Summer, Part 1

Some have felt bad because Dean is always left behind on these many trips I take in the early spring and summer months. Rest assured, that is his busiest season here at home! It starts early in April when he starts prepping the ditch for the early spring irrigating. That is followed by persistently spraying weeds that sprout up as the new grass begins to show itself again. That is followed by checking the equipment which has wintered in the barn for a season. Minor repairs have to be made, many of which aren’t discovered until the cutting, raking, and baling process begins. This year was special in that Michelle has started learning the ropes as a diligent student. When he felt she could take over for a solo run with certain tasks, she would ring his cell phone with any issues that sprang up. And when working with farm equipment, those issues are many😂! Dean would faithfully go out to help her resolve each one, while she made a video of his instruction to post on YouTube. I made sure they both knew that any royalties needed to be split with me as the silent partner and final phase laborer. 😂😂

When I returned home from Alaska this past week, Dean was just cutting the last section of the pasture. The following morning he raked it into rows. The following morning he baled it, and when he came in that evening he remarked, ‘We saved the last batch for you.’

Now to some, those may have been fightin’ words, but for me, it was a more treasured gift than any floral bouquet that has ever been given! My favorite parts of summer have always been picking up hay by myself in the cool morning air, my favorite CD’s serenading me, and the dog frolicking in the newly shorn field of green. I was able to do the first batch in between Europe and Alaska🤗, but there was still one field to go…the big one. And they saved the last for me 🥹…

But first…

And then…the pretty on the walk to the truck (Chelle always hooks up the trailer for me and leaves it in the field ready for me to just hop in and go💕)…