Mother’s Day on the Farm

For two people who spent all day working on a farm, I’d say we look pretty good!

Some moms get roses for Mother’s Day, but my mom got Brandon and my sweat equity for two days on the farm.

My mother grew up on her parents’ farm, and it is where I grew up spending weekends and summers. My grandad lived there for most of his life, and he passed away in 2010. We still own the farm today and lease it out for cattle and farming.

On the property, there are a few barns, a bunch of old equipment, and a main house that my grandad built. After he moved out, it didn’t have any permanent residents and over the last decade, it has gradually become unlivable.

Still inside the house are three generations of my family’s artifacts. Old letters, newspaper clippings, and the like. My big present to my mom was to help her sort through these things.

By the end of the weekend, we’d taken four truckloads to the dump and loaded up a 15′ U-Haul for Goodwill. It was a lot of work, but that’s what ranches are. Don’t ever buy a farm or ranch thinking it’s going to be a walk in the park. There’s always something that needs fixing, mowing, or cleaning. It is a labor of love.

This weekend was beautiful. We’ve gotten quite a bit of rain and everything was green again.

Horsemint has sprung up everywhere.

It’s as if the ground has a memory. No matter how barren or parched the ground is, once rain falls, it all of a sudden remembers what to do. I’ve seen rain work this miracle on the land time and time again.

These purple flowers had sprung up out of nowhere, which delighted the butterflies.

Butterflies were coming out of every plant! It must be the year of the butterfly.

I have a theory: on a farm or ranch, it’s always The Year of _______ (insert name of animal or insect.)

One year, the grasshoppers will be so prolific that you fear to open your mouth for one jumping in (I’ve had this happen.) Other years, the gnats are so dense, you can barely sit on the porch in comfort.

Other years, it has been The Year of the Rat. But I won’t go into what that was like.

I think my family is still mentally recovering.

Let’s just think about the Year of the Butterfly, and what a good year that is.

What about The Year of the Cow?

Not this year buddy.

It is also the year of dead limbs, thanks to the drought. Our pecan trees are shedding branches right and left.

And why get a saw? Jumping up and pulling them down is so much more fun.

Darling, you might make more progress if you got the saw.

I’m practicing for sand volleyball.

It was a beautiful weekend, and as always I’m so grateful for this farm, the chance it gives us to get out of our little box in the city and spend a time in the country.

And I’m grateful for mom and all the women who paved the way on the farm. Thanks for the good chuckle I got from cleaning out your old photos and letters…I kept the good ones for blackmail. Hehehe.