Been Farming too Long?

No doubt you've seen that cute little photo of two farm boys in overalls, "You been farming long?"

The little fellows have long since grown up, but the meme is iconic.

Sometimes I get to thinking that it is possible to have been farming too long though.

Like last night.

Things have not been going well recently. Our boy is horribly ill with tooth trouble and hundreds of miles from home. Jade's truck died an unwelcome death, leaving them scrambling for transportation. And on and on. As we all know, there's always something.

Thus last night when I heard a metallic trill as I sat at the kitchen table wishing that it was dark enough to call it a day and go to bed, I was horrified.

OMG, the fan on the refrigerator  freezer is dying too. I'm a farmer's wife. I know what machinery death sounds like.

Oh, no, oh, no.....

But wait! I've heard that sound before. I probably should have recognized it but it was so ridiculously loud that I couldn't believe it that it was animal rather than mineral in origin.

I went right outdoors to try to sneak up on the culprit. He was just a few feet off the ground in the Winesap apple tree that the boss's mom planted so long ago, but it was too dark to see him. I sure could hear him though.

Once I started paying attention I realized that he had plenty of buddies all over the fields, singing the same old song too. How wonderful to be moving slow enough to notice all the firsts of the year.

Boy, was I glad it wasn't the freezer though!