Sunday, August 22, 2010

Sunday Stills "Metal"

Every ranch and farm seems to have at least one junk pile on the place. The metal found there shows the progession of the years thru the old equipment discarded due to wear or being replaced with something newer.
Often times, this old metal is lined up neatly other times it is strewn haphazardly about.
The piles of junk may have old wagons, hay rakes, plows, harrows and more that were
pulled by horses. Some of the "old iron" stacked there saw service right along side the teams of horses such as tractors that were working their way into the progress of agriculture. Sometimes there are old cast iron stoves, piles of worn horse shoes, bits of unidentifiable metal whose purpose is lost.
Some of the best places to find good "stuff" are these places of junk. I have found a peweter teapot, old tractor seats, cream cans, bent branding irons and many more treasures. Some of them are scattered thru my house and some have places of honor in my yard. I look at them as pieces of the history of my family and that of my husband as they farmed and ranched.
Several years ago, when scap metal prices were high, I finally persuaded my
husband to get ride of some of our excess old iron. We had a piece of land  he had bought years ago where  the former owners had left all kinds of junk on it which had 
laid there for years. By the time he was done,we had hauled twentyseven old cars and
trucks from that place and six or seven from the homeplace. The biggest share of them
the junk metal guy hauled away with his semi saving us the time and fuel it would have taken to haul them the 90 miles. We also got rid of lots of other old iron and we did
it at a good time. When we were finished with our clean up, with $7,000 in our pocket, we bought a crowding tub and alley to work cattle. We had been looking at it and wishing we could afford it. That old iron and metal which we "recylcled" enabled us
to buy it.

This old threshing machine along with all of the other old metal may outlast 
the new, high dollar equipment used on the farm and ranch. The history they
represent is recalled just by their prescence as they sit thru the years and the
wind blows around them.                                                                            

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice photos for this weeks sunday stills task

Anonymous said...

Nice job. Lots of junk metal here. Love the old truck. :)

Linda said...

Yek, just like the one "out west" in the pasture here.

Rambling said...

Reminds me of my grandparents' farm, they even had an old WWII plane in their "junk metal pile" - I have no idea how it got there. I've enjoyed "digging for treasure" too.

WildBlack said...

Junk piles the best place to find enough metals! :D Cool shots!

Sarah said...

very cool! I love the treasures you can find in those old piles! And there is one on just about every farm. I also love exploring all the old abandoned homestead houses and buildings.

EG CameraGirl said...

I love success stories and ridding yourself of old metal and then making enough money to purchase something you wanted is a fabulous success!

Farms here in Ontario also tend to be piled high with old machinery.

Oregon Equestrian said...

The truck is my favorite.

Sharmin said...

I love your photos! I've been in an artistic slump and I want to draw the truck...so I'm borrowing it for a little while. I hope that's okay? I'll let you know if I get it done and might even send you one.

CTG Ponies said...

Excellent history! I love the stories that machinery piles tell.

gtyyup said...

Your pickup shot is very cool! Great shots for the challenge...not too bad on the recycle either!!

Shirley said...

Good choice for the challenge. I love that you took old iron no longer usable and got some modern iron that will see lots of use!