SWANSEA, Mass. — While most people at an older age sometimes spend more time in the house or start to slow down a bit, that couldn't be further from the truth for Marie Erickson.
At the age of 97, if you ask her what she does for fun, she'll tell you it's taking out her tractor.
"I'm on that tractor every day, whether the grass needs cutting or not," she said. "I go around and check and when I see it, I cut it. "
Her home in Massachusetts sits on a big, beautiful piece of land—2.5 acres to be exact.
"It keeps me busy," she said. "I don't like to do housework."
But even before her husband passed away, the 4-foot-8 firecracker always had a love of landscaping.
"I had a push mower, but I was a younger girl. I could push that but now, forget it," Erickson said.
She couldn't forget after seeing it was this power steering, top-of-the-line mower made by John Deere, which she now sits proudly upon.
"I've always owned the John Deere. I like a John Deere," Erickson said.
For her 97th birthday, Erickson decided to treat herself to the tractor.
"I said, 'I think I'm worth it all these years.' And I'm not going to take the money with me,'" she said. "I'm going to spend it."
In May, she took a trip to a dealership in Massachusetts after saving up $5,000.
"And I got the amount and I bought the tractor for cash," she said.
Of course, some salespeople were a little curious as to what a woman her age wanted to do with a John Deere. She explained that though she doesn't drive a car anymore, this was the next best thing.
"I still got all my marbles and it's the money I saved," Erickson said. "I'm going to buy this tractor and I did."
Ever since then, she's been taking out her tractor for a daily dose of relaxation. As she inches closer to 100 years old, Marie said it's been quite the ride and that you're never too old to take out your toys.
Erickson's children help make sure she has her gas cans filled with fuel for rides.
