My what big ears you have Mr. Wolf

Dad taking it out for a spin

You know the feeling of someone staring at you from across the room? Right, well, I’m out cruising at warp speed combining soybeans and singing with the radio when I feel the force shift. Maintaining a straight line, it’s got to look good from the road you know, and looking around for the eyes staring at me is a challenge. For some reason the wheel tends to turn when I’m twisting every which way, color me baffled.

I reach the end of the swath, do a sweet turning spin, and continue back across the field. Then I see the source of the force shift. A big dog was out, keeping pace with me. He appeared to be waiting for me to go by so he could stick his big nose down the big gopher holes and look for a snack on the go. What a nosy neighbor! At first, I thought he was a coyote because I knew there was a den a mile or so away. I rumble closer. Yeah, he was a big, bad wolf!

It's too bad that my camera phone doesn't do justice to this animal. Of course, when he was closer, did I think to grab my phone and take a photo?! Of course not! Grrr, so frustrating.

Clearly it was time to rethink just bailing out of the cab to do a walk around checking over the combine. Pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to run fast enough back and up into the cab. Hmmmm.

As we trolled the field together-ish I did note that he appeared to be well-fed with a plush, thick pelt so at least I know that I wasn’t necessarily on the menu (should we have had an impromptu meet ‘n’ greet). And he (or she) was completely unconcerned to be seen so close to a human. Actually, I was surprised to see Mr. Wolf in that field as it’s so close to neighbors and the farm yard. I suppose that a gopher-on-the-go snack was the lure.

The next day I’m happily sipping my coffee and following the same route. Birds happily flutter overhead, the sun is mega bright, the wind rustles proud bean stalks and no gophers in sight. The gophers were doing a lot of home remodeling, apparently, so I helpfully filled it all back in again. Every swath there was a handful to scrape off and fill in holes.

Filling in gopher holes and apparently we grow these too

I trolley back over a hill and there’s Mr. Wolf with big, furry ears pricked forward watching me, hoping that all the rumbling will wake some gophers up. Maybe the smell of coffee would wake them up? Well, not my coffee. I need that.

As I walk to my truck at the end of the day and with one last sleepy wink from the sun, I hear the wolves’ howling laughter riding the breeze.

May your week be dry, toasty warm in the cab and harvest be on point.

P.S. So thankful to be done with all the gates. Open the gate, close the gate. Rinse and repeat.

P.P.S. So pheasant hunting is in full swing and I haven't seen many birds at all. Unusual. Then yesterday morning going to church I see 10 pheasants having their morning meeting in the cemetery. I guess it was a managment meeting on how to avoid hunters. I've never seen so many ring necks in place before. It turns out they're camera shy or they don't want social media to tag their location.