Auctions in farm country

Well yesterday my husband and I went to a country auction.  In the last year a small store sprung up on the highway near us.  Incidently it is old Route 66 which goes by another name now.  The store is owned and run by a Mennonite Family.  They are the nicest folks.  I will go on about that later.  They also hold auctions about every 2 months.  Most of the time the auctions are held in the 20 acres behind their store but yesterday the auction was held at a local farm with plenty of shade trees, thank heavens. 

As you drive down the driveway, a small boy (about 6 yrs old) with long pants, suspenders, white shirt and a staw hat is riding his bike.  He stops, we stop and motion him to continue but he motions to us to continue.  He tips his hat as we pass and continues on his ride.  He is a Mennonite child.  Lots of trucks and card squeezed under any little shade they can find.  In the background you hear that yaba daba yaba daba of the auctioneer - then I realized there were two going at the same time.  

Lots of hats, lots of suspenders, signs on truck like "Yoder Metal Buildings" - definately Mennonite business.  Wives and grandpas sitting around under the shade trees are definately old hands at attending auctions because they brought chairs.  Children running around chasing each other.  A flat bed trailer loaded with all kinds of equipment, an older man standing in the middle of all this stuff holding a microphone.  Another man standing next to him watching the crowd and yelling, "Ya" very loudly once he sees someone making a bid. 

When you are attending these auctions and in the crowd where the bidding is going on, you dare not scratch your nose, raise your hand to slap a mosquito - no matter how much that damn fly is buggin' you.  Otherwise you will place that bid for something you didn't want.

Men with suspenders, staw hats and well trimmed beards, farmers with old calloused hands, worn out overalls, ball caps with some kind of farm logo, all with short haircuts and all walking around looking at items, waiting until they come up for bid. 

We sat down on some old cut logs under a shade tree waiting for the flat bed trailer to come up for bid. Sometimes you can wait all day.  As we were sitting there eating a sandwhich another farm gal sat down on another log.  Another farm lady sat down
on a log nearby.  "Howdy" comments on needing more padding to sit on these logs.  With folks in Missouri, that is all it takes and you had better plan time into your day as folks are friendly and don't need much to launch a long converstation with lots of stories.

So this farm gal begins by saying, "hope we don't get any ticks off these logs, I was in the garden with my son and grandson, pickin' beans and turned over a leaf and a ton of seed ticks jump off and started crawlin' all over me and my grandson."  Seed ticks are little tiny ticks that are hard to see.  They come out in the Spring and summer.  She went onto say, "I couldn't see them even with my glasses 'cause I can't see with these dang glasses anyway, I just wear them hopin' I will see somethin'."  "I started brushin' those dang things off my legs and my grandson was doin' the same but in the wrong direction.  I told him don't wipe those ticks off towards your pant 'cause they will crawl up on your pee pee and then it gets ugly."  She told me she then went and got some alcohol and doused both of them in alcohol and finished the pickin' and then took a shower.  So now I have more information than I wanted from a stranger but Missiouri farm gals consider everyone their friend and are very open.  

We didn't get the flat bed. Oh well. 

That's it for today - I plan to include my journal of the incredible 3 day experience of the building of our huge barn by the Mennonites. 

Today's Old Farm Gal Remedies:
If you have a stomach upset - such on a slice of raw potato.

Thanks for visiting.