Unreachable...Cell Phones Don't Work Well W/ Tractors!

Ok, so I thought I was going to have the day to clean up the house and get some much needed stuff done! Nope! Took Mac to school, then came home, started some laundry, decided to put a Netflix movie in that we have had for 2 weeks (need to get it back so we can have a new one!), sat down with my laptop. Then the phone rang, BF from MO. Talked for a little bit. DH came in and said, "I need your help." Ok, I thought it was just something quick. Should have thought twice! First, he needed me to drive and follow him down below to the garlic field. Ok did that. Then we get there. He opens my door and says, "We have to go back to the house, I forgot the duct tape." Ok, so the house is like 5 miles away (each direction- so ultimately I drove 30 miles between these 2 farms today...grrr!). We go back. I change my clothes out of my sweats into some jeans, I feel like something is up- he may need more than shuffling around. Take him back down to the garlic. After about 10 minutes of waiting, he doesn't need me. I can go back to the house. I wasn't home very long when he pulled up. Wayne says, "Ok, Roberto (hired man) is fertilizing the garlic. But now I need you to drive tractor all day. I decided that we are going to grow wheat after all. So you have today and tomorrow to vibrashank 80 acres." I think to myself, great, just what I want to do. Hopefully this field isn't rough! DH, "Let's get going. We have to go down below and take the loader off the tractor, hook up the vibrashank, clean out the cab, and pressure wash the outside." Ok off we go...


So, we get down below to take the loader off. Actually, there is no "we." I can't do this, kinda dangerous and cramped space. Well, the darn thing doesn't want to come off. The pins are all stuck, etc. Normally this takes like 5 minutes- today our lucky day; 25 minutes! So I walk down around the feedlot and look at the bulls and our fields. Finally...








Ok...so we get over to the field. I work about 3 hours vibrashanking. Then I see MacKenzie's school bus drive by. I have to finish up and drive over to the home place to pick her up. I only got about 2 acres done today. In this pic, see the silver horizontal line off to the right of the tractor? This is the wheel line (irrigation) that separates the midway point of the field; this is how I know I did 20 acres. Tomorrow I have to do the other half on the other side of the wheel line. Then after that 20 acres is done, I have a whole nother field to do. So, Roberto, Wayne, and me are all 3 driving tractor for the next 2 days straight because we are so far behind from all the rain we have been getting! Wayne told me, "It can't rain until Wednesday night, so you better be praying." Great, since my prayers ever get answered. So, any of you reading this blog, fold your hands for us!

Ok...So it hasn't slowed down since I got home. Picked up the mail. There is a notice from the mail person that we have a package too big for our mailbox. It can be picked up in town after 4. So, I desperately needed to pee, not having had a break since being on the tractor. Mac and I come up to the house. There are like 5 messages on the phone, sorry I wasn't home! We quickly leave the house to go to PO. Get there, and of course there's a huge line. We need to go to the store. Safeway, here we come. Just a few quick things. Mainly tortillas since we are having burritos for dinner, then some fresh veggies for the rest of the week. Make it home in time to see Wayne. He is off to finish fixing the grain drill to begin planting tomorrow. Then Roberto is leaving to go home at 5:30. So DH will go down below to the garlic field to work on fertilizer. The fert should have been done about 3 weeks ago, but we have had entirely too much rain, and until very recently, the fields have been too wet to go into. People were getting their tractors stuck left and right. Needless to say, it is not fun to get an 8-ton tractor unstuck out of the mud. You have to let it sit there until it dries; for the most part anyway. Wheat should have been planted by last week, so we are getting a late start on that. Last year DH said we would not grow wheat again. Due to the crop sprayer (airplane guy) not getting it sprayed on time, we got a disease called "rust." Rust diminished the yield greatly, and since wheat growers sign contracts promising x number of bushell, that hurts farmers and you get dinged for not having enough yield. Well, we were under by alot- which meant we lost about 7-10,000 on wheat last year. It was not a good year for wheat. But this spring, the price per bushell has risen, and Wayne was tempted. We had 80 acres sitting vacant. We were hoping for a carrot seed contract, but did not get one. It's not good to let ground stay vacant a season, so wheat here we come!

Dinner is done. Child is fed. DH will be home about dark to eat. I changed laundry and am eating and typing on puter at same time. I have been working on this blog for about an hour. I think I am done! Ta ta for now! TTFN!