| Author |
Across the Fence:  A Wedding Tractor Story  |
|
|
therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
|
|
jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 21 2005 : 04:33:05 AM
|
Growing up in central Illinois, my interest was piqued, and I went to your link above to find it is my hometown newspaper! The Illinois State Journal Register.
I must become more familiar with David Bakke!!! Sounds like a Norwegian name, like my maiden name. Thanks for the link, although it asks for a password, and I did not get to the article. :( I am going to do more looking..... |
 |
|
|
therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2005 : 07:09:24 AM
|
I forgot about that -- you have to be a subscriber to read the column - DUH! My sister subscribes so I log in under her name. I will see if I can copy and paste the story.
GO WHITE SOX!!!!
http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2005 : 07:13:15 AM
|
Here's the story that I copied from the website. Enjoy!
Near and Deere to the heart
Do you remember the old Joe Diffie song, "John Deere Green?" It was popular just a few years ago. The song told a story about guy who expressed his love by climbing up on the town's water tower to write, "Billy Bob loves Charlene" in John Deere green. It's a pretty good story. This one is better.
Rachel Thomas is a John Deere nut. The walls of her house in Edinburg are yellow. The trim is John Deere green.
"I've got John Deere curtains, silverware, earrings, all the dishes, cookie jars, 24 or 25 sets of salt and pepper shakers, place mats, coasters, toy tractors, and we've got the real working tractors," said Rachel.
Come on, what else?
"A clock that makes different engine sounds every hour. Lamps. Oh, and a John Deere checkerboard."
There is a reason, a very special reason, why Rachel has all of this.
When Rachel was a little girl growing up on the farm near Riverton, her father had a 1968 Deere 4020 tractor. Her dad, O.R. Schuppel, used to let his little girl sit in his lap and steer his tractor while he worked the pedals. But Rachel, who is 23, lost her father when she was only 12. Her fondest memories of him are those times they used to ride together on that old 4020.
That's really why she started collecting John Deere material when she was 19. The yellow and green dishes came first and then everything else, from the walls to the salt and pepper shakers.
After O.R. died 10 years ago, his brother-in-law bought the tractor. Rachel always missed it because it symbolized something special to her. She talked about that tractor a lot over the past decade. The most painful part of it was that her uncle lived next to her grandmother, and when she visited her grandmother, she could see her dad's tractor.
Eventually, Rachel became engaged to Lance Thomas from Edinburg. Lance had heard the story many times, so he knew how much that old tractor meant to Rachel. Lance went to her uncle and asked what it would take to get that tractor. And he got it. Then he hid it so Rachel wouldn't know, and he started restoring it. It needed a lot of work by then.
He hid the machine in Tommy Squires' garage down in Edinburg. Some of the parts he took off and brought to his shop, Land Automotive in Edinburg, where he restored them. Pretty much everyone in Edinburg except Rachel knew what was going on. When Rachel was headed to the shop to see Lance, if someone saw her, they would call ahead and warn Lance that she was on her way. That way he had time to hide the tractor parts.
But one day Rachel walked in unexpectedly and saw freshly painted John Deere parts. "What are those?" she asked. Lance made up a story about fixing them for a local farmer. She bought it. But that was a close call.
Their wedding day was July 16. They held their reception on eight acres they have outside of Edinburg. They rented a tent from Armbrusters and built a big wall of hay. That wall was why Rachel never saw Lance driving her dad's old tractor across the field.
But, my god, when she saw that tractor. There aren't words, really. Everybody knew the story behind it and what it meant to her. They say many of the old farmers who were there that day had to clamp it down pretty hard to keep from breaking down.
I've seen the pictures. There she is in her wedding cowboy hat and boots, sitting up there on that tractor with Lance beside her. Brides smile. But not like this.
The day after the wedding, Rachel used the tractor to help clean up trash left over from the reception.
Now it is fall. The wedding pictures are in albums. The crops are in, and scalped fields are left. Rachel gets up on the tractor and hauls those round hay bales, just like she used to with her dad. I wonder who she thinks of when she's sitting up on that 4020, Lance or her dad? Both of them, probably. And they are good thoughts.
"I can't believe he did that," Rachel said of her husband. "The people are few and far between who would think getting a tractor as a wedding gift would ever be romantic.
"But I'm one of 'em."
Dave Bakke can be reached at 788-1541 or dave.bakke@sj-r.com.
GO WHITE SOX!!!!
http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
lamarguerite farm
True Blue Farmgirl
649 Posts
missy
Battle Ground
Wa
USA
649 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2005 : 09:20:23 AM
|
Oh, my word!! I'm sitting here with tears running down my face. What a wonderful story! I think that many of us can relate to having a particular thing or place that brings about memories and nostalgic feelings about a close family member or friend. I do know that my infatuation with clocks is due to the antique regulator clock that my grandparents are still using to this day. My grandfather got it out of an old school house when they were first married and its the kind you have to wind with the little key. When we would spend a weekend with them or time during the summer, I remember laying in bed and listening to the deep "tick-tock". It was so soothing. It is my dream some day to have one just like it.
Blessings,
Missy
If you have a dream, even if you don't feel qualified to accomplish it, just try your hardest.-Maggie Jensen |
|
|
|
westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - Oct 21 2005 : 10:56:24 AM
|
I loved the John Deere Green song. Such a sentimental thing, and not everyone "got" the meaning behind it, just as I am sure some people would never "get" the real love for a woman and her family, and the respect for tradition of the John Deere wedding present. But for those of us who have farming in our blood, or our hearts, there could be no better gift. What a guy! I will give a toast to him from my John Deere coffee cup.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
|
|
|
jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Oct 22 2005 : 1:36:10 PM
|
| You are a sweetie, Kay! Thank you! |
|
|
|
kydeere40744
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
Jessica
Kentucky
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Oct 31 2005 : 8:12:28 PM
|
This story reminded me of a lot of our old John Deere tractors on our farm. My dad use to collect the old 2-cylinder John Deere's over time as a hobby. My brother restored a 330 and a 430 for FFA back while he was in High School and we still have them. We will have my dad's 1937 John Deere Model A with the old flywheel to get it started. My brother's prom photo, my prom photo, my brother's wedding, and my wedding photo were taken with that old John Deere. Every time I see a photo of it, I think of my dad. I'm fortunate that he is still living and I'm of course daddy's little girl indeed. I just can't imagine what life would be without him. Our family is pretty much big John Deere nuts, with our rooms and college dorms at the time when we were in college in John Deere stuff...to the 50+ pedal tractors...to all kinds of collectibles there in the house. And yep, that's why I'm kydeere/kydeere40744 because I live in KY and love John Deere tractors. :) Our mail box is also a John Deere Tractor that one of our friends made and I painted back about 15 years ago.
Thanks for sharing that article. It was definitely worthwhile reading!
Jessica~Miss Wilma's Niece
|
|
|
|
jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 11:18:23 AM
|
| I thought I would share this little funny about the central Illinois area which includes Edinburgh, Springfield and Riverton. When young and cruel(as kids can be sometimes) we would say "that person is so huge they have to buy their clothes at Armbruster's. Armbruster's was the only tentmaker around! When I saw that name in the story, it brought back memories! I know, I know, not politically correct, huh? |
|
|
|
MNFarmGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
52 Posts
USA
52 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2005 : 11:41:54 AM
|
| What a wonderful story. I just recently found out that my grandfather invented a bailer that was bought by John Deere. I don't think that he got much money for it, but he had an agreement that he could have any of their bailers for the rest of his life. My dad never knew why there were always lots of bailers around until we found the story online. My grandfather had a previous wife before he married my grandmother and he died young, so that is why I know little about him. I just found out that he had 22 kids! I have 21 aunts and uncles, crazy. Aubrey |
|
|
|
therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
|
| |
Across the Fence: A Wedding Tractor Story |
|
A Wedding Tractor Story
