Irrigation Ditches by: Charlie Wardle

The Irrigation Ditches by: Charlie Wardle
Our farm had a lot of dirt irrigation ditches that were always caving in.  My dad eventually had concrete ditches put in.
The next two stories are about events that happened around the ditches.  They are told by my mother.
One day, my dad had the whole family out irrigating when one of the big ditches caved in.  To stop the water from escaping, he grabbed some of the kids and stuck them in the ditch where the ditch had caved in.  He then put dirt around the kids to stop the water from leaking out.  The kids had to stay there and form a men-made dam until Dad was done irrigating.

[This story is known as the day Connie saved Weldon’s life.]
The next story happened when we had our concrete ditches. 
One day, Weldon and Connie were pulling some weeds out of the culvert.  (A culvert is a place where the water goes underground.)  As Weldon was reaching for a weed, he fell into the water and started going underground.  Connie grabbed him by his foot and held on with all the strength she had.  Connie yelled for Dad to come help.  She was able to hold on until Dad got there to pull Weldon out.