Billy and his Ol' Girl...

I believe there is a special bond between a man and his tractor...one that I can only slightly understand. Nevertheless, when Billy is behind the wheel of our old, 1959 Ford 851, he's a man in command. He's got a smile on his face and not a trouble on his mind. He stands at times, getting a view of the obstacles ahead; looking like a proud sea captain at the helm. Other times he's smoking his pipe-just, "Checkin' her over."

I took some photos of my adorable, farmer-husband, albeit looking a bit dismayed after discovering "Betsy's" battery was dead. They remind me of a photograph I have of my grandfather with his tractor. I wonder if my grandmother realized the bond, or if life was just too hard back then to notice such a thing...?

I think of our girls someday showing this photo of Billy to their children. Our girls know, and can surely say that their grandaddy had a great love for his old tractor!