Holiday Traditions 12.11.23

This ornament is cool for 2 reasons. Number one – the model year for this Ford truck replica is indicated on the front of the truck – 1956. That’s the year I was born. 🙂

The other cool thing about this ornament is that it reminds me of our time in Pennsylvania owning a 13-acre Christmas Tree farm. We operated a “cut your own” tree farm during the holiday season and loaded many a tree in people’s vehicles. We were also known for owning and running “old” trucks and farm equipment. (And we still do have an old truck by most people’s standards!) When I met my husband, his two forms of transportation were a 1960 Dodge 1-ton stake bed truck and a 1974 Honda 550 motorcycle. That’s it. (I’m not counting his tree-trimming work truck – which was also an “early model” GMC truck) My first ride in the 1960 Dodge truck was on our first date!

That old Dodge was fun to drive – with it’s loud motor, old-fashioned stick shift and “squirrelly” steering mechanism. Traveling down the winding, hilly roads of Chester County in that truck could be an extraordinary experience – especially when carrying a load. Back in the day, I was trusted with hauling logs with that truck and, on one particular day, I was tasked with transporting a load of bagged fertilizer for a landscape job we were doing. On that occasion, I was way over-loaded (weight-wise) and it was not until I started towards our farm from the fertilizer store that I realized my mistake. It was a wild and crazy ride once I pulled off the highway and started down the two-lane, narrow Route 926 in Chester County that led towards home. When I finally pulled into our driveway, the relief I felt wash over me was overwhelming. I literally had to pry my fingers from the steering wheel. I never made that mistake again!