Well Hell Mel.
By Mel Hansen
Every time I come upon a ol farmer in his tractor pulling equipment on the narrow country roads through farming communities....it immediately takes me back to my early youth when there were still small family owned farms in Garden City, and at times there were almost more farmers on tractors than people in cars on the road.
Very few of my FB friends will remember my Uncle Stan. He’s my Dad older brother by 3 yrs...and was pretty much my father until I was 11 or 12. I idolized my Uncle! I was his shadow! I spent as much time with him as I possibly could!
Needless to say... I being constantly under his feet, the man had the patience of Job! I hardly ever heard him use a lot of profanity, occasionally the milk cows would trigger a few outbursts (that’s why God put milk cows on earth, otherwise farmers/ranchers would be damn near perfect! But when he’d start saying something to me it was either...”Hell Mel” or “Well Hell Mel”
He taught me how to drive tractors at the early age of 6, a 1949 Model S Case with a hand clutch, plus the other tractors we had, but that ol Case was my tractor.
I remember the first time he let me drive it on the highway from the hay fields, out by the Pickleville Store, to his basement home, just North of Randall’s House, where we kept all the farm equipment. I was probably around 8 yrs old. He stood on the drawbar hitch behind the seat of the tractor and said...”Well Hell Mel!...ya ain’t gonna learn any younger!...put it in gear and drive us home!”
Driving on the highway was a...Right of Passage! It meant you were taught right!...you had...proven!...you knew what you were doing and could be...trusted!
I asked him if I should pull off to the side of the road to let traffic pass by?
“Well Hell Mel!...if ya do that we’ll never get home! The Sumbitch’s are in a big hurry to get to the lake!...you’re doing them a favor by helping them slow down so they can see it!”
My Uncle Stan was a great man! My Dad always said his best friend was his big brother. And my Uncle felt the same way about my Dad.
They were different like night and day in many ways... but so much alike in the important things of life.
There’s not a day gone by since my Uncle died of a sudden massive heart attack at the young age of 52, while sitting in the seat of that ol Case Tractor he taught me how to drive, that I haven’t thought about him.
And on the day my Dad passed away I’m positive his Best Friend was there with my Mum to greet him.
Both Men taught me invaluable lessons!
So when I come upon a ol farmer holding me up for a little bit...I’m grateful! For it reminds me not to be one of those....”Sumbitch’s in a big hurry!” And..”slow down to see”....the countryside and remember those who taught me how to love it!
