that comes under as many
regulations as the dairy business. In the first place, the old cow
sets up her own regulations, she gets milked every day and twice on
Sunday- udder wise, it would be jest too bad. Not only rigid farm
inspections, but the processing plants are continually plagued with
‘white-collar’ visitors. Don’t get me wrong, I’m
all for quality, but if it’s milk we’re grading, let’s
stick to milk. I say rigid, because some of the compliances are
simply absurd and irrelative. Our local plant has been no
exception. The milk-tester, a simple, nationally accepted,
accurate, steam heated and steam driven calculator was simply
condemned. A modern version called for an electric driven tester
with a complex built-in heat unit, the tally on top to
‘register’ the rpm’s, is two circles of white dots that
when rotating at the proper speed under a favorable lite appears to
be turning in opposite directions- well anyhow, the cost is 500
dollars and it is stainless steel, of course. At any rate, I had
spoken to buy the old tester, not that I’ll ever use it, but
it’s complete with test-bottles and it runs on steam. Was down
to the plant to pick it up recently-a new rest room was being
installed and the operator, HAPPY JOHNSON, hung a sign on the
door–NOT YET!
Puts me in mind of the dairy farmer’s wife who asked for a
mink-stole for Christmas-well, she got what he thought she said-A
new milk-stool! The husband looking over top of newspaper-to the
wife, ‘ Of course there’s two sides to every question, the
man’s side and the wrong side’.