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

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Hunting Rats With Tractors...

I'm sorry I missed the event, I hear it was quite dramatic and fun.  Any thing involving hunting vermin with large farm equipment has to be interesting to watch.

Hubby says, Ya know that brush pile...

I think, uh, which one?  We have a few.

Hubby says, You know the one I pushed up last summer to burn when it's wet...

Yes, I remember them all.

Any way with a detailed description, I finally pin point the right brush pile in my mind...and then I think, oh, no, not another tractor in the pond story!

Hubby continues, I was pushing the brush pile, tightening it up, and the dogs get after a rat.  The dogs are having no luck with the capture. Okay, now I envision him grading the whole hill side, scraping a hundred years of top soil up, trying to get a rat...on a tractor.  There is a reason I think this drastically...strange things happen a lot around here with my man and the tractor.

Hubbs tells me the rat runs out and climbs a tree.  Ki is on its tail all the way until it hits the tree.  Ki is many things but she is not a flying dog nor a tree climbing dog.  She trees it and won't stop barking.  Hubbs helps out by "tapping" the tree with the tractor bucket...the rat falls out.  My first concern is which tree did he "tap"?  Tap is a small word, but not when you're talking about a tractor.

I am assured, he did not harm the tree and it was JUST a small pine tree anyway...all trees are precious in my book.  So, I listen patiently, trying not to visibly cringe, trying not to picture the damage that pursuing a rat from a tractor could possibly cause.

At this point, the capture of the rat is not my main concern.  This the same man that drove a tractor into the pond, knocked the edge off the boat shed because he forgot he had the bucket up AND the man who ran over a lawn mower while chasing my horses on his Mule.  Oh, me of little faith!

The rat drops, the dogs pounce, the deed is done quickly.  The brush pile is still intact although about thirty feet from it's original position and the precious top soil is only slightly rutted.

The happy dogs proudly take turns carrying the rat around and admiring it.

I had to put my foot down when Ki-Anne wanted to add it to the pile of my slippers in her babies' bed.

...and God, please watch over my tractor man.  He needs all the help he can get.

18 comments:

dr momi said...

Too funny.....I'm so glad you didn't let the dog add it to her pile of babies :-)

Amy Dingmann said...

I didn't know rats could climb trees! I'm also glad to know that Ki is not a flying dog because you'd have a whole other set of problems there if she was. :) Hope that Tractor Man of yours can be careful!!

Country Gal said...

Quite funny to be honest ! The things our men get up is beyond me lol ! Nice photo though the red tractor really pops out in the snow ! Ki you cant add a rat to the litter ! lol Have a wonderful day !

Jules said...

LOL, what is it with men and tractors?! :) And come on, you don't want a rat slipper? :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Dawn said...

Hahahahha...oh Funny! I WISH this could have been captured on video:))

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

I can actually see that happening!!! Heeehehehe!!!

Years ago when we raised hogs we'd occasionally move the hog houses and it's deckin'. As hubs lifted the pork abode with the tractor he'd pull out the pistol strapped to his hip and shoot the rats that ran out from under where the feed fell through.

Woohoo!!! Gotta kiss that gun totin' farmer for that kept the critters from takin' up residence 'round the homestead.

Thanks for the laugh girl!!! Boys and their toys. :o)

God bless and have yourself an amazin' day.

Somehow I think that won't be a problem! Heeehehehe!!!

LindaG said...

Haha.

Amen and God bless. ♥
:-)

Dreaming said...

Ach, boys... er, men! I think they are all the same! Why use a hammer when a demolition ball will do the job, too?!!
I was laughing so hard it was difficult to read your post. This must have been a sight to see.... hubby, AKA Tractor Man, hunkered down over the steering wheel, pedal to the metal, going as fast as his Kubota can go, chasing a rat and then 'tapping' the tree! What a hoot!

Just Plain Tired said...

I could picture this scene vividly and it made me laugh.

Farm Girl said...

I love this story. It just makes me laugh as I have a man with a tractor too. There are so many adventures to be had when a man is on a tractor.
I could see it all in my mind.

Rudee said...

You know, I'm glad there are women who can handle all that comes with The Farm and I'm glad it's not me. This city girl would have squealed and then fainted at the first hand telling of the rat story, let alone the fact that the dog wanted to pad her nest with said rat. Of course, I'm sure there are Farm women who would do the same dealing with the human type rats I encounter in some not so safe areas of a down on its luck city.

I hope the tree survived it's bump.

Gail said...

Rudee, we all have our "rats" no matter where we live...they just come in different styles.

Marti said...

LOL, not everyone has a tractor man. Humm, maybe that's a good thing.

Susan Anderson said...

What a crazy story! I think your tractor man needs a protective charm of some kind...

=)

PS. So funny that Ki wanted to bring it in and put it with the slippers!

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

Now that's what I call a hubby post. Darn men, they find the strangest things interesting. Who knew rats would tree like that? Well there ya go. Thanks for the first funny thing of this dreary day. Oma Linda

Irene said...

I love the way you told this story. You do have good comic timing and I could see the whole thing take place inside my head. Have you ever thought of being a stand up comedian? That may be your calling. XOX

24 Paws of Love said...

Cute story. I love the way you put your stories together. Very well worded and funny. :P

Unknown said...

Blahahaha!! This story really hits home in so many ways......only around here it would involve a huge John Deere Loader and the pine tree would have "accidently" fell and would have been chased and treed by a big ole coon hound and so on and so forth...............and the rat would have surely gotten away safely without harm!

God Bless those tractor men of ours, even if they do bury tractors in ponds or loaders in swamps as in my case, cause sometimes they are pretty handy to have around! Man and machine!

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