Fun in the sun… and planting

You thought that would lead to me saying ‘fun in the sun at the beach,’ didn’t you? Maybe not. You’re a smart cookie, you know the positive end from the negative on a battery and that I usually talk about farming. Good on you.  Of course, whenever someone talks about fun in the sun they usually don’t mention a word about sunscreen. Or about ear protection. No, I don’t have a loose connection. Me, being of the fair-skinned, blonde Scandinavian garden variety, consider sunscreen to be an essential component of my PPE (personal protection equipment). The other part would be that ear protection (hereby shortened to ‘ear pro’). 

When I first really got into farming and working with dad, I went out to my local hardware store and bought some ear pro. Those big yellow ear muffs that cover the whole ear were my golden ticket to my hearing self-preservation. Additionally, I bought two. A spare you would think. Nah. One for my dad in hopes that one day I won’t have to talk in a deep bass for him to hear me (if that was genetically possible).  So I’ve got him ‘trained’ to reach for a pair the majority of the time. Hey, 65% of the time is still majority. I asked him the other day how he liked the ear pro. His response, ‘what?’ I put on my PR voice and project, this time I get a legit answer ‘oh yeah, really keeps the buzzing in my head down.’ Sometimes I wonder if that’s the sound of the hamsters on the mental wheel working too hard and burning out. Maybe that one day is 12 years away and not the 20 years I was hoping. 

Lucky duck that I am, I had quality time with the great outdoors and the sun. Hence, sunscreen was right up there with putting boots on in the morning. Even better, it REALLY makes the dirt and grime stick. All but one day day I wore sunscreen. That exception was on a nice, cloudy morning and I volunteered to clean out the seed boxes and bulk tanks for the transition to soy beans. Shirt sleeves rolled, the dust is flying and then bam! the sun is out. The wind hides over the hill and my own personal sauna starts warming up. By this time, I’m immersed in the cleaning and I can see the end; only 12 more boxes to go. Then I can reward my hard work with a big bottle of water. And perhaps an apple. So you can imagine what direct, strong sunlight plus no sunscreen plus fair skin results in. A totally awesome sunburn and fantastic glove tan line on my wrists. That glove tan line is worse than ugly tan lines on your feet, for those that don’t wear  boots 24/7, because a handshake is not done with a foot. 

Gear number... warp speed

XO/tech on deck (me) with farmer Dad

On to actual planting and the proof that’s in the pudding. Corn was planted and soy beans have been dropped gently into fluffy (let’s be honest, loamy doesn’t roll off the tongue with as much flair) soil with ideal moisture conditions. Since corn prices have been doing SO well, a couple hundred acres was tossed to the wolves, er, corn in the name of rotation.  The rest was put to soy beans. I find myself being more specific in what kind of bean now that I also farm with my motivated hubby up in Canuckland and there we do soy and edible beans. 

Looking back on where I’ve been and done in the past week… and a half, I wonder how I’m not more tired out. I’ll be honest, this week has been so fun and exciting that I thought it was okay to be a couple days late in my weekly post. And I may have been trying to catch a few extra winks, burning the candle at both ends does eventually flame out. 

Planter inspection passed

Serious about corn

My farm pup Scooter was my personal overseer and inspecting everything. It’s a tough job, staying on top of work quality, keeping track of everyone, chasing the birds and stealing the shotgun seat. It would be an understatement to say he was unhappy about being left behind in the house when multiple equipment were being moved or liquid fertilizer was being loaded. Safety is always priority on the farm, here or Canuckland, and not only for people but my furry friends. I tease the hubby once in a while about how taking Scooter along in a tractor cab is like training for a baby. You have to remember the food, water, appropriate bowls, treats, etc. The lunch bag grows to diaper bag-like proportions, three-quarters of which are just for the dog. Better ration your people food till catering comes with the evening meal or it’s quitting time.

Handsome hubby disced a garden for me! 25x35' uff da

Time to revamp with a Pintrest-inspired flower bed. Out with the old and in with the new

It's full load. Imagine unloading it... by hand

I’ll give a short nod to the fun that I had picking up sticks, small logs and branches out of fields where some trees were told to mind the line, or ripped out. *Nod*

The remaining short stories shall be told in pictorial form, enjoy (above). Mostly because I'm misspelling more words than I actually get typed right now.

Perhaps coffee?