One morning Dad decided to demolish the old root cellar. A root cellar is an outside structure used to store your perishables for the winter such as potatoes, carrots and canning. It can be a wooden structure covered with dirt or just a dug out in the side of the hill. It must be deep enough to prevent freezing. Ours had served it's purpose and so Dad decided it's days were over. We had created a cold room in the house to keep the canning and were storing the veggies up at Grandma's.
The machine Dad was going to use to do the job was a D4 Caterpillar Bulldozer. Somewhat similar to the picture above. Mom went out before he got started and moved our car down the driveway about 100 feet, to make sure it was out of the way and safe. I was in the living room and could see the machine moving around the drive in front of the house through the large living room window.
At one point I notice Dad backing up the Cat... and backing up... and not changing direction. It's like he wants to take a long run at this mound of dirt and wood... Then I suddenly realize the car is behind him... I run to the door just in time to see....
Now from his point of view, he was busy looking forward as he was backing up, contemplating how he was going to attack the project. As he was backing up he felt a tug on the right track of the Cat. It catches enough to get his full attention and as he looks back to see what's going on...
The track of the bulldozer has caught the bumper of our Oldsmobile and was slowly pushing it to the ground. He hit the brakes, or as much as one can with a slow moving bulldozer, switched directions and moved forward. Time to inspect the damage... Fortunately there was only a small piece of the plastic above the bumper missing, about the size of a baby potatoe. A huge disaster just barely avoided.
The interesting thing about this car and it's small missing plastic section... A few years later after we had sold the vehicle... a friend of mine's dad bought her a Grey Oldsmobile for her to drive... The first time I sat in it I told her this car seemed very familiar... I got out and checked the driver's side back bumper... and sure enough there was the same crack and missing piece of plastic... She had our old car that nearly became a pancake. What a small world it can be.
