But my parents didn't seem to doubt my word. I really believe they understood that I could do a thing or two that some of the others could not do—and perhaps were not at all interested in doing.
I believe little things like that were the beginning of a wee bit of an unconscious rift between some of my brothers and me, and at the same time, the making of a stronger bond between my parents and me.
Looking back, I remember many times when Papa and I were doing things together and there was no one else around. I really don't know why I was the only one there a lot of times. Maybe I just wanted to be in good company. I loved and admired Papa and I thought he was the best and nicest man in the world. Or perhaps I was with Papa because of my inquisitive mind concerning mechanical things, like,
"How do you shoe a horse?"
"How do you tighten a loose wagon tire?"
"How do you make a row-binder do what you want it to do when the manufacturer couldn't seem to do it?"
I watched him do all these things and many more. And many of the things he did fascinated me.
The situation was much the same between Mama and me.
"How do you churn milk and make butter?"
"How do you 'take up' the butter after it is churned?"