We were at my parents house for a family reunion when one of my cousins decided to have a conversation with my oldest. Now if you know anything about my son, you know he is full of stories. He is three going on thirty. He talks about going to work and all the things that need to be done around the farm. For no more time than he spends on the farm he could probably run every piece of equipment just because he has asked how it works. Some would probably even tell you he runs the place!
The conversation started when my cousin looked at my son and said "Man are you dirty". He looked her square in the face and said "I am a farmer and farmers are supposed to be dirty." She then followed up by asking who had told him that and he replied "My dad". My cousin then proceeded to ask if myself and my daughter also got dirty. He said, "No, they are girl farmers." She then said, "Well if girl farmers can't get dirty then what can they do?" Without missing a beat he says, "Girl farmers clean up the mess!"
Everyone got a good chuckle out of this story all weekend long. My favorite part about this story is when it was presented to me and my husband by my cousin. After it was all done, I looked right at my husband with the typical...you taught him that didn't you look. He raised both of his hands up and said, "I didn't teach him that!" I think that made me laugh even harder.
Well a few days have passed since the reunion and of course my son is still getting to tell everyone what girl farmers get to do, including this particular day.
My husband asked me to come out and help on the farm. There were too many jobs to get done and not enough hands. So me being me asked first what it was he wanted me to do before I volunteered to help. I don't have money stashed away to pay for any wrecked equipment if you catch my drift! He explained to me that I could come out and run the swather. I told him I would be out to the field shortly to have him give me a lesson. I am glad it was the swather and not the tractor that has the GPS system in it because it practically runs itself. There are way to many buttons in that tractor for a newbie like me! Finally I get out to the field with the two kids in tow. We all climb into the swather and daddy gives mommy a lesson. The entire time my husband was being very proper and calling all the levers that I was going to be using by the correct name. I was trying to take it all in while he was driving so that I could do the same when it was my turn behind the wheel. We get to the end of the field, he turns the swather down the next path and changes seats with me. Now mind you that the cab of this thing is not very big, so switching seats was just as big a feat as me learning to drive it. I get into the driver seat and my husband starts giving me directions. That is about the time that I forgot all the names of the levers, mind you there were only about three that I needed to worry about but all the same I forgot the names. He tells me I need to adjust the thinger-majig (that is my technical term for that lever). And me trying to be calm, cool, collected and show him I am confident in what I am doing say, "Is that the thing that makes it go faster?" Well thank god he is patient and kind. He just smiled and me and said yes. After we were done with that pass he was off with my son to go work on the next task that needed to be done.
Needless to say I then ran the swather, with my daughter by my side. We finished that field and then helped my husband move some equipment around. We then started talking about what girl farmers do, and you know what my son's answer was...girl farmers clean up the mess. I followed up with well now that mommy knows how to run the swather, I guess girl farmers do more than just clean up the mess!
Allen says he can't even get his wife to drive the truck! Thanks, Vickie!
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