Romantic Farming
Several weeks ago, we were back home celebrating Grandma’s 80th birthday. My cousin was in town from Oregon. One of the questions he asked regarding the farm was if farming is as it has been romanticized to be. Unfortunately, with all of the goings on, we didn’t have much time to talk or elaborate on the question.
Is farming romantic? Is it romantic when you are trying to build a fence but a drought has made the ground hard as concrete so that it bends a simple rebar fence post? Is it romantic when a two week long freezing spell kills the bees upon which your orchards rely, or when several inches of snow covered in a couple inches of ice create conditions that cause you and the livestock to risk life and limb to provide and obtain food and water? Is it romantic when the spring rains create mud and manure so deep that it sucks your boots off? Is it romantic when the bottle lamb you have been nurturing for two months is bouncing around one night but stiff as a board the next morning?
Is farming romantic? Is it romantic enjoying a Christmas dinner that is provided almost entirely from your own farm? Is it romantic watching lambs being born and struggling to stand and nurse? Is it romantic watching the barn swallows, bluebirds, robins, cardinals, and yellow finches enjoying the spring? Is it romantic sitting on the porch enjoying the evening breeze and the peace of the countryside?
In farming, there are good days and bad days. The romanticism is in knowing that the farm is where you belong and understanding that the bad goes with the good and believing that the good days will always outnumber the bad.
