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Those of you who have read many of my posts may have noticed several mentions of my father. He and I lived about 100 yards apart on “family land” for the past 25 years. As long as I’ve known him he had a 2N/8N/9N junkyard combination Ford and Farmall H with a trip bucket loader. As he got older, he couldn’t keep up the land like he wanted but routinely refused to allow me to do anything beyond my yard as he would “get to it” and I always respected that.
Things started to change after my mother passed about 8 years ago. He had a hunting buddy that had a Ford Workmaster that was big enough to do the requisite bush hogging Dad’s Ford just didn’t have the grunt to do and stable enough to get to the rough areas too steep for the H. Dad stored and maintained the Workmaster but was never allowed to drive it. He also stored about half a tractor trailer load of other crap for hunting buddy. Over time, I noticed Dad was no longer doing what he wanted but hunting buddy was running his life. He had open access to Dad’s buildings and his two houses as well as his computer. I finally figured out the leverage was hunting buddy had the equipment and physical ability to maintain the land whereas Dad had neither.
That’s where the Kubota came to join the family. I called Dad one day and told him I was buying a tractor and had a deal for him. If he would allow me to use his existing 3 point implements without asking and allow me to store it at the unoccupied house, I’d give him a key and he could use my tractor and implements whenever he wanted without asking. If I couldn’t use his implements, he couldn’t use my tractor. He asked me what I was getting. Told him and he looked it up online at which point he quickly agreed I could use his implements whenever I wanted. I don’t know when I’ve seen him as happy as the day the delivered the L and got his own key. He’d had tractors his whole life but was always running underpowered antiques that really weren’t up to the jobs he had. The L is a very basic machine but it was basically his dream tractor. Hunting buddy wasn’t allowed to touch the Kubota and was royally pissed. I didn’t want to replace hunting buddy as the guy with the leverage which is why I gave Dad his own key.
Dad drive the Kubota a total of one time. He played with the grapple wrangling a wind felled eastern red cedar out of a field.
Shortly after he got sick and eventually recovered enough to come home for about a year but never to the point he was comfortable sitting way up high on a tractor.
Dad passed away this morning. He told me recently he had no regrets and nothing left unfinished. I told him anyone that can say that had a damn good life. He agreed. He had enough money to buy a stable of machines from trackhoes to cabbed M’s if he wanted but he wouldn’t allow himself the “luxury” of getting the right tools for changing job requirements. It’s admirable he wanted to leave something for my brother and me but neither of us really needed anything monetary from him.
Not that anyone needs reminding but a couple of things. Don’t take for granted the time you have with those around you. If the people around you really love you, they want you to take care of yourself and get some enjoyment out of life even if it does slightly reduce their inheritance.
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You have my most sincere condolonces. Your dad sounds awesome and will be missed in this world, My father is 90 but thinks he is 50. He is like your dad in regard to not spending his own money. I just debated this with him over the 4th. He still cuts his grass, just under an acre now and his Cub is from 1984 and hard to get parts for , I just rebuilt the driveline clutch but some parts obsolete. He wont spend money on a new 1 nor will he let me buy him 1. I told him Im going to just hire someone to cut and trim his property. I live a hour + away and my 3 siblings dont help.
He says the same thing about leaving money. He has way more than he could ever spend. I tell him I have my own...Im good and to hell with the other 3. He doesnt agree.
They dont make people like that anymore. Maybe being born around the depression in 1932 has something to do with it. I harped on him to enjoy his life for 25 years now. Money is required to live but Im not living just for money and with good choices I have plenty. He laughed at me, sums it up.
So I try the well its YOURS not anyone elses. Why are you scrimping. His TV is 25 years old...car 15, he still drives very well. His lady friend is 69 and thought he was. I never get anywhere and if I gift him he gets upset. Wants repay his debts.
