Growing Up in Williamsport, Ohio.

We’re Goin’ for a Ride
 
My Dad worked, pretty much, from 6 to 6 during the week, so on Sundays he dozed on the couch. Betty and I were home all week so on weekends, we wanted to get out of the house.
 
My Dad didn’t have a car more than he did have one. He usually drove a Dunlap red, Ford pickup truck to and from work. Consequently, he did not want to drive the company truck for his own personal business.
 
But we were kids. We took a bird feather and tickled him under his nose until he woke up. We told him that we wanted to go for a ride. He told us that he couldn’t use the company truck. Then Betty and I both cried. Who can resist two sweet, crying little girls? He was a good Dad. He reasoned that he could take us to check out some of the farms and crops. The next thing we knew, he, my mother, Betty and I were in the truck and goin’ for a ride.
 
He drove all around the area where the Dunlap farms were located. He showed us where people lived and we checked out how the corn, wheat, and soybeans were doing. We even saw a trench silo which was filled with slop to feed the pigs. It didn’t smell good.
 
My Dad was mischievous, so one time he drove across a small creek. We drove past a little turtle sunning itself on a rock in the water. Betty and I thought it was exciting but my mother said, “Woooo”. Of course, my Dad just threw his head back and laughed. That was why he did it in the first place.
 
Today, my youngest daughter Melissa lives in Plain City. One of the reasons that I love to visit her is because I get to see how the corn, wheat and soybeans are doing. And the good news is that she and her children are checking them out too.
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 ©Marilyn Francis Ferguson 2020
Photography/graphics by Michele Ferguson Schuck