Cultivating

Since we did not possess a tractor, the O’Shea family relied on horses for cultivating, although quite often Dad would hire a tractor for plowing. Alf Weatherbie from the Klondike was the first tractor owner I remember working at our place. Alf was humorous and friendly, always a real hit as was his Massey tractor. How I admired that machine with its bright red color, pony wheels in front, powerful motor sound and overall maneu- verability. Joe Weatherbie from Ocean View also did plowing for us different years during the war. . His smaller Ford tractor was never very appealing, although his work was fine. We always got a bang out of Joe with his generally serious manner but humorous sayings, mixed with a delightful Scottish accent. Joe always said grace before meals and that for us was quite a novelty since we didn’t pray at mealtime. In this way he taught us all an unforgettable lesson about acknowledging the provi- dence of God. Around war’s end Art Connolly purchased a Massey tractor that looked just like Alf Weatherbie’s and he did considerable work at our place. On a few occasions I even got to drive this favorite machine for several rounds and this really put me on top of the world.

We never had more than two horses at one time and these faithful animals performed yeoman service with little fanfare. Prince and Bess formed the first team of my memory. Prince was a big, slow, good-natured horse who would work anywhere at his own pace. He must have been a great age since he was well known around the community. Sometimes in winter we