July is the start of HHH weather, Hazy, Hot and Humid. Dale Enterprise reports that July’s average high is 86 degrees low 64 degrees on average. And the average rainfall is 3.19 inches. The Full moon for July falls on July 21st and is called Buck Moon because of the deer antlers that are growing during this time of year. Others called it the Hay Moon and also Thunder Moon for those summer thunder storms that rumble through.
Recently I spoke to a faithful reader, and he shared with me a weather experience he had some years ago. One winter day he was driving down 259 in close proximity to the Fulks Run Elementary School. It was snowing and suddenly an event he had never seen before happened. To describe it best, on the right side of the road it was snowing, but on the left side of the road it was raining. Now I can tell you this, on the section of road from the school to the Walnut trees I also experienced unusual weather. You could be coming from Broadway, and it would be pouring down rain, then suddenly in that area of the highway it would stop raining as if you cut off the spicket and within a few hundred yards the road would be as dry as powder. I also know that I have seen thunder clouds following the Shoemaker Mountain, and you could not see the mountain for the rain and less than a mile away the sun was shining and dry.
Another comment from a reader was about a past story about big cats that had been seen in the area, this reader and his high schooled age sons were in the Bergton-Criders area and came across a fresh deer carcass that had been covered up almost completely by leaves and dirt. Every indication seemed it had been done by a big cat. Also yet another reader shared with me that a friend of his had spotted what he took to be a big cat in the Massanutten Mountain area. This reader also personally saw a big cat cross the road in front of him in the straight stretch before the old Riverside Church site at the Lairs Run cut off. The cat crossed the road headed for Church Mountain. Now for a footnote the game officials have said that these big cats are not in this area, but I don’t know if they told the big cats that. And we know the government has never covered up the truth about anything.
Last month we talked about summer jobs and the youth of the community working these jobs. This story is about one of those youths. On the last day of school, he had just stepped off the bus for he was too young to have a driver’s license. He’s about 14 years old. He was no more than off the bus when a farmer approached him and said the magic words, “Want to make some money this summer?” Well, what 14 yr. old boy in 1963 didn’t want to make some money!
“I’ll pick you up in the morning at your house.”
Next “morning” the young fellow heard a truck pull up to his house. It was “morning”, alright! It was 6:00 AM. The young man went out jumped in the truck and off to work he went, but to his pleasant surprise, the farmer took him to his house where his wife had a delicious breakfast waiting for them. With breakfast over now the real work began, bottle feeding calves, working in the hay field, feeding the livestock grain, herding cattle, keeping cows out the neighbor’s garden, cleaning out chicken houses. etc., finally 5:00 o’clock then 6:00 o’clock then 7:00 o’clock then up till approx. 8:30,and some nights later!
On one occasion after a day in the hayfield when darkness fell, the farmer told the young man, “Well, we need to go over and clean out a chicken house for a man because he has chickens coming back in.” When arriving at the poultry house they cut on the lights and cleaned out the poultry house, yes worked well after dark, with only a stop for lunch. And this went on for a 6-day work week for approximately thirteen hours a day, nearly 78 hours a week. This young man started to realize what a farmer’s workday was really like. At the end of the 6th day finally payday, and he was rewarded richly with a cash payout of $35.00 and two meals a day.
Now in today’s money that would equate to about $360.00 and if you factored in the lack of the tax liability you would have a gross pay of about $480.00 today. Any volunteers out there to work 78 hours for $480.00 which is about $6.15 per hour. Now you need to realize that a 14–15-year-old boy’s body can only take so much, and when carrying two five gallons buckets to bottle feed the calves he twisted his back and pulled a muscle, of course after this he was unable to continue to work for the farmer. I told the young man recently that the Bible says the Lord works in mysterious ways and that is what got him out of that situation. But a little later another man needed help in cleaning out a chicken house and his cousin had the same young fellow help.
After hours of dirt, dust, and other matter, in the days where you used only a metal scoop and muscle, they had the house empty and the large truck full. The farmer approached and asked the two young men how they wanted to be paid, cash or a big ice-cold watermelon. The cousin who had money in his pocket quickly answered an Ice-Cold Watermelon! “Good enough.” the farmer replied. On the way to the store the broke young man was thinking I’d rather have the cash, but it was too late. And yes in 1963 a watermelon sold for about 39 cents. After these experiences it is no wonder that this fellow for his career went into Construction instead of farming. And we still call that era the good old days.
Don’t forget upcoming Fulks Run Ruritan Events:
Independence Day Yard Sale on July 4th
Big Truck Show July 20th at Ruritan Park
Lawn Party July 25th thru 27th
Believe it or not
Until next time
R
