Our Farmall C tractor is a late 40s, early 50s model. My first memory of her is from early childhood. I often sat on my dad’s knee as he drove the tractor down a country lane, through a rough field or even across mudholes.
I love that old tractor. And when we moved south, she came along with us!
Back on the farm we’d had other tractors over the years. There was a Farmall H (there’s a stock photo of an H at the bottom of this post) which was a pain to drive and while it had more horsepower, it couldn’t hold a candle to my little C. My brother also had a Ford tractor (I think) that he and his friend put a truck engine in. I never drove that. He also had a backhoe – or as he called it “the highlife.” I definitely never drove that. But I loved driving my C.
My baby has answered the call to service in many ways. She pulled hundreds of hay wagons and many loads of firewood. She towed a stuck vehicle or two out of a snowbank. And she pulled a breached calf out of its mother.
Wait.What??
It surprised me, too. The cow was a first-time mother and apparently had been bred with a larger breed. The calf was too large for her to deliver. The vet’s solution (seeing that the calf was already deceased, and we wanted to save the mother) was to hook up the tractor and gently pull the calf out. Which is what we did.
Up to that point in my life I had wanted to be a vet. Watching that “operation” changed my mind.
I now live in an urban area, but farmland is not far away. When driving in the area I always look for the livestock in the pastures, and if I see a tractor . . . I have to slow down and take a good look. I have to say, none of them ever measure up to my C.
So now I’m a Writer.
Permit me to leave you with this thought. Our faithful Farmall C has endured many injuries and multiple repairs over the years. She’s had replacement parts galore. But when we need her she’s ready to work.
How much more is the faithfulness of our Lord? In the midst of doom and destruction, Jeremiah was still able to say in Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed.
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
