Tractor Carpools & other farm oddities

Some days nothing goes right; and other days everything seems to go exactly as expected and then something else pops up to smack me in the head and mess up my day! I was having one of the latter days early this week--getting cattle fed quickly, all cattle looked healthy and happy, and things were going well. As I fed the last group of cows I thought that I might actually get some Christmas decorations up and a batch of cookies in the oven before the kids got home from school, when "Splash"--my truck broke through the ice bridged up over the snow drift I had been driving on for a week and I was unable to get it to budge even in 4-wheel drive.

When I realized I couldn't move the pickup, I began calling neighboring farmers.  The first I called was at a doctor's appointment 45 miles away. The second was moving cattle to a new pen and could help, but it would be awhile. This pasture is relatively close to my house...about 10 miles away. I could walk, but I figured I could get help faster than that! So I tried the guy who will be my hired man when his harvest is done.  He came and tried to pull my truck out with a log chain and his pickup. It wouldn't budge!! By this time, it was nearly 3:00 and I knew I could have help when my 8th graders came home on the bus.  So I had him take me home and I warmed up the tractor, ready to drive to the pasture. At 3:10, I realized that the school is on the way to the pasture, and decided to just drive by and pick up my sons before they boarded the bus at 3:30.  So off to town I went...driving the tractor. I didn't realize how goofy this situation was until I pulled up in the pick up lane at the school! I pulled in behind a suburban and Honda car waiting to get their kids...and I realized that this was crazy! So I pulled out of the pick up lane and parked near the football field. In order to catch my sons before they got on the bus, I walked to the front door of the school, dressed in insulated pants, neck scarf and muddy boots. What a sight!

Soon kids started pouring out of the school. Many saw me and recognized me yelling their greetings, "Hi Mrs. Blythe!" "What's up, Mrs. B?" My boys soon came out and I caught them. Since I just have one extra seat in the tractor, they decided that one of them would come help me and the other would stay at school and wait for the 4:00 basketball game to start (their older siblings are playing).  As we walked to the tractor, he asked "where's the truck?" I said "at home.....we're in the tractor." He grinned and said, "REALLY? The kids will love this!" And they did...as we opened the door and started climbing in, a bus passed us with all the kids at the windows yelling and waving; cars passed smiling and looking and a few kids walking home ran to catch us as we drove down the block! My son decided the next day at school was going to be fun explaining the situation!


This is not the first time this tractor has been to the school! My daughter and her date drove it to Prom two years ago! Her date was a city-boy, not a farm boy. So when he asked if they could drive it to town, I said "sure, but you'll have to clean it up!" He had no idea what a job that would be in the spring, in the mud, and after being used daily for chores! But he came out one afternoon after school to help our daughter clean it and then he needed tractor driving lessons! They had a great time arriving at the school for Prom in our nice, clean tractor!


So, to make a long blog-story short, we had no trouble pulling the feed truck out of the hole.  It was not damaged at all, and we both now have a good story to tell.  We finished chores, and cleaned ourselves up to head to the high school basketball game in time to see both of our teams get beat (one badly, and one in a close game). I never got the Christmas decorations up, or cookies baked. I may have to get the kids to help me tonight. I don't think that they will mind that the decorations aren't up early this year, but they will always remember how Mom came to school in a tractor to pick up kids!

8 comments:

  1. Before I was old enough go get my drivers license I drove the tractor to town to go to a basketball game. After the game I 'drug main' on the tractor with my older friends in their cars.

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  2. Sounds like a not so good day but man that would be great for story telling.

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  3. Only in the country...we had a traffic jam on 1800 Road this weekend, a tractor, 1970-something chevy, a Mule--not the animal and a Honda. No honking, no road rage. Just a meeting country style.

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  4. I love this post and especially the kids taking it to prom:) That is a classic. When I was in high school we had barns and such on site for our ag classes and we had our horses there for rodeo practice so when our little town got a mcdonalds we all had a ton of fun going through the drive through on horse back, you should see the peoples faces:) I look forward to reading more on your life in kansas:)

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  5. SO glad I caught this! Not sure how I missed it before!

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  6. great idea to marry on a tractor very good and crazy idea I commend you for this ingenious idea very good story

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  7. Love it! Wonder what the other moms in line were thinking?? Tractor envy maybe??

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