Farmistic Impressions

Okay, so, now I know what a tractor does.

It does a lot of things. But I guess in the general sense, what it does is pull really heavy stuff over beds that you want to eventually plant things in. Like plows. And rototillers. And buckets filled with compost. And rolls of remay(sp) which is used to cover beds so that pests don't get to it (I think). And transplanters (these rigs that have two seats and these pieces of metal that trace rows in the beds so you know where to plant.)

Anyways, life on the farm is quite the change from living in the big city. Here are a couple of changes:

 

> My commute is 5 minutes long.

> My main footwear is a pair of rubber galoshes.

> Nobody locks their doors.

> I spend the majority of the day outside.

> I think a lot about my water supply in the yurt.

> I spend a lot of my free time cleaning dirt from under my fingernails (a futile effort, I know.)

And speaking of my wardrobe, I don't know what kind of misconceptions any of you city slickers out there have about what farmers where, but I'll tell you right now it's not overalls and a straw hat. My new couture, which I prefer to call farmer chic usually involves a thermal, a t-shirt, a pair of cargo pants, another warm shirt, a vest, wool socks, a raincoat, a warm hat or a sun hat, and the ever important galoshes. I tell you, galoshes are the single most essential element of my daily ensemble. There is a constant source of mud, muck, dirt, water streams, etc. that you have to walk through on a farm, and there's an awful lot of crouching with your toes jammed into a mudbank of some sort (especially since the rainy season is still happening on the farm) and just knowing that your feet are going to stay dry is really nice.

In addition to the outfit I just described, I often wear kneepads. Wet knees are unpleasant.

The coolest accessory, however, that really ties my new look together are rain pants. Rain pants are large, rubber pants that you wear over your clothes and stay on your body with suspenders made of nylon or plastic. The ones at the farm I'm on are bright yellow and totally Awesome. I'll try and hunt down a picture, or better yet, post a picture of myself wearing a pair. They are not only fashionably superior, they keep you dry when you're out weeding in a field that's just been plowed, disced and rototilled and is really muddy.

So as you can see, avoiding mud and moisture and staying warm are two main goals for me when I dress in the morning. Other, more experience farmers like clothes that are really durable and that have pockets and loops that can hold knives, or tools, or tape measures. For these folks, a tape measure and a knife is an essential accessory for them. They also like to wear baseball hats with the name of seed or tractor companies they purchase from. And sunglasses, 'cause farming is cool.

So I'll be signing off now, but tune back soon (in about a week or so) for exciting upcoming posts, covering topics like:

> A day in the life of Farmer Tracy

> Salad mix is neither a salad nor a mix

> Top 10 best things about living in a yurt

> Nightlife of rural Maine

And many more!

If you have requests for blog topics, please put them on the comments section or email me at tlerman@yahoo.com
 

Signing off,

Dopetastic Farmer T