Being a 'city-girl' I had such illusions about how life would be on the farm. I was blind to the serious operations of a farm and would comment on how I liked the wheat crop better as it was 'pretty' and the sorghum was too big and bulky....yep - I was green to the country life....I had NO clue. I wore gumboots even inside in fear that I may just be bitten by a snake and if you mentioned the words auger, row-grow, max-i-merge or field bin....I would have just stared at you with a blank.
Little did I know the time, science, precision and just hard work that went into just one paddock of crop. The relentless weeds in Summer time and the constant battle against bugs, mice, birds and trespassers. The heavy-duty machinery and complex additions that were required to spray the weeds or the ratios of chemicals that would send any mathlete into a frenzy. That they would sit on a tractor for 18 plus hours a day to get a crop in before the rain....hanging on the hope that the weather man was right this time. I totally underestimated it.
In the 3 or so years since I have moved to the farm - I have slowly learnt the logistics, the operations and the demands of working a farm. I respect the physical labour but also the mental hardships as they place their lives in the hands of Mother Nature. I look at Heath's parents in a different light - and see hard-work, loyalty and blood, sweat and tears. I respect them for surviving the hardships - the droughts and the flooding rains.
I also understimated how much happiness this farm would bring me. The majestic sunsets that I "oooh" and "aahh" over each night (much to Heath's amusement), the endless room, the wildlife (except for rodents and reptiles) and just the life....it must be the water, the air and the atmosphere.
Who would have thought that the lifestyle would transform me....but I am proud to say I live in the country....and I hope I do for many more years to come.
Aaaah Han! I was exactly the same. I told Charles one day how lovely it was that the Kangaroos were right outside our kitchen window eating the lovely tall grass. Charles got out his gun and went to have a look. Turns out it wasn't grass - it was a very healthy wheat crop that the ferrel mongrels were eating! PLUS he once asked me to organise an auger extension for his header - they asked me what model it was and I replied "umm it's a John Deere one, yeah green I think, are there many models of them?" Ah how we change in this totally different work we moved to!
ReplyDeleteSorry Han, that was me? I don't know how to use these fancy blog sites. Jen xx
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderfully written post. I have no idea what farming life is like, although my husband and I both come from Grandparents who were cane farmers...thanks for opening our eyes to the beauty.
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