4/20/2009:
William Adam Merkel , Jr. "Flying Dog"
Interviewed: Eureka, SD, 17 May 2008
Born: McPherson County, SD, 11 October 1925
The thing that I remember a lot about is cleaning the barn, an old horse barn and cows. Horses were in the barn, cows were in the barn, as soon as it got a little cold they were put in the barn. That was the older barn; we have a newer barn out there now. During the winter months, every 3 days we had to haul hay. There was a hay stack was put up on the North side of the farm. We had to haul it on the wagon, the hay wagon and Dad had made, that was before my day, Dad made a big door on the West side of that old barn and we could only roll up 2-3 loads at a time. The one time, I can remember, I always unhitched the horses and went to the other side. The hay slinger was 4 ropes with cross ropes on them and 2 ropes that came out of the barn and hooked onto the other side of the hay sling. Steel cable came across the top and hooked it on the front end of the hay rack and they rolled the hay up. I usually unhooked the horses and brought them around to the other side and those horses already knew that they were going to be pulling and one time, I took off with them and looked around and here the dog was going about 15 feet up in the air (laughter). He was standing across the table and had it quickly tightened up and just threw the dog in the air. I still remember that very vividly. Then we took them off and pulled rope cable out back again and took the sling and filled it up again and did that about every 3 days. One time I remember, my 2 older brothers were in the service then and it was just too cold to haul hay into the hay barn. So we just got one load and took it on the other side of the barn and there was just a small door, Dad forked it in and I had to fork it away just for a few days anyways.