Lessons Learned.....Tractor Pulling

You know the saying: You can't teach an old dog new tricks? Well I would like to welcome you to a new segment on my blog. It will be "Lessons Learned" and I will be teaching the average folk about something. Today it will be about Lawn and Garden Tractor Pulling. This is a recent hobby of my family and is consuming all their Saturday nights (and all the days between). I recently went to my second pull this past Saturday. First and foremost the kids absolutely love this! It is super cute to see them pulling and it makes this Aunt proud to be part of the action.

1. This IS the normal kid to tractor size ratio.  

2. There is a lot of down time between pulls. Kids have to find something to occupy their time. This kids likes to play in the dirt with cars. 

This kids likes more modernized games to play with. 

3. Safety is first and foremost. 



4. Cleanliness is next to tractor pulliness. He is part of the pit crew.

4. The pullers can not drive themselves to the weigh-in station, so you have to pull not only one...



Not two.....

But all three pullers to go weigh in.

5. The drivers can be distracted and not look at the track when there is someone taking pictures of them.

6. Yes on October 9th it can be so hot that you need an umbrella for shade so that you do not get sunburned. 

7. That umbrella also adds as a protection away from dust that lingers around the track. 

8. Need an exercise program? Hook yourself up to a puller and run along side of it. 

9.  Determination WILL win everything. 

 10. Boys will be boys.

 11. And the most important lesson to learn; have fun!

 

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When I grow up

I was going to post this before we left on vacation but I got too busy packing my 30 outfits, 15 pairs of shoes, and 3 purses. So now that I am about done washing and putting away all those clothes I have time to post a classic Farm Boy story. The weekend before we left on vacation I was spending the Saturday at my in-laws home having a yard sale. My husband on the other hand had brush piles to burn. So he took his might green tractor out and away he went with propane torch in hand. You know this is going to be good, don't you.

So we sat there praying for customers to come to our yard sale and my sister in law received a phone call from Farm Boy to bring the truck. The propane torch was not doing its job to satisfy Farm Boy's desire of a fire so he needed a little extra juice in the form of diesel. Since I was not being of any help bringing in the customers for the yard sale I thought I would go along for the ride of it (and also to make sure Farm Boy didn't blow himself up).



This is the scene we came up. The brush is not burning and Farm Boy is examining the torch. 

Mighty brush fire, little torch. 

Let me interpret Farm Boy's thoughts here "This isn't doing the job, if I tweak the propane a little more then maybe I will get the flame I want"

Farm Boy thoughts continue... "Let's give er a try"

 Farm Boy thoughts continue... "While that flame is nice, not quite what I am going for"

This just isn't cutting it in Farm Boy's mind. He wants a big fire and wants a big fire now! So he shall spray the brush with a little diesel just to get the brush fire started.

 

Now this flame is exactly what he wanted. Notice the bright orange flame, and the thick black smoke. The perfect combination. This is what makes a fireman out of a Farm Boy.

The end of the story goes like this: Two hours later the fire and smoke was out with no injuries and the brush piles are still sitting in the field.

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Lessons Learned

As experienced on every trip there are many lessons that we have come to realize are true. Unplanned events some might say. Here are a few of ours:

Good: Packing a suitcase filled with 30 outfits just because you are not sure what you might want to wear.
Bad: Having to do laundry mid week because you are out of t-shirts.

Good: Being told that you aren't that bad at reading a map
Bad: Getting turned around in a restaurant and not knowing how to get out.

Good: Having Garmin GPS with you so that you will know where to go.
Bad: Thinking you know more than Garmin and choose your own path to then have to have Garmin to get you back on track.

Good: Taking a tour on a bus of the city.
Bad: Being stuck with a bunch of *ahem cough cough* older women that won't quit talking and don't know how to answer their phones and have no phone etiquette. 

Good: Collecting your room key from the lost and found on a boat.
Bad: Getting back to the motel only to figure out that neither one of the keys work to let you in your room.

Good: Having sandals that match your outfits so that your look is complete.
Bad: Being told constantly to "Kick it out of granny low and into first gear"

Good: Cloudy and Rainy to keep the temperatures in the 70's
Bad: Cloudy and Rainy

Good: Shell Gas station being the choice gas station down here so that you can use your Shell Credit Card
Bad: Your vehicle not clicking the gas nozzle off so that gas splashes out every time you fill up.

Good: All the delicious food in the South
Bad: Being constantly full so you can't enjoy or finish the food.

Good: Having a cooler to put drinks in and snacks such as cheese.
Bad: Not keeping the cooler cool so you have to throw your cheese away.

Good: Enjoying all you can drink Peach Tree from the American Classic Tea Plantation.
Bad: Heading home and having to stop every hour to go to the bathroom.

Good: Having a marvelous trip and many wonderful memories to take home with you.
Bad: Dragging those memories and suitcases in at 4:00 in the morning when you finally get home.

So here is to the historic towns of the South, the home cooked food of the South, the sweet tea of the South, the 178 steps up to the top of the lighthouse in the South, the history of the South, the many miles we walked around the South, the 1,000 miles we traveled in 14 hours to get home from the South, the knowledge we gained about the South, the laughs we had, and the upsets we shared. Here is to The Southern Vacation of 2010!

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