Family Farm Day

Brian has been working a 12 pm to 12 am shift at work to get his night vision goggle training. Sunday night he got off work and started the 8 hour drive home. He drove all through the night and arrived at 7 am. Instead of going to bed, he scrambled into his farm clothes and rushed out the door. He couldn't wait to get on the farm and dig the hay! It's amazing how that farm feeds his soul. If we could, we'd build a house up there. After I picked up Kylie from school, we also scrambled into our farm clothes and drove up to the farm (about 20 minutes away). Along the way we stopped at Big J's for hamburgers, fresh strawberry shakes, and tater tots. (FYI: Napoleon Dynamite was filmed at Big J's. As we munched our tots the bull kept bellowing for some. "Napoleon, give me some of your tots!") Brian stopped for 2 minutes to eat his food then was off again. Our job for the day was to clean up the fields--all 80 acres--of garbage and rocks. I hooked up a little trailer to the 4-wheeler then searched for Kylie who had escaped up to the horse pens. Sadly, the new colt born a few weeks ago didn't make it. Luckily another baby was born 5 days ago. They call her Bell Hop because she hops around so much. Kylie was terrified of the 4-wheeler and it took some authority to get her on. We baby-stepped the process and eventually got into the field. I'd drive the 4-wheeler 20 feet then we'd jump off and scan the area. Once Kylie was comfortable with that I sat behind her and had her push the thumb lever for the gas. She was thrilled to have control of that much power! Soon I removed my hands and she was in complete control. Once she was comfortable with that I jumped off and she gradually made her way up the field (in 2nd gear) while I walked along side, throwing rocks and garbage into the trailer. It was so fun to watch her face her fears and overcome them, feeling a sense of satisfaction at not only driving the 4-wheeler, but contributing to the work on the farm. We watched Sierra, Kylie's cousin, practice for an upcoming rodeo. I got on the "grandpa horse" and persuaded it to stroll around the arena a few times. Then we forced Kylie to get on with me to get over her fear of horses that she developed after she was bucked off last fall. She tolerated it, and was happy when it was over.