Ten Ways You Know It's Summer on A Farm:
10. Every commitment you make is contingent on a) what you are harvesting, b) what part of harvesting you are in (i.e. mowing/cutting, fluffing, raking, bailing/chopping, hauling), and c) the weather forecast.
9. Eating meals in the middle of field, without utensils, with equipment idling is a perfectly acceptable example of quality time. And you cherish every single second of it because the moment are few and far between....until its chow time again!
8. Getting ice isn't questioned. It is law. Someone is in charge of icing all 70 ice chests...no matter which farm they may be left on. And they must be full of water, Gatorade, Mt. Dew, Dr. Pepper, and then that one ice chest for quitting time.
7. Breakdowns will happen. Runs to the parts store are inevitable. Usually lots of them. You will find old sheets and towels in the "good vehicle aka momma's ride" for a random grease covered hitch hiker. Sometimes the breakdown is on another farm, where the tractor was driven (on the highway...slow down folks!) and the Milkman needs a ride. Sometimes...it's the farm truck that's broke down and the tractor doesn't run to the parts store very quickly.
6. You know that commercial, the Snickers one, where "you're not you when you're hungry...." Well, it's like a bunch of Betty Whites running around here if the help doesn't have access Little Debbies and Snickers.
5. Anything that needs attention, I mean EVERYTHING including: the yard, the fix-its, the roof, the plumbing, the broken headlight, the "when dad gets in" conversation.....EVERYTHING, "can wait 'till we're done with hay/silage/crops. (pretty much the fall)" Which translates into, "You better get someone else to do it" or "It ain't happenin'."
4. There will be grass on every surface. Wet grass, dry grass, hay, silage, all shapes, sizes, and kinds will be everywhere. What ever surface The Milkman empties his pockets on (if he does) will be covered in parts, tools, lose change, pliers (not the same as "tools"), and lots of grass. The floor will have clods of wet grass along with dry hay. Anywhere the Milkman undresses will be littered with grass. Generally there is no time to take off the boots, so the floor will be covered. Some days it is infuriating, but you realize that it means the cows will be fed for another year!! WooHoo!!
3. Vacation? Va-what? I'm not sure I understand that word. A vacation for a farmer doesn't really happen in the summer. Our version of a "big family" vacation is a couple nights at a close enough destination to get back within a couple of hours "in case something goes wrong." And most certainly....something will go wrong!
2. The Milkman glows in the dark. In the summer....when it's dark...and he takes his shirt off....he glows. Not his arms forearms, but his stomach and upper arms shine like a baby's bottom in the dark. The farmer's tan is an indication of summer in every language.
And the number one way you know it is summer on the farm....
1. The smells. Sweet, sweet fresh cut hay, fermenting silage, fertilizer flowing, diesel burning, those magical rainy days, and sweat for miles!!! And to a farmer...it all smells like money, baby!
Okay...not really, but there are no smells like those summer smells!
Summertime brings hot, I mean HOT days, long hours, lots of time working and less time to spend in togetherness. But all those things make the rest of the year happen. Every season relies on the next and the farm relies on all of them to keep going. We all put in whatever it takes to make the farm go 'round and even if we don't spend as much time together as most other families we have so much to show for our hard work. Hard work that we did together....everyone their own part. Without our version of summer we'd have a lot of hungry people.
So when you spend your extra few hours a day hanging out with the family, doing yard work, and playing backyard ball while barbecuing don't forget those of us that made sure that side of beef, chicken, fish, (and even tofu) got from our farm to your backyard.
And when you load up the kids, shove the luggage in the car, and head to the beach be sure to have extra fun for those of us foregoing the sun, sand, and sea so that we can grow a crop or two!
We may not run a conventional household, be able to do what everyone else is doing, or even make plans to attend your family barbecue, but we wouldn't trade 100 vacations for what we got going on! We get so much in return for whatever seeming sacrifices we may make. It ain't for everybody, but it is certainly for us!!
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