This is how you walk your dog…
When you’re harvesting all day…
He’s hunting along the way…
And running straight to the creek…
Being careful all the while…
He is after all, the color of wheat!
Category: Country Life
Farm Talk
When I was down at Loyola Marymount for college, my freshman year I got put with a random roommate, miss Ashlee. She was a city gal from San Diego, who did have some roots in farming but for the most part, my life was very foreign. We are still very close friends to this day, it was a great random assignment. But I remember very vividly the first few months and even still today she will stop me mid-sentence and say, “Ok quit talking Farm Talk, I have no clue what you just said!” I never thought of how I talked to be “farm-ish”, honestly there are many times on the farm that I’m lost as to what to call things still today. I use “that thingy over there”, or “You know that deal that rolls, with the notches, and the whoop.” So I thought I would put together a small piece of translation so when you come out to visit, you can bring your dictionary for “Farm Talk”
Rig – any vehicle that you drive
Truck – A semi-truck of sorts, NOT A PICK-UP
Pick-up – If you’re smart it’s your Ford…if you’re not it’s your Dodge or Chevy
Jockey Box – Glove box
Creek – pronounced Crick, small trickle of water that runs below our farm
Baby Grass – A first year grass seed field
Yellow – Our Yellow Truck
Blue – Our blue truck (seeing a pattern here?)
Mojo – The ’67 Ford that was bought new and still runs like a champ
Lean To – Any building that is open on one side and connected to a shop or fully enclosed structure. If you have a shop, or any building you have to throw up a lean to, I’m not kidding. Even my house has a lean to!
“To Town” – If you go to this place, always ask everyone if they need anything, town is not close and fuel isn’t cheap
“Beep Me” – We use direct connect, or basically walkie talkie each other…Niner Niner
Tile Suck-out – When the tiles that are underground that we use to help the soil drain, break. It causes a HUGE hole in the ground and has to be flagged so that we don’t loose a tractor in a hole.
Anchor – corner post for your fence, not for your boat.
Slicker than a hog on Ice – be careful whatever it is, it’s slippery!
Romeos – Comfortable slipper looking shoes, great for work and everyone has them
Pop – It’s not soda, it’s not cola, it’s not even Coke…it’s Pop!
Oregon – Now this is important…it’s pronounced OR-GUN…not OR-EY-GONE
Most important thing to know – How much Rain did you get yesterday?
Farmer’s Tan – The reason when I put my arms next to my legs after summer, it resembles a ying yang sign.
What do you think…did I miss anything?? Anymore “Farm Talk” on your farms??
The Why…
So I’ve decided to start a blog. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, realizing that my biggest fear is that maybe not a person in the world would want to hear all the crazy ridiculous things that go on in my everyday life. But then again, maybe someone will and just maybe it will bring a smile their face to know that there is in fact someone just a bit more socially awkward, super smart yet sometimes not too brilliant and just plain normal out there who enjoys to write. Also I tend to have a lot of stories, and honestly I’m forgetting like an 80 year old with Alzheimer’s here, so I thought I might want to get a few of them down on paper before it all goes to heck!
To tell you a bit about myself, I’m a young farmer in Oregon. I farm with my dad and mom and enjoy just about every minute of it. When I say that I have a crazy life, farming is a large part of that. When you’re around large equipment that is complicated or really simple and I try to make more complicated I tend to have things break down (constantly) on me. I’m not sure where I got this gift of breaking just about anything I touch, but I’ll tell you what, I’ve got it 100%. I actually wrote a poem for my dad about all the havoc I brought to the farm in just my first year of farming. This includes more than just the 4 cell phones and 2 PTO shafts!
I’m also a volunteer firefighter and EMT in my small town. This alone has brought several new experiences into my life and although not all the things I see I want to see again, I’m am glad that I have a lot of training in what to do in emergencies. I have found though that the thing that scares me the most is when people assume that because I’m around they can be more dangerous…really folks…not a good idea. Like when I was sitting at my parents house and from another room I hear my dad say to my mom, “Should we let Lila (granddaughter who is only 1) eat that huge grape?”, mom, “Oh it’s fine, plus Brenda is in the other room and she knows what to do if she chokes!” Not the best plan I think!
Traveling is another adventure I truly enjoy! I was able to study overseas twice in college and I was officially hooked on traveling all over the world. It’s been a crazy ride like getting mugged by a gypsy in Spain, but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change a thing. I think a good story can just about make up for any hardship or frustration while traveling, that and a cold beer or large glass of wine that is!
Anyway I tend to find really random things very funny and thought that maybe this is a place where people can come to get a good laugh and learn about a different sort of life than a lot of people my age are living. So ENJOY!
NuttyGrass 