9/12/11

Farm Hand


Last week was the first official week of "School" for our household but my best intentions for setting some sort of routine/ schedule and dusting the cobwebs off of little brains was interrupted by recruitment.  

I was drafted onto the harvest crew part way through the week.   My work load consisted of 4 , 10 (ish) hour days sitting on my rear end, in total isolation, listening to hours and hours of podcasts of all my favorite speakers and music.  It was rough.  Not a child to be seen.  No laundry to put away.  No screeching toddler...just the comforting rubble of the combine.   


10 hour days are nothing during harvest.  The rest of the crew worked about 100 hours in 6 days.  I begrudgingly clocked out early to relieve the grandma babysitter and go home to put kids to bed. 


The She-rah in the picture above is my little brother's wife who came out to join the crew.  She has definitely earned the new title of farm girl. 


Other than my sister in law our little crew consists of my Dad (the boss man with the wrench) and my handsome Hubster. 


That smile and point translates to "Your combine is ready, put away the camera and get to work!" 





This week I'm back to family life as usual.  The school books have been dusted off, the library has been visited, and a weeks worth of laundry beckons. I've resumed peeing indoors.  

The rest of the crew continues to work long days in the fields.   
 Last week we had perfect, hot, dry, sweaty, dusty, harvest weather.  As of last night, cool, damp, autumn air has moved in and  serves as a reminder that winter looms right around the corner.  *shudder*



My mom, while also caring for my four kids,  fed our crew a hot meal in the field each day.  A harvest tradition that my kids look forward to each year.   We snuggled up to the semi truck to find shade while we ate.   It was a crazy hot day.


Our newest little farm girl.  Miss Cece thought eating in the dirt and watching the big trucks and tractors was great fun.


A few more years and we'll have another field hand.  He rode along with me for a few hours and was eager to learn to run a combine.   I really love that our kids are able to spend time working with their dad during the day.  They look forward to that one on one time with him.  I'm thankful that we're not split up into different locations, living completely separate lives only to converge momentarily at the end of each day.  We do life together.
Even if that life looks a little odd at times :)


2 comments:

oxanamysova said...

what a nice post! your family is great :)

Marcy Payne said...

I love farm life when I get to experience it. I am going to miss it when my FIL is really done. He has gradually been easing out of farming, but this year I really realized that the days are numbered when we get to do things like what you do every day of every harvest. It's not all fun, I know, but those moments will forever be etched in the memories of your children. I think farm moments are the most enjoyed memories my kids have. Kudos to you farm girls. I never got to drive big machines as they don't let the women on in my husband's family...at least not me and my MIL. LOL! I got a ride in them a couple of times, but the womens' work is in the home...of course. Snicker.