For the love of nature

Farmers love nature or the great outdoors playing in the dirt (soil, c’mon people) and having the time of their lives. You would naturally think that they love the weather too. Although that relationship would better be described under the heading of ‘love/hate.’ Everyone loves the good weather i.e. sunshine and timely rains but the downside is that doesn’t always happen according to one’s excel spreadsheet of timed events.

I roll in to the prairies of my childhood home ready to get down and dirty, maybe a little greasy too and get this planting year started. Well, in the last leg of my scenic yet repetitive drive (miles of road, wahoo) I encounter a little rain shower. Little turned into steady and fell like a lead balloon into the sobbing of the heavens of a downpour. Don’t forget the side of grumbling thunder and glimpses of lightning. 

Ugh. Uff da. Sigh. Then I happen to notice that the temperature is steadily dropping. My thoughts became a mantra of ‘stay above freezing.’ Driving on sodden interstate that would quickly turn to icy slush was not exactly my idea of a nice drive. The pup and I arrived before that slush fest could officially start but we did get soaked in the gear unload. Yep, wet dog smell. Love. It.

Well, this much rain (1.3inches) means a coffee run in the a.m. is most assuredly on the docket for the morning agenda. Scoots being a twitchy pup, or that’s his excuse according to him, was up bright and early and demanding the opportunity to commune with nature. Imagine my surprise when I open the door and see SNOW on the ground. On the first day of May. Huh. Guess planting is on hold for a while.

A couple days later the sun came out, spring resumed and the soil very slowly (like watching paint dry that kind of painfully slow) dried out. It’s still drying out. Now we have the dilemma of the co-op being behind in their applications of fertilizer or burn down sprays.  What do you do when it appears nature is conspiring against you? Well, you tinker and change that oil you could never quite decide if it was a change now or later kind of thing. Later being ‘time to plant, let’s roll’ and now ‘it rained might as well.’ Then you get bored so you check your battery/power assembly cables and decide, sure why not? It will be fun they said. The fun really kicks in when you realize that the long tail end of the cable attaches to the alternator and the whole kit runs through loops on the inside of the main frame of the tractor. Yes, fun will be had. Do a quick survey of your hired help and determine in two seconds flat who has the smallest hands to get in the tight places. Huh, there’s me and you. You. And me. Since the options appear to be somewhat limited I drew that short stick. Can we say I was ‘dirty’ was an understatement?

 

In the end I got the fun and oddly satisfying job of greasing the trac, the payloader and planter. Nothing says ready to roll than that final greasing and knowing the equipment is taken care of. We have the time, might as well take complete advantage of it and be detailed in the minor repairs.

Happy planting 2017!