The Tractor Ride with Spirits
July 2024: Note my tractor does not have a cab as seen in the photo only a sun canopy
Today, I was going to haul all of our round bales off the neighbouring field before the rains came. As I was whipping down our driveway on my lovely green JD tractor, going 30 mph, I got the sense that some of my ancestors, who were farmers, might want to tag along. I imagined how they would have marvelled at modern machinery, starkly contrasting their farming days.
So, I called them to join me.
Stephen arrived and sat to my left, leaning on the wheel well, while Jefferson was doing the same thing on my right. Several of my great-uncles also came and hung onto the sides of the tractor as we raced down our driveway and onto the gravel road.
George, for one, decided to sit on the front hood of the tractor, hanging his legs over the side. The way he sat, it looked like he was riding on a horse's back.
None of them had ever seen or been on a tractor, so it was a thrill for them and to perhaps feel the shirts on their backs being whipped by the wind.
As they were all hanging on, I wondered what would have happened if any fell off. I guess they would simply rise up and join me again. I had decided that since the road was bumpy and I was clipping along at a good pace, I should actually put on my lap seat belt. If I came off, there would be no rising up for me in my physical form.
When I had a bale loaded on the front-end loader and one on the back spear fork, I headed off back home the mile and a half. This time, George, Jacob, and Isaiah decided to sit on the top of the back bale, hanging on to their hats as the wind whipped around them. Stephen and Jefferson stood up beside me on the floor of the tractor so they could see over the front bale, shielding their eyes from the wind and dust whenever someone passed me on the gravel road.
The big grins on their faces were hilarious to witness. At moments, it looked like they were in sheer terror, and they hung onto the tractor's roll bars, only to be replaced with uncontrollable laughter as they relaxed into the feeling of the tractor.
They would never have had this in their lifetime farming their lands in the centuries they lived.
It was an enjoyable day with them as I hauled 21 loads of hay.
Today, I was going to haul all of our round bales off the neighbouring field before the rains came. As I was whipping down our driveway on my lovely green JD tractor, going 30 mph, I got the sense that some of my ancestors, who were farmers, might want to tag along. I imagined how they would have marvelled at modern machinery, starkly contrasting their farming days.
So, I called them to join me.
Stephen arrived and sat to my left, leaning on the wheel well, while Jefferson was doing the same thing on my right. Several of my great-uncles also came and hung onto the sides of the tractor as we raced down our driveway and onto the gravel road.
George, for one, decided to sit on the front hood of the tractor, hanging his legs over the side. The way he sat, it looked like he was riding on a horse's back.
None of them had ever seen or been on a tractor, so it was a thrill for them and to perhaps feel the shirts on their backs being whipped by the wind.
As they were all hanging on, I wondered what would have happened if any fell off. I guess they would simply rise up and join me again. I had decided that since the road was bumpy and I was clipping along at a good pace, I should actually put on my lap seat belt. If I came off, there would be no rising up for me in my physical form.
When I had a bale loaded on the front-end loader and one on the back spear fork, I headed off back home the mile and a half. This time, George, Jacob, and Isaiah decided to sit on the top of the back bale, hanging on to their hats as the wind whipped around them. Stephen and Jefferson stood up beside me on the floor of the tractor so they could see over the front bale, shielding their eyes from the wind and dust whenever someone passed me on the gravel road.
The big grins on their faces were hilarious to witness. At moments, it looked like they were in sheer terror, and they hung onto the tractor's roll bars, only to be replaced with uncontrollable laughter as they relaxed into the feeling of the tractor.
They would never have had this in their lifetime farming their lands in the centuries they lived.
It was an enjoyable day with them as I hauled 21 loads of hay.
