Anyway, daily life on the farms here are a never-ending source of educational entertainment for a displaced NW girl. And of photo ops, naturally. Large or small, farms demand a huge commitment of time. And it's almost always a family operation, all hands on deck (excuse me for mixing my metaphors...).
Haying time is a scramble: of watching the morning sky (most farmers aren't real believers in the TV weatherman - they find the Old Farmer's Almanac more accurate, give or take a few clouds), of equipment breaking down right in the middle of a bale, of calling the neighbor kid to come help buck hay into the barn because a rain storm is bearing down out of the west, of hot humid days, towering clouds and work-by-headlight nights - to get that precious crop safely undercover.
Neighbor Jolene, as with every farmer's wife I've met so far, pitches in with the task on hand. You can tell about how long a couple has been married, by who drives the tractor.
A guy has to really trust his woman when she's behind the trailer load of hay, using the tractor to push the load into the barn. And that guy is at the other end of the load...on foot...virtually invisible....
Tom has the trailer tongue under control, he steers while the tractor lady pushes. Notice the black dog? That's Brutus. He's the third important hand in this operation. You'll see why in a moment...
Also notice - the people at either end of the trailer load of hay can not see each other. Trust, people...trust. It's essential for life long happiness.
If you think this procedure is done in silent cooperation - you are correct. They have been doing this for many years; this farm team is like a well-oiled watch, each tick is important and doesn't miss a beat. Besides, it doesn't do any good to holler at the (invisible) person at the other end, can't hear a thing over that tractor noise.Here's one of the critical parts - clearing the barn doors. It looks...it looks...
OK! Now observe, the open door on the tractor...this is important.
Because there is another hay-laden trailer already parked in there. And that tractor is a noisy old thing. Slowly....slowly....REALLY slowly now....
and here's where Brutus earns his kibble n' bits: on command from Tom to "BARK!!", Brutus sounds off, a real roof raiser of a bark, which Jolene can hear over the tractor engine, and she STOPS PUSHING! Whew.
One of these days, I'm going to do a whole post just on Brutus. He's a remarkable dog.
OK! Now observe, the open door on the tractor...this is important.
Because there is another hay-laden trailer already parked in there. And that tractor is a noisy old thing. Slowly....slowly....REALLY slowly now....
and here's where Brutus earns his kibble n' bits: on command from Tom to "BARK!!", Brutus sounds off, a real roof raiser of a bark, which Jolene can hear over the tractor engine, and she STOPS PUSHING! Whew.
One of these days, I'm going to do a whole post just on Brutus. He's a remarkable dog.Right now I'm going to take a nap...I'm all worn out, reliving the tension and anticipation of getting that load of hay in the barn.
1 comment:
Nothing like trust, a well-oiled marriage (what does oil stand for anyway?) and a well trained farm dog. I kind of think well-oiled is like whipping cream. It isn't any good unless you spin it a lot with a whisk. I can't use the term beater here as it wouldn't be true.
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