a (reluctant) farm mom

When I recently came across this photo, I thought I really should have named my blog,

"Tales from a Reluctant Farm Mom." 

As much as I am still--and always will be--under construction in this vocation, the FARM part of my title has probably been the hardest part to swallow over the past 12 years.

You see, being on a farm has never been my dream.  I signed onto it and I am proud of my husband and what our family does in agriculture, but it's no secret between the two of us or anyone else that I don't love it.  My tolerance of farming has grown to "like" over the years. 

My job most often as a farm wife and mom is COOK and I am happy to do that.  I stay as far away from cattle as possible and I am terrible at book work. Unless my husband needs a spell or grammar checker, I don't have many marketable skills when it comes to farming.   

Farming isn't neat and clean and predictable.  It's tough.  It's hard work.  It's patience.  Just as it takes many weeks for a crop to go from planting to harvest, it can take years for farmers and their wives to see the fruits of their labor. 

Yes, it's patience.  Lots of patience.

 

Still, I don't have to love farming to defend our way of life.  If you think farmers aren't intelligent and can't manage huge businesses, well, you don't know a farmer.  If you think all there is to farming is planting some seeds and watching them grow (as I did about 13 years ago), you really don't know a farmer. 

What has mostly shifted my tolerance to "like" is watching our boys find their place on the farm.  They are now old enough to help and they love it.  It is fun for me to watch them grow and I can't believe that those loooong days of having two toddlers at home are over as I watch them proudly help their dad where they can.  I don't know if our boys--or girls--will be farmers, too, but I hope so. 

And, if they have spouses, I hope they love the farm.

Or at least I hope they learn to like it.

 

It really is a good life.