As a traveling farm tractor mechanic in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, Hunt Country and the nearby counties of West Virginia, I'm often at the right place and time when great deals involving old machinery come about. I often snap these up with some great ideas in mind, but then never get around to implementing them. If you tinker with old machinery, I need not explain it further.

Well, the fencerow is full. Moreover, I'm finding it necessary to deliver ever more elaborate overtures in order to persuade my wife to relinquish yet another small piece of our modest riverside acreage to my growing old truck and tractor museum. I began to pile some newly acquired tractor parts on our 1955 First Series (erroneously titled as a 1954) Chevrolet flatbed truck.

Until recently, the Chevrolet served as a standby service truck for the tractor repair business, but was mothballed when we put the 1970 F-250 into action along with the familiar 1968 F-350 Old Black Truck.

One day, daughter Emily, age 21, announced that she was going to set up at a small local flea market the following day with suplus clothes and other items that she hoped to liquidate. When doing this, our family usually sells from the back of an antique truck in order to attract attention. Often, we park an old tractor at our site as well.

Emily (or Em) requested that I bring the Chevrolet to the flea market for this purpose. There was one problem: the bed of the truck was partially laden with rusty/red Farmall tractor parts and other old iron treasures.

In a moment of brilliance born of laziness I decided that rather than unloading the parts, I would price them and let Em sell them on commission.

Sales weren't dramatic that day, but she likely made more on commission than on clothes and other items. With some advertising before the sale, she should do a lot better.

So that's the way Farmall Em's will operate--Emily will be selling old tractor and truck parts at flea markets, parking lots and along the roadside. Times and places will be announced in the Valley Trader Farm Center section and in the Hampshire Review. The ads will begin with "Farmall Em's . . . " so that they will be easy to spot in newspaper print.

Times and places will also appear on oldblacktruck.com, so keep checking. We'll also try to give you some idea as to make and model of the parts that will be on the truck on that sale day. Cool weather is coming, a good time to be out and around. Look for the old green Chevrolet and "Farmall" Em.