For years my view as we sat at our kitchen table has been of the neighbors field. We would watch him set tubes and grow beautiful green alfalfa. I have always hoped to be able to farm that piece of ground because it is what we see most. We got that opportunity this spring. I was so excited. no one said a word we just proceeded forward with preparation. I disked most of the field a bit curious at the fluffy dust but all in all it worked up well. We had fertilizer spread and then took my dad up on his offer to bring a more flood irrigation helpful tractor to plant it. John learned to do that. The guys found a few broken places of ditch and did some cement work to repair the washed away sections. I thought we were ready to go.
My dad brought some tubes, and we were ready to start. We got to the field and Aliza informed me we had to shovel the ditch. She got the crew to work. I shoveled a small section, too.
The workouts began now. I have not shoveled much as an adult and not a lot as a kid either. In the beginning of this project my biggest fear was that I would prove to be too weak or soft for the task. How thankful I was for experienced wise kids who knew the jobs that had to be done and how to do them. I love that they don't think too much less of me being a novice. It's an interesting trade off to be the learner instead of teacher when doing farm work on the bench. Yet, I did multiple trips to the field all day. I shoveled and drove up and down rows with them and without them. Sometimes I stayed home and cooked and sometimes they did.
She with the meager help of the younger kids shoveled a lot more. I went to work on corrugates.
Greg showed up to give expert instruction. A slight picture of the ditch repair. The girls were sad they didn't get to put their names in cement too. I would have had them come in but he knew what had to be done and had them shovel corrugates until dark so we would be ready the next day when they would be in school. He's a lot tougher than I am but it instills confidence in the kids because they learn to do whatever hard thing is required. And shoveling dry dirt is much better than wet.
A clean ditch full of water. Step 1.
Little did we know the work that awaited us. See all those extra muddy spots. Well my novice disking job created hills and valleys every valley washed away. The rows would not hold with the amount of water we needed to send to get to the end of the quarter mile rows that were so so dry. Not to mention all the alfalfa roots that dammed up debree and further caused floods.
These kids were troopers shoveling and shoveling and pulling and pushing alfalfa roots and shoots out of each row. There were hundreds of rows. At this point near the beginning I was so overwhelmed at the enormity of the project. To walk each row to the end. Even with a huge army or helpers we were spending all our time in the field. Needless to say life went on pause. The house turned into a wreck as little kids were left with Mark who watched but didn't stop all the chaos. Meals weren't prepared as we were all fighting the dirt and the water.
In my growing up years this would have been enough. Set the tubes do some minor shoveling to make the rows match and move on to the next task. I was utterly devastated when the realization came that here on the bench every 5-8 feet we would have to shovel or pull or correct some problem in the row. I was so bone thirsty and tired at the end of working with 4 rows. Yet we persisted because this is a short water year and we must use what we can we get it, not to mention the significant investment in seed and fertilizer we could not turn back.
A few things happened in between that made all the difference. The big kids being experienced knew how to keep the water going. They tackled the project and made it work. Oh the blessing of many hands lighten the work. Then Lloyd showed up. He too knew how to do this and worked to get more rows down and showed the kids how to adjust flows and brought some PAM an agricultural product that gels the soil to slow the water to increase absorption. His help was truly courage building to me.
Then the Landlord and kind neighbor tried making the rows deeper. We unfortunately didn't test those rows until a day later. But oh glory be they went down unattended and they pulled the rows straight from the ditch so we didn't have to shovel in rows from ditch until planting marks. Oh it was a huge step forward. There was a better way!!! I spent as much light time as possible driving up and down the field re-packing the rows and making them deeper. Yet after that the tubes could be set and after a little shoveling the water ran on it's own and soaked that dry field.
Super duper helpers. Addie and Harold in the back ground. My heart swelled watching these super kids getting the project done. The little kids spent time both in field and playing beside the field.
After a day or two of being fried we found the work hats and long sleeve shirts. The little kids got pretty cooked but learned to cover up when working.
John is a lot like grandpa a steady and sure irrigator. He keeps chipping away at the problem until it's solved. I loved spending time with my older kids who are mostly gone these days working in town.
Lia is the cutest copy cat she was trying to shovel like the big kids. I love that she wants to help.
A deep row and the first corn coming up. Not sure where the water came from to sprout that corn but none the less it was there last night as we set the last row of the field.
As I left yesterday I was surprised and touched to see this rainbow. Usually rainbows are to the east not west. And there was no rain yet. However, after a long hard week I was touched by the symbolism of the rainbow that God would not flood the earth again and yet there would be water. We had so many lessons about gospel principles this week. The Lord loves Effort!, The gospel and bringing people to Christ is the Lord's Work, The Savior is our Advocate/helper/Savior just like Grandpa showing up to help us when we couldn't do any more. The importance of daily Living water. Time together, time spent outdoors in heat, cold, wind, sunrises and sunsets. It is good to be a family.
We celebrated with root beer floats last night choosing to relish the fact we got it done. I know we have so much farter to go but for now we will rejoice we did it- with a lot of help from my dad and Greg's dad. We are blessed by very concerned parents and by opportunities to grow beyond where we are right now. Life is good.
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