a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Farmer's Life

Some time, no matter how hard you try, work lasts until after dark.  You keep working and what you get done tonight will give you a head start on tomorrow.

The conditions are dry.  The cattle's pasture is thinning so we are  preparing to move them to greener pastures.  A job that began Saturday has continued into this night.  Tomorrow, if the Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise, we will be opening the gates to cattle paradise, lush, tender, delectable grazing.

Will Rogers said, Behind every successful farmer there is a wife who works in town.  We both work so we do our farm improvements when we find the opportunity.  Tonight we tried to finish but it was not meant to be.
Even with the tractor and mule lights,
we knew we would not finish this night.

You have to love farming.  It is not a easy task  Work is done, no matter the weather and animals need care every day, not just when you feel like it. The love of farming has to course through your veins or you will not succeed.

I tried to help as much as I could taking pictures but that wasn't enough.  I was the gofer...you know, go for this, go for that, hammer a few steeples, hold a wire.   I do that well although I did not find the wire cutters in the dark, that will have to wait for daylight.

So tomorrow we will continue after our paying jobs are done for the day.  Our love of farming, our sense of accomplishment, our love of the animals will over come the tiredness and we will finish.

9 comments:

Barb said...

Yes, farming is a tough life. Been there, loved that :) Wish I could be back on the farm again but with plenty of happy little elves to help me.

carolina nana said...

Have spent many nights working by the light of headlights and lanterns. You gotta love it !!!!!
Hopefully you'll finish tomorrow.
Blessings to you.

Helen said...

When you`re a farmer there is always some work to do.

Jules said...

Oh, I member that. :) We once sat tobacco in the dark in eighth gear. You can only imagine what the sun revealed. :D

Have a lovely day, Gail.
I like your new header photo.
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Country Gal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Country Gal said...

Farming is hard work, I to have done it, as a youngster getting up at 4 am to help dad before I went to school and after school and on the weekends it was all that we did ,I loved it. My mum was a home maker and my father also worked in town for a big steel company as their perchasing agent. There are so many rewards to running a farm .love your header pic, I would one day like to start a hobbie farm ! I miss the animals !

Rural Rambler said...

I can't imagine Gail. We only have "tiny ten" and we sometimes feel overwhelmed by the land and the house repairs and the persnickety well and the dying and dead trees and the weeds and the heat and the humidity and the cranky chainsaw and..............

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Yep, been there done that! Just yesterday mornin' we loaded out the 'soul sisters' (a group of fat heifers) at 6AM in the dark before Hubby went to work. I've held a flashlight for the perverbial calf pullin', water line diggin' and hay loadin'. Oh baby, just let the good times roll!!! :o)

God bless you girl and have an extraordinary day!!!

Note to City Slickers: A Heifer is like a teenage girl who has never birthed a babe.

Irene said...

I've never done any farming, although my ancestors were farmers way back when. I'm sure it is a hard job that never ends and animals always need tending and they are a lot of responsibility. We need not romanticize farm life. I'm sure you have your rewards, but you have to put in a lot of effort as well and I don't know if I could do it. Hats off to you.

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