It's All About Making Choices..........

My Farmer has started plowing our fields and as he does every year, he asks me, "Are you going to plow for me?".  And as always my answer is "No".  (Well, actually in my head it's "Hell NO!")  It's not that I couldn't do it (after all I am a women, therefore I can) (tehe), it's just that I choose not to.   This is one piece of farm machinery that I have refused to learn how to use.  I have learned to combine the oats, swath and bale hay, disk, cultivate, or rip the fields, but I do not plow.  My Farmer informs me that it is one of the simpler implements to operate, but I do not care.  I have watched (and rode) with him as he plows and it is pretty simple.  The plow goes in the ground on one end of the field and when you get to the other end, you lift it up out of the ground, turn around and repeat.

But it's the turning around on the ends that I have an issue with.  When My Farmer turns around on the ends of the field with the plow, he makes a figure 8 using the tractors speed to get the momentum to flip the plow over.  When I turn around on the end of a field, I prefer to slow down and gently turn around.  It's just to darn scary to me to go fast and I choose not to be scared.  I have learned that life is all about choices.  I choose not to be scared and I choose not to plow.  The other reason that I do not plow, is also the reason I do not plant.  I can not drive a straight row.  I know, those people reading this that have plowed say that it's easy to go straight plowing, cuz one tire is in the furrow or something like that.  But, believe me, I would make it crooked.  There would be parts gone over twice, which is a waste of fuel, and other parts not touched at all.  Not good I'm sure.  And I have heard My Farmer complain about unplowed parts (when someone else plowed, not me).  I find it ironic that no matter what he is doing in the field, he knows where the spot is that did not get plowed.  It's like he is actually a part of the field.  It's weird.  And finally, maybe the biggest reason that I have refused to plow, is that the tractor we hook the plow on to is an open cab tractor.  Meaning no windows or doors (or radio).  And it is usually a little chilly this time of year, to say the least.  SO once again I am choosing.  Choosing to stay warm, inside, by the fire. 

One more reason I like my life.  Choices.  And I choose livin' the life, the farm life that is......

Burning of the Mortgage

This year marks the end of a long journey for my in-laws.  They paid off their mortgage on the farm!  This is something they really never thought would happen in their life time.  Hoped, but reality said it probably wouldn't happen.  They went through the era when so many farms were going broke and farmers were losing their land.  The FHA did write off a lot of farmers debt, but my in-laws debt was not one.  But they had the will power (or stubbornness not sure which....hehe) to fight and work hard to not lose their land.  So for the note to actually get paid off, is a wonderful feeling for them (for me and My Farmer too, since we are also involved and helped make the payment!).  And they always said "If we ever get this paid off, we are going to burn the mortgage and have a party!"  So that's what we did.  We had a mortgage burning party!  We held the "burning party" on one night of our family reunion.   A lot of sweat, blood, and tears (along with a lot of swear words, yelling, feet stomping, and ass chewings) went into this farm.  And not just my in-laws.  Over the years family and friends were always around (still are for that matter) to help out when needed.  Their unselfish (and sometimes free) labor is one reason this farm is still operating.   So it was very fitting to "burn the mortgage" and be surrounded by so many of these people.  Their long time best friends and old business partner, nephews and grand-kids that spent their summers here working, the family members who spent their weekends helping with harvests and brandings, to the kids and grand-kids raised here that had to work, all gathered around to watch.  Here is my mother-in-law ready to "toss" the "mortgage" into the fire....

We didn't burn the actual mortgage paper, we just made a pretend mortgage (a piece of paper that said MORTGAGE, PAID IN FULL).  (My mother-in-law decided that she wanted to keep the original one that is stamped "PAID".  She probably won't frame it though.)  Then the best part of the evening started: Everyone shared their stories of their adventures on the farm.  So AWESOME!!  I believe that is the best part of being involved on the farm, the adventures and memories that are made.  I would love it if you would leave a comment and share a memory of your farm life, whether it's from growing up on a farm or ranch, or working and helping out, I would love to hear about it.  Cuz nothings better than Livin' the life, the Farm life that is..................

Helping out the local hunters......

My job today was swathing hay.  I really enjoy this job, mostly because the unit has a cab, (unlike my tractor when I turn hay), it has air conditioning (that actually works), AND it has a radio (that actually picks up a station),  totally a plus.  So I just sat there all afternoon, going back and forth, rockin' out to the radio, enjoying the beautiful scenery in my comfy cab, cutting hay.   Besides making hay,  I decided today that I was also the animal food bank.  Explanation:  There are mice that live in the field.  With the hay so tall, the mice can easily run around,  hiding from their predators making the hunting a little more challenging.   Once the hay is cut into windrows, the mice have less area to hide.  This makes it a little more "easy pickings" for the "hunting".  There is always a hawk or two flying around ready to dive after that mouse that is scurrying around trying to find a new hiding spot after I swathed over him.  Then there's the fox that is sneaking around looking for his next meal.  And today I had a coyote following me.   I never seen him actually catching anything,  but he was definitely checking things out.  And he was totally not afraid of me.  Usually the foxes will hang around until you come close and then they will leave.  But this coyote was there the whole time I was cutting.  I would get close to him, then he would put a little more distance between us, (actually enough so I couldn't get a good picture) (which really is difficult to do when you are trying to drive straight) and then he would move back to where I just swathed.  It really was kind of odd but very entertaining to watch him.  If you look real hard, you can see him in the picture. 

And he didn't distract me too much.  My swathes weren't too crooked..........