Field Visit

We are a month into harvest and have taken many trips to the field to visit Daddy. A few rainy nights have brought Grant home early to see the kids to bed, however, most days/nights we have to take trips to the field to be able to see him. Each visit to the field is a different experience. It all depends on where they are farming, what the weather and crop conditions are like, if the equipment is up and running properly, and the kids temperaments. 

Today, we spent about four hours visiting. Here’s what that meant for our field visit today:

-We pulled up to the field and immediately jumped into Grant’s tractor with both kids. We had to meet up with a combine (driven by Jeff, our brother-in-law) on the far side of the field that was full and waiting for us unload soybeans into the grain cart attached to the back of our tractor. Grant drove us through rough bumps in the field to catch up to the combine. 

-After the combine emptied soybeans into our cart, we moved to the other side of the field to catch the other combine (driven by Grant’s dad, “Papa”). The second combine emptied the soybeans into our cart and we waited for him to come back with more (and I grabbed a few pictures of it in the distance against the changing trees). 

-Gavin said he wanted to ride with Papa in the combine, so after unloading soybeans into our cart a 2nd time, both Grant and Papa stopped machines so that Grant could lift Gavin into the combine for some Papa-Gavin bonding time.

 

-Grant drove our tractor back to the side of the field where a semi-truck was hooked up to an auger that was loading beans up into a grain bin. 

-Grant, Layla, and I jumped out of the tractor and back into my car to drive to the farm to  pick up some equipment for the combine.

-At the farm, Grant searched the tool shed for what he needed, and Layla and I took advantage of the bathroom.

 

-We then headed back to the field so Grant could continue farming and Layla and I sat in the car. Layla ate lunch and watched Wreck It Ralph on our DVD system while I read Dracula for class this week (and I was reminded how much I LOVE that book). The windows were cracked, the sun was shinning, and the breeze felt amazing. We were blessed with a perfect fall day today! 

-For two hours, we hung out in the car, and Gavin rode with Papa in the combine and then again with Grant in the tractor.

-Grant came up to the car a few times to say hi when he made his rounds back to the semi-truck to unload. One time, while I was involved with the suspense of Dracula, I saw a shadow outside my window and jumped as he approached. (The first time I read the book in college I had nightmares for a month. I was hoping this time would be different since it’s my second time reading it, but so far today, I’ve been a bit jumpy. Not the book I need to be reading while I’m a farmer’s widow for two months!!! I actually considered asking my professor to modify my reading assignment, but I didn’t think that was a reasonable excuse. However, now I’m reconsidering. Hopefully, his Count will allow me pleasant dreams this time around.)

-After the guys finished up the field, Grant brought Gavin back to the car. As Gavin ran up to me, I asked him, “Did you have fun?” and he smiled saying, “Yeah, that was awesome!” I loaded him in his carseat and we took off for home. 

Tomorrow night, we plan to do another visit as we deliver field meals. It’ll be my first home-made field meal of the season. We’ll see how it turns out!