The Farm Day

Since we will be traveling, I thought I’d share with you some of the farm life from “these parts”.

We have so enjoyed being here, and participating in their everyday life—and now, I have such a GREATER appreciation for RICE.  I will never cook another pot of rice without thinking of Chris and Pam.

The morning I helped Pam with lunch, she had the company of her two sweet grandsons, Dylan and Kyle.  (This made me miss mine like crazy!)  They were completely occupied and not a bit of trouble while their “Mamo did her thing” in the kitchen.  They are used to the farm routine.

Pam cooks every day, a Sunday style dinner, for their employees, which consists from anywhere from 10-14 and maybe sometimes more.  Depending on summer help. Every day.  I’m not sure you get my drift. 

Ladies, every-single-day from April 1-the end of October, a SUNDAY STYLE HOME COOKED LUNCH.  And when lunch has been delivered to the various fields, which she does, then most likely two hours later, she heads back home to clean the kitchen and catch up on the house work that didn’t get completed that morning—and THEN she gets a fresh hot –home cooked supper ready for her hard working man.  Every-single-day.

You know, I’m still not sure you are feeling the back pain.  Maybe you will before this post is done.  You may even get a taste of dust in your mouth from the fields.  I did.  Every time I rolled the window down to snap a shot—I got a mouth full of Arkansas dust.  It has a different taste than Holmes, Jackson or Washington County dust.  It’s a bit dryer.

Jeff left that morning with Chris –when we caught up with them at lunch on our second stop of lunch delivery, in a swirl of dust, I saw my precious man sitting in the cab of the massive tractor with Chris.  The Big Boss. 

Chris was giving Jeff the “true lay of the land” story I am sure.  He shares his vast knowledge of the fields, the process and even the heartaches that go along with living in this beautiful land.  Everything must be just right.  The timing, the dryness, the rain, the irrigation, everything depends on them working with God—hand in hand.

Chris and Jeff were running the leveling plane over the acreage.  Everything MUST be level.  When the growth of rice gets to a certain stage, the fields are flooded with water—and watched—continuously!

The next section of photos will stir the dust up on your computer, so go ahead and get a cloth to wipe it down.  It was dusty.  But so amazing to me.

Arkansas Farmer of Rice, Wheat, and Soybeans. VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

When growth starts (this is a wheat field), it is so beautiful!  I can just imagine what it must be like to drive through the miles of country with this expanse on either side!  Breath taking!

The next time you pour rice into boiling water, stop and give thanks to God for the blessing of these awesome farmers who pour themselves into each day of preparing, planting and harvesting—just so we can eat. 

From the fields, to the grain bins, to the plant, to the grocery, to your pantry, to your stomach.  A long, most of the time, prayed over and sweated out process—and it’s the passed down, from generation to generation love of the land, the job that makes it possible.  And we thank GOD for people like Chris, Scott, Ron, and Carl, just to name a few of the farmers we’ve met.

We are a blessed people, living in a blessed nation, and we need to thank GOD above for planting US here!

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