I grew up on a cotton farm in North Alabama during the forties and fifties. One day as I was playing in the yard, my father came home and went into the house to talk with my mother. In a little while she came out and called me to come into the house that they wanted to talk to me. I thought I was in trouble. When I went into the house, my parents asked me if I wanted a baby brother or a bicycle. Since I already had six older brothers and three older sisters, I quickly replied that I wanted a bicycle. My mother was happy with that decision. My father then went out to the truck and brought in the prettiest Red Dixie Flyer bicycle that I had ever seen. I really liked that bicycle and spent most everyday riding that bike. One day I my father came by on his 1936 A John Deere with a number 5 mower attached to it near where I was riding my bike.. He was going to cut the 6 acres of alfalfa in front of the house. He stopped the tractor and got off to adjust the clutch. He went to the flywheel side and started the tractor. He then walked back to the clutch side and snapped the clutch in. The tractor was in gear and the rear wheel ran over him and with only a foot of clearance between the frame of the mower and the ground, he was dragged about forty feet before the mower got over him. The tractor went through the alfalfa field, the peach orchard, and into the driveway and was headed back to where my father was. When it got to the garage where the pickup truck was parked, it made a 90 degree turn into the garage and into the side of the truck where it stalled. My father stood up but quickly sat down. I yelled for my Mother. When she saw what had happened to my Dad, she told me to go for help. She didn’t drive and we had no phone. My sister and brother- in-law ran a country store about a mile or so away. I jumped on my Dixie flyer bike and pedaled as fast as I could to the store. When I got there, I was so out of breath that it took my sister a while to figure out what was wrong.. My father had several broken ribs and was in the hospital several days. He did get back to walking, but he was never really well after that ordeal.. My Father died four years later of colon cancer. I will always remember my Dixie Flyer bike and the ride I made to get help for my dad. John Sandy, Al, entered 2012-02-07
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