Driving the tractor

Even though we're haying the horses now, they insist on tromping through the best piece of pasture we have, cropping the grass down to such an extent that they'd soon have a three-acre dry lot there instead of pasture, if left to their own devices. Cliff's been wanting to put electric fence around it, but he needs a tractor driver to transport the posts, wire, and so forth. Otherwise he walks himself silly, back and forth.

I don't drive, but I can usually do OK on a tractor. So I got a meat loaf ready for the oven, put it safely in the refrigerator, and told Cliff he had me for two hours. He put in some big steel posts for the corners; then he pointed to the John Deere, already running, and said, "Go get the tractor now, and bring it to me."

"Ummm... you'll have to show me what to do."

"Oh; OK, come on."

"See those two little pedals? You step on the left one to go forward, and the right one to back up."

"I'm going to have to back up?" Panic in my voice.

"No, that's for future reference."

Whew!

I'm only on a tractor every six months or so; I doubt I'll remember this. Although those instructions seemed pretty darned simple, even for me.

And sure enough, it worked just like he said. Yes friends, that's my big foot down there, making the tractor go forward.


Cliff simply walked the stretch of electric fence putting in those little posts, with me following on the tractor.

If you think those dark areas on the picture are bad, you should have seen it before I cropped it. I have another camera ordered. Funny thing is, it happens randomly. One day I'm taking dandy pictures, next day there are smudges. I will admit I'm terribly rough on cameras.


Anyhow, we got that area of pasture fenced. And with my wonderful driving skills, we were done in plenty of time for me to cook that meat loaf before Cliff had to get ready for work.