Over the Mountain and Threw the Woods...

I haven't been able to blog lately, my life has just been too crazy...that isn't the complete truth. My life has been a little more busy with work travel picking up and everything, but mostly I have been tired. I hate winter time and how it is dark when I wake up and usually almost dark when I get home. It is only going to get worse so I need to start adjusting...believe it or not, this has nothing to do with my current post. The story I am about to tell you is real. It happend a couple of weeks ago and a beautiful Sunday morning. Here are the details:
Shane asked me if I could come give him a ride at some point while they moved fields--I agreed of course because I want to help as much as I can on the weekends and love to get out of the house whenever I can. He called and it was time to meet him at the field to move him...or so I thought.
I got to the field, very promptly I must say, and started counting drivers to machinery and trucks etc. I noticed that we had more combines and trucks than people. Then it hit me. I wasn't giving him a ride. I was going to be a driver. I tried to remind him that I had never succesfully gotten the truck out of fourth gear...(read below to prior post)...he didn't care much. We went through a 30 second refresher course. His dad told me I'd be fine and they all took off.
I started off by just creeping the truck through the field and trying to get a feel for it. I started gaining confidence and actually caught up with the combines and shifted into eighth gear.
For those of you who have never seen North Idaho farmers move fields it is quite the production. We had one truck as a flagger in the front that was pulling the header of the combine, 3 combines (2 without headers on) another truck pulling a header, and myself in the big truck. The other truck drivers were out unloading from the last trip and I thought it would take them awhile to catch up. So luckily I was in the very back. It didn't matter if I killed the truck or went super slow or anything--it was great. But then the other two trucks caught up within 5 minutes of starting. I felt added pressure to be able to keep up with the group so they didn't miss out on any of the action when we finally arrived.
Oh, did I mention that the field we were moving to was in a different state than we originally started in? It was over a half hour away and we literally went up and over a mounting and threw the woods to get there. We also spent some time on the highway...more on that to come.
So back to the up and over the mountain part. So--while I was learning to drive the truck and Shane was in the cab with me, I would go to hit the breaks and he told me not to. He told me instead I should downshift or roll to a stop. In the hustle and bustle of getting out of the field and on the road I had forgotten how exactly to slow down this huge truck! So here we are coming down the mountain and I have three combines and 2 trucks in front of me and I was cruising and I didn't think I could hit the breaks. I started to tap the breaks and actually unbuckled my seat belt so if I needed to I could jump out of the cab and try to roll to safety (thankfully that never happend...)
The worse part was actually when we got to the highway. The truck is really hard to get started in first gear for some reason so I was really worried when I had to come to a complete stop and get it going again with 20 cars behind me. Luckily I was able to get it going enough to limp to the shoulder of the road and wave everyone by me so collect myself. Thankfully this truck is so high that no one in the cars below could see me cursing and looking around the cab wondering if I would ever be able to get it going fast enough not to hold people up enough.
Finally I made it to the field and everyone was so nice and said I did well...I told Shane and I had used the breaks and I was sorry. He informed me that I should have used the breaks and acted like I was crazy for thinking I shouldn't have...He's very forgetful sometimes.
This was a great lesson for me! I have always been the type the learns best by doing and learning from my mistakes. I have been so scared to make a mistake on the farm that I hadn't been doing anything period. I need to become more comfortable taking chances and learning from whatever comes my way. A huge thanks to Shane and his dad for being so patient with me while I was driving the truck and not acting mad that I was a little behind everyone else and for being very grateful that I came out to help. So, if anyone wants truck rides I am officially able to get out on the open road. I don't think I'll take you on the road we went on though, probably an empty field where I am still most comfortable and I can't do much damage :)

Rain...Rain...Go Away...or maybe come to stay?

Tuesday was great...for me! It was cloudy, windy, and rainy! Just the kind of weather that used to make me depressed, especially in August, when it is usually sunny and warm. But rain in my life means Shane and the rest of the farmers on the Palouse were not so happy.

I came home to a empty dishwasher, a hot meal waiting, and the most amazing part--a husband--and it was MY HUSBAND! Yay! I was very excited and enjoyed my evening to the fullest. We were able to have a couple much needed discussions and watched some TV together.

I tried not to let myself get too excited about my evening, but Wednesday night I came home and he was working on the drier! Two nights in a row was almost overwhelming. Now, he is telling me that he will be able to make it to the Vandal football game this evening in Moscow...OUTRAGEOUS! I am so looking forward to the first game and never dreamed that I would be able to share in the joyous event with Shane...this for me is like Christmas! Now...we need a win!!

So, rain, rain go away so my husband can get done with harvest and be home to stay!

Truck Driving Lesson...

This is the beast. I got up to 4th gear in this truck this weekend! Not a huge milestone, but I officially can drive around a field without causing too much damage to the truck, the field, or to my self esteem.

I have been wanting to learn to drive truck for over a year. I want to be able to contribute out on the farm and get to spend some time with my hubby. Not only did I get a truck driving lesson (it was the first of many I am sure) I got a lesson on how the truck works and the gears.

Now, in my family we have many different kinds of people. Jake my middle brother is into engineering. Zack, is into baseball. I am into talking to people and can bust out a decent paper in 15 minutes. And Shane is into how things work properly.

I cannot start to comprehend why I have to double clutch etc. I just need to know when and how I need to double clutch. Shane wants to know why it works that way and thought I would want to know too. He explained it to me. And I swear I tried to follow what he was saying, but I felt my mind turning to mush, just like it did in Sophomore Ag when Mr. Church tried to get me to put together the PVC Pipe and tried to explain why we had to get the angle just right etc.

I think he talked for 15 minutes...I watched as his hands made foreign movements that I couldn't understand and when he looked at me and said, "you got it" I in true form nodded my head, just like I did that day in Ag Class. He got out of the truck and I skooted into the drivers seat.

Now, looking back I know I should have yelled, No! I'm sorry I don't understand!" I should have explained that while he was patiently and excitedly explaniing these things to me, I was actually going over our grocery list, thinking about how beautiful the scenery was and how I really want a new Canon camera to properly capture the beauty of the Palouse. But, I had already nodded yes, I understand exactly what you were explaining to me.

I turned the key, so far so good. I pushed the clutch in...not so good. Apparently I am supposed to try to shift to first while easing on the clutch. I think, "Goodness gracious! This is nothing like my Honda!" I eased on the clutch slipped into first and took off. I worked my way up to 4th gear while driving up and down the field. They didn't let me try my hand at unloading the combine, but it will happen this summer.

I am just happy that I am officially able to drive one of the trucks and able to contribute to the harvest time! I feel more North Idaho farmer already!

Door to Door...Free Cookies!

So, I have been tempted the last couple weeks to make a big batch of cookies and sit on the front porch when Shane leaves early in the morning and see how else's husband leaves that early. Once identifying those houses, I will take cookies around and say, "Hi, I'm Marie, I noticed your husband leaves at 5 am too! He must be a farmer, want to be friends?" I think this would be the perfect solution to meeting people in Tekoa.

So, if you by chance read this, you live in Tekoa, and your spouse/boyfriend is a farmer and there is a weekend you get bored, just let me know :)

Notes on Tekoa--I should say that Tekoa is a great town and everyone I have met has been so friendly. It helps that Shane was apparently VERY nice to people while he was in high school. People seem genuinely nice, interested, and supportive of having us live in the cute town! I am going to try to make it to the pool one of these days and am very excited for sports to start up again to watch some Hawk action :)

John Deere...

While driving home last night it hit me that I am a farmers wife. I wear many hats in my life--any given day my duties range from cook, cleaner, laundress, professional driver, runner, UI recruiter and more. But, I had never thought of myself as a farmers wife. I have been a farmers daughter and a farmers granddaugher my entire life--but this was quite the realization to me!

I love farming and growing up was lucky enough to be around agriculture. I drove truck for my grandfather while he fed cows, I pulled weeds, turned bales, and irrigated for him. I showed market lambs at the county fair for 12 years straight. I have seen many sides of agriculture, but that was South Idaho.

Now I'm in North Idaho/Eastern Washington. The tractors are bigger, the fields are more acreage, and the old farmers that I bs'ed with growing up are over 300 miles away. Now, I am adjusting to working full time and being a wife...I mean a farmers wife, which has some differences...especially in North Idaho :)