Bragging Rights

 It happened rather suddenly.

We could hear it

and we all stopped.

Standing, staring, we all watched in anticipation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 When I married my Farmer,

I was unaware of farming ways.

By this I mean that

my Farmer seemed to know every farmer

in the area that we lived in,

to a distance of multiple miles around.

I thought that this was just because he grew up in the area.

We moved up to our new farm,

another state away

in order to be able to afford a farm.

It was then that I discovered that my Farmer does not know other farmers

simply because he grew up around them.

I'm not sure if it is just my Farmer,

or if this is the rule with the majority of the farming type.

When we moved here,

my farmer randomly drove around to the neighborhood farms,

pulled up to the barn,

walked in,

and began chatting with the farmer.

I found it rather funny,

but it makes sense.

A farmer is busy.

He doesn't have time to keep track of meeting the new neighbors;

he's fortunate if he can get to bed at a reasonable hour most nights.

My farmer felt that rather than wait to be welcomed,

he'd take the time to introduce himself.

I have always been the type to wave to the neighbors as they pass by,

maybe go to a Pampered Chef party once every couple of years,

but other than that,

I feel they're busy in their own life

as I am mine.

This is not so with farmers.

Farmers need each other.

When there is a drought

or a wind/hail storm

or a serious illness in the family,

nobody understands the loss

or the immediate need for help

like another farmer.

We have been privileged to have wonderful neighbors,

both our farming and non-farming ones.

But there's just something about farming neighbors,

that love and understanding of the frailty of farming,

that can create a family-type feeling.

My Farmer is a part-time farmer
(doing his farm work after his regular job
or taking days off when the hay needs to be made);

so he does a lot of farming with another neighbor

who has a job,

but farms in his past-time.

It makes life much more bearable

to have help,

to help,

to borrow machinery,
to share goals

and hopes.

~*~*~*~

On Saturday,

we were all outside:

Violet was pulling Lillie around to keep her entertained 

while my Farmer was splitting the last of the large log pieces 

(that are taking up a good part of the yard)

for next year's firewood.

Levi was wandering around

looking for worms, grubs, sow bugs, and toads.

I was pruning an overgrown rose

and cleaning out the over-wintered flower beds.

That's when our work was interrupted by the sweet sound of a tractor engine...

 chugging up the road.

"Is it Uncle Bill's tractor?"

asked Violet.

We all knew how hard our neighbor had been working on restoring his tractor.

Violet and Levi had been over there several times with my Farmer.

 We all stopped and came in close so we could see the first view

of what was coming up the road.

 "It is!

It's Uncle Bill on his tractor!

He got it running!"

As the neighbor chugged down our driveway,

we all watched him come to a stop.

 My Farmer went in to check on the works.

 Uncle Bill demonstrated how nice she sounded.

 The kids looked on with admiration

and then went about their ways again.

 I had to stand back and enjoy the Farmers:

two grown men who treasure their land,

watching the dark soil crumple and shift under the weight of their equipment,

while they enjoy the bumpy relaxing view of the hills as they tend their fields:

seasons

of planting,

growing,

and then harvesting.

Uncle Bill has bragging rights on that old hunk of steel...

 but somehow,

as he drove away,

I felt we were the ones with bragging rights,

to have such wonderful neighbors

who have accepted us

as friends,

but even more than that,

they've made us feel

like family.

"A faithful friend is a strong defence:

and he that hath found such an one

hath found a treasure."

Ecclesiastes 6:14

(For those who have been keeping up with my blog,

my mom just finished her surgery for the cancer on her face,

and it went very well.

It was deeper rather than wider near her eye,

so the wound was not large

and no damage to her eye is expected.

Thank you very kindly for your prayers.)

(Also, I will post the giveaway this evening.)