A text message I need to share

 

My similar story is my son calling me on his way home from work one day.  He was working at a golf course.  "Dad, I just wanted to thank you for raising me to be the man that I am!"  Long story, but he ran a chainsaw cutting up a tree that had fallen across the fairway faster than any of them had ever seen keeping 3 city boys humping it to carry the pieces away, then told the supervisor how to use leverage to roll the stump up out of the ground rather than trying to pick it up with the dinky little loader.  Then when the front wheels were stuck down in the stump hole, the supervisor left to go get shovels for all the kids to start digging.  Son says, may I?  Got on the tractor, used the loader to lift the front wheels out of the hole and backed out.  Supervisor came back with the shovels and asked how they got it out so quick.  The one kid says pointing to my son, "Because he's a genius!"

 

Reader's Digest version....anyway, that phone call made my day!

Thanks Scott, I will pass along your advice to him.  He just joined FFA and is excited.  I told his parents that we will have them over when RFD carries the national convention next month.  I usually DVR it then binge watch it.  I hope it is not creepy since I was not a member, but the speakers are very motivating.  I figure if these kids can accomplish as much as they do for their age, I have no excuse at my age. 

If I knew then what I know now about vo-ag, I would not have studied electronics in tech high school and would have done that instead. 

We had what is now called Skills USA but then was known as VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America).  It was similar to FFA but not as large and not nearly as supported by the teachers in my school as it should have been.  I joined in my senior year and competed in my trade because no one else wanted to.  I was woefully under prepared and did very badly. 

Dan thanks for helping us know about your state. An I thought my home town was small at about 7500 when I was in high school. Not so much now at 35000 and still growing.

After reading this thread, I have to put in a comment or two also... We had FFA in our school too, and a pretty decent instructor... who I thought was fairly old at the time, and he is still alive today... Had a good time in it, but I did not buy a jacket cuzz we didn't have the funds for 'extra's' like that. was lucky to just get the HS ring.  School quit the FFA program about 30 years ago... and quit drafting, shop, wood working, auto, and welding.

 It really shows up too when you watch the kids today that aren't able to figure/do things Sad day in the teaching dept.

  Now, just last Saturday I was at one those day long auctions with two rings running and part way through the day a young shaver came up to me and asked who I was. Then he started talking about how I had showed him the old tractors and crawlers and other machinery back about 10 years ago... when he was about 12 years old. Yea, I remembered a Levi, a very inquisitive kid, and his father after about half an hour started saying that they better leave because they had interupted me from what I was doing.  I probably would have agreed with him that I had to get on with what I was doing but took the time to show the young man around, couple hours worth and started different ones up for him... fast forward to Saturday, he was telling me some of what he had done so far. He had bought a B allis and fixed it up, then bought a JD and played with that and got it running, got his dad to take him to shows, and bought a few more tractors along the way and somehow he got to know people up in Lake Itaska Power show and bought a D8 Cat that resides there from an old fellow.  I said, If I had caused him to buy old iron like that, I was sorry, that Old Iron disease is hard to get rid of and costs money when you have it. He said don't be, he enjoys it.   ... Told him I had a correspondence with a Bob Bilden that owned the General Store at the show and sadly, levi said he had passed away about 5 years ago. No wonder our writings had stopped. Always wanted to get up there and meet the Bob, guess that won't be happening.

  But anyways, I told Levi that he could stop out anytime when he has some time... You know spare time between his job as machinist, working on equipment, and looking at girls....LOL

mmm maybe I will see him in about 13 years when he has a son...and wants to show him some...ahh mmm, he probably will take him to shows where the old iron are all looking good and running.  

Definitely a heartwarming feeling.