Decades ago my Granddad owned and operated a small ranch near Lodi California. His tractor was a John Deere MT. While preparing ground one spring he stepped off the tractor in the middle of the field to take care of some "personal business."
Returning to the house that evening and emptying his pockets before washing up for supper he discovered to his aggravation that his Elgin pocket watch was missing. He guessed he must have snagged the chain while dismounting from the tractor. Looking out at the freshly turned field he figured the watch was gone for good and put it out of his mind.
Fast forward one year. Same field, same tractor. Something in the stubble reflected the morning sun and caught Granddad's eye. When he walked over to investigate he discovered his watch, tarnished, bruised, and filthy, but intact. After some major surgery from the local jeweler the old Elgin kept time again.
Granddad is gone now, but I still have the MT, the watch, and the story.
Returning to the house that evening and emptying his pockets before washing up for supper he discovered to his aggravation that his Elgin pocket watch was missing. He guessed he must have snagged the chain while dismounting from the tractor. Looking out at the freshly turned field he figured the watch was gone for good and put it out of his mind.
Fast forward one year. Same field, same tractor. Something in the stubble reflected the morning sun and caught Granddad's eye. When he walked over to investigate he discovered his watch, tarnished, bruised, and filthy, but intact. After some major surgery from the local jeweler the old Elgin kept time again.
Granddad is gone now, but I still have the MT, the watch, and the story.
