Back around 2012, with abundant rains that fell at the right time, I happened to grow an exceptionally fine crop of field corn. As fall came, I began my corn shucking. I was throwing those big pretty yellow ears of corn into a trailer as I worked my way up and down the long corn rows.
I soon had a trailer load, and was not a third finishing the harvest. I realized that I did not need the excess, so I decided to sell some if it.
That evening I telephoned my good friend Mr. Billy Johnson at Mount Airy Roller Mill, where in the past I had been having my corn ground into feed for my cows. I explained my situation and asked him if he would be interested in buying my surplus. He replied, “Bring it on!”
Early the following Saturday morning, with the load of corn in tow, I was on my way to the mill. When I arrived and backed my trailer up to the loading dock, Mr. Johnson came out. After the usual greetings, he began to examine the load of corn and declared it to be nice. We started moving the corn to the grinding wheels, where I would shovel it in. Then I said to him, “Tell you what I will do. I will trade you this load of corn for that old millstone lying over there at the corner of the mill.”
Mr. Johnson looked at me, then the millstone, and back again to the load of corn. “Taylor, they're still making corn. They ain't making millstones anymore!”
I laughed and said, “How true it is!” Needless to say, I didn't get that millstone! But what fond memories!
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