Singing in the Fields
June 13th, 2008 by Northern FarmerGlory to God, things are moving right along in these parts. Had us a few rains this week and its to wet to attempt field work, but I was able to cut one field of hay today for a start to the hay season on this farm. The hay is really good this year with the wet, cooler weather and even today cutting that field the wind was howling. I had my Carhart winter parka on so I wouldn’t chill down and also for protection from the frequent drizzles that would be blasting through all afternoon. I’ve done this many times in the past, cutting hay in drizzling weather. I do it because the fresh green cut hay is not hurt in the least by it as long as it never had a chance to dry yet. They’re talking about more seasonal weather in the next few days and I wanted at least that field down and ready for drying when the time comes. Besides, having only one round bale of hay left on the place kinda gets me going out into the hayfields!
There’s very few jobs that I like better than making hay. There’s not the dirt dust of field work like in spring. There’s hay dust when baling but its different than dirt dust and doesn’t really matter to me. And being in the hay fields have a smell to them that I love. I love the smell of cutting, but I really like the smell of hay that’s in its final dry down stage on a beautiful summer day! And all the different wildlife that a person gets to see. Plus, unlike the early spring fieldwork, a person gets to see the new generation of animals and many new young birds too. I almost always get visited by the local deer fawns as they watch me all curious until their mother leads them away. Watch the different hawks, buzzards, crows up in the air and the pheasants and turkeys on the ground. Throw in a few dozen cotton tailed rabbits that are hanging around and a person has quite a social life out there! Of coarse they all get to hear that crazy farmer preaching from the tractor seat. Yup, you heard me, preaching. I figure its a good place to practice, especially today with it being windy and the field in the middle of the section away from curious ears. But the critters can hear all that’s being said within ear shot. But I figure it comes naturally preaching when your out in the middle of a beautiful hayfield in June away from the hustle and bustle of the madness of society. Whether it be preaching or praying or singing to the Lord, the hayfield is a good place to let er rip!
Sometimes its hard for me to imagine that folks can’t do things like that. They have to act “right” and just follow along and do what everyone else is doing at the work place or where ever they’re at. I don’t know if I could do that anymore, honest. After years of doing my thing out in the pastures and the fields it has become life itself and I can’t imagine, or want to do anything else. Some might figure I have a boring life, being about the only place I ever really get to is church and things like that, but I’m not bored at all. Take me to the city and I’ll show you one bored Tom! I look at the city a little different than most folks, I see nothing to do, nothing that interests me at all. Just people doing what ever they do, not caring about anyone else. No, give me the country and I’m fine. That’s not saying I can’t survive in the city. I figure a country guy can survive there just fine, might hate it, but survive he will. But take the opposite and throw a city person out into the “deep” country life and the person might be like a fish out of water, wondering where the rest of the herd is. Kinda like when you take a beef heifer away from the herd she’s been with since day one and lock her in a pen by herself to calve or something. That lady will go berserk! Wondering where everyone else is. She will literally try climbing the walls! Now this is not a blanket statement cause I’m sure there’s city folk that could get along just fine put here. But I’d say that would be the exception, not the rule.
Tomorrow if things go well I’ll probably head on out and drop another hay field. And then it’ll all start over again, the preaching, the praying, the singing and Praising the Lord. funny how a person can really get going on that! And then tomorrow evening take a short drive in the country and visit some of the saints from church and have us some fish fried up and some of the fixins that go with it. These ain’t no fish from China either! Some might not know it, but most store bought fish in this country is now coming from China. Nope, we’ll have home grown Minnesota fish, caught by the saints, not some multinational company. Just wished it was sweet corn season, oh well, that’s coming and just another reason to get together with the saints later in the summer. So between haying, cultivating corn and a million other things to do around here there’s always time for some good times with good people. A guy has to kick back and relax a bit, eh! Plus when we visit, don’t matter how many hours go by, about the only subjects covered are faith matters and I could be happier than that! Some might wonder, “don’t you talk farming when visiting?” Sure do, but this isn’t industrial farming anymore so faith matters are the biggest part of Christian Farming. Don’t have to talk how they talk on ag radio or ag media. We got something better! Something that will last a lot longer. And then there’s gardens to look over and Praise the Lord for His wondrous bounty! Yes, its different, its much better than the norm and about the only thing in life that could truly scare me is the thought of going back and living like a “normal” person with all that goes with it. I’ll take this old fashioned Christian Farming life over everything the world has got!
June 14th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Morning Tom!
Great minds must think alike, hey! We finally seem to be coming into some dry weather so I was out cutting hay yesterday too! Will finish the field today, had to work some kinks out of the old JD60 and 1209 haybine yesterday. I stand up when I’m cutting, those cute little fawns like to bed down in the tall grass (and boy is it tall this year) and it makes me sick to hit them. I solve most of the worlds problems when I’m haying, gosh if the voters just knew how bright I am! A fellow was telling me a few years ago about how fast he could cut hay racing across the field with his big tractor and discbine, I thought to myself “What’s the rush?” There are times I want to get the old “B” and sickle mower running and cut like we used to before we got kinda ’smart’, something about hearing the click-clack of that old mower was comforting. Have a great day today!
June 14th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Hey Brent!
I’m cutting with a 1209 too! For a tractor I’m using the JD 2520, an old reliable smaller tractor that isn’t very thirsty for diesel fuel. Just purrs away out in the field. I agree with your statement about the discbine. They durn near cut in road gear! Maybe its just me, but I try and enjoy life and spend the whole day in a field that takes them fellers considerably less time. Funny part is, I make more hay than allot of these fellers with the big fancy equipment 
Well, I’d better get back out, the only wildlife I seen this morning was the neighbor’s cat, which I almost digested into the haybine, and a big old sow woodchuck looking around after the hay disappeared around her huge den. Have a great weekend!!
Just came in from cutting hay and had some dinner. Now to get back out there! Its a much better day on the tractor than yesterday, sunny and kinda nice out. The hay is tall and thick and its down right enjoyable cutting. Yup, great minds like us think alike
June 15th, 2008 at 5:43 am
Morning and Happy Fathers Day Tom!
I have to go to work today (to support my farming habit), so have been up since 4:30am drinking hot coffee, eating toasted homemade wheat bread (my daughter makes about 6-7 loafs a week for us) with peach jam (also made by my daughter), sharing bits of crust with the dogs and paging thru an Eric Sloane book. Eric Sloane (if you don’t know of him) was a wonderful artist and student of early American life. He has been dead now some 30 years but has many books in print and was also a very good commentator on our loss of pioneer, make-do, culture. If you get a chance look him up! I ’spose with all the earthquakes, bad weather, high oil prices and wars going on that there are some people and preachers who will be pointing and saying “Look! The End Times are upon us!” The people get all worked up in a frenzy and run in circles wasting a lot of time, energy and faith, then times go on and the preacher waits for the next set of signs to point at! Kind of reminds me of the story of an old farmer in Ohio in the 40’s who one evening happened to see a powerful display of the Northern Lights. The old fella set his work aside, went into the house and sat with his wife for the evening, convinced that the end of the world had come. The truth seems to me to be that the end of the world has been coming since Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden, just like we start to die from the moment we are born. I don’t look for signs of the end, I know it’s out there somewhere ahead of me. My job is to be sure that I am ready and that I have done all that I can to prepare myself, my family and even the farm God has blessed me with (my own, personal, Garden of Eden) and the rest I leave in God’s hands. I figure He knows what he’s soing and what time to do it in! Now off to plant some seeds in the garden before I head to town as a ‘wage slave’ today.
June 15th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Brent,
I couldn’t agree with you more. I get a bit tired of people who tell me these are the last days. I do believe Jesus will come again. The Bible says that and I believe the Bible but the Bible is not real clear on exactly how or when things will play out.
However it seems that some people always know more about the subject than what God reveals in the Bible. I wonder where they get thier information becaus they sure didn’t get it from the Bible.
I’ve heard people say that Jesus would return within the next twenty years. That was over twenty years ago. God must have really dropped the ball this time because those were very knowledgable and wise Christian church leaders.
My guess is that the end times will play out much different than any end time obsessed, disfunctional, Christian church leader could ever dream up. They write books, teach seminars, preach sermons and hold themselves in high esteem. Most of them are so Heavenly minded they are not much earthly good. In fact they aren’t much Heavenly good either. But they do get a lot of attention and are praised by a lot of Christians.
They will pass and be forgotten by most. Gods will, will be done on earth as in Heaven but only in Gods timing.
June 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Hey Brent,
And a Happy Father’s Day to you too! Just got back in from church this morning and early afternoon and will see what kinda trouble I can get to around here on the farm the rest of the day. I don’t get to deep in the end times stuff, cause every day could be the end of the world for me. Folks get so worked up about this and that concerning end times, studying trying to figure it out and all of that and Jesus said He didn’t even know when the end would be, so how can I figure it out? But we’re supposed to live everyday like that is the day Christ will return, simple. And the end times for me might be falling down a stairs, or the heart deciding not to do anything anymore, that’s closer to the end of the world for me than anything else. Could have a head on driving down the road, who knows, we were born to die. The thing I think about is what is required of me this day! Tomorrow doesn’t exist as neither does yesterday, only today and its our choice on what to do with it for the Glory of God. The old snake Satan just loves Christians who are trying to figure out end times stuff, cause then he knows that they are no threat to him. They’re to busy running around in circles to be a threat to the works of the devil.
June 15th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Sounds like a jolly time out there in the field!
Just recently I had the chance to do some work in the fields to help me and my boys prepare to own a farm. We helped some Plain folks we know rake, bale, collect, and store some hay. It was really hard work but really satisfying. I am not sure about using horses to do most of the work though.
As I was reading your post, I heard the whistling, the wind, and the message in my mind. What a joy to enjoy what God has for you.
June 16th, 2008 at 5:23 am
Hi Garth!
Yup, a jolly time in the hay fields is right! And with the looks of the weather today the great milestone might be reached and we’ll have our first bales in a long time from the farm! And not a moment to soon either. The last of our boughten hay ran out last evening for the bulls and some young stock. They’ll be looking at me this morning!
There’s just nothing quite like working out in the hay fields as you found out! I think that’s where a person really discovers many of the things that are important in life, I know I do! God seems much closer to a person and the conversations with Him get pretty good! I’d hate to live life without being in the hayfields every year!
June 16th, 2008 at 5:46 am
I have a motor route with lots of fields of hay. I have to say, I love the smell of fresh cut hay also.
Blessings,
lori
June 16th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I thought i’d let you know been reading your post for awhile now it’s good to see Christian’s sharing the beauty of God’s creation and discussing His Word ! Tom you have been more of an inspiration than you will ever konw on this earth. The time and effort you put into this blog is greatly appriceated at least by me. Just wanted to tell you thanks.
May God Bless You
James R.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Hi Lori!
Well, I’m getting plenty of the fresh hay smell these last few days and I tell you, I’ll never get tired of it! There’s very few aromas that I love more! I hope all is well over your way!
Hey James!
I thank you for jumping in here and commenting because it truly does make my day! I caught your comment as I was walking out at noon after eating and it did make the afternoon go that much better! I don’t know about the inspiration part, sometimes I feel like I’m a pain in the butt concerning some folks , but that goes with the territory
Just got in from the hayfields this evening, things are going well. This field that I cut today was unbelievable! Talk about hay!! And the ground is more than wet enough to spur a second crop into growing up good! Oh Lord, am I thankful, not a grasshopper in site and an abundant harvest to boot!! Maybe this past winter will someday be forgotten and life will go on around here doing what we’re supposed to do.
Thanks again, it did make my day!
June 21st, 2008 at 6:28 am
Hi, Tom…How wonderful that you’re being blessed with an abundant hay crop this year!
I remember haying days from growing up, riding on the load while my father drove the tractor, the sweet smell of the hay, enjoying the carefree days of summer out in the fields…
I agree with the poster before me that your writings are always such an inspiration, and are much appreciated. My outlook always gets a positive boost from coming here because your joy and faith shine through on this blog, and it’s great hearing about your farming adventures. Really takes me back to the days growing up on our farm…
May the Lord continue to bless you, your family, and your farm.
June 21st, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Hi Becky!
Thank you so much as always. Your a pretty special reader here, having been here pretty much since the beginning of this old blog! And I truly do thank you for it! It makes my day when you drop by and comment!
God Bless You and Yours!