tractor time

nothing elicits the response from my boys as the occasions they get to ride in the tractor with their daddy. legs and arms flail about, voices screech out "daddy" and "tractor", and there is no distracting them from seeking out the sight of the john deere with daddy behind the wheel. to be honest, both boys think that brad is behind the wheel of every tractor. slowly they are starting to shout, "there is mr. john" if they understand it cannot be daddy, then mr john it is.

spring and fall are full of tractor rides for my boys and i. what a privilege! we so enjoy the time we get to spend crowded together in the cab watching the fields be prepared for planting. i still consider myself a beginner when it comes to all things farming, but boy have i made some progress! when i have a question, i can just go to my hubby, or my son maxwell who has already logged more time in a tractor in his short life than i have in all my 26 years.

to maxer, farming is serious business. he rarely cracks a smile or even speaks as he surveys the land. occasionally he will point out wildlife or other tractors nearby, but otherwise he is concentrating at the ask at hand. bear is less intense when it comes to riding. he bounces along looking for the food that i cleverly pack and then distribute to brad when we rendezvous. weston and i usually depart before maxman is ready to roll, then pick up the eldest later. that happened this evening and really worked to my advantage because when i got max from the tractor he promptly revealed $5 dad gave him in his pocket for ice cream. whether that was a bribe to get max out or not i do not know, what i am focused on is the french silk i devoured before even reaching home.

the last few days, we participated in the cultivation process with bradley. the man loves to farm, it is innate and it is a deep passion. though it is difficult to be without brad during fieldwork, these special moments together in the tractor with our boys compensate for the quantity of time we miss out on.

when we arrive back at home, max and wes get out all their toy tractors and reenact what they just did. precious. we will be eager to have brad home again, but for now, we are enjoying the fun of fieldwork!