It’s the last week of September as I write this message. For the last three days, I have been a Passenger Princess as my hubby drove us back across the country to Wisconsin, where he will have his final big race of the year. He’s officially old enough to race in the Master’s class of the SCCA Spec MX-5 Challenge Series. These “old” guys are only 2 or 3 points apart, and if they all show up to race, their finishing spots will determine who gets to call themselves the Master Champion and, depending on how far you’ve traveled to race, a check that may cover their expenses to get here and maybe a little bit more.
I use the term Passenger Princess because, while I’m capable of helping with the driving duties, my husband very much prefers to be in the driver’s seat. Well, that and the fact that I no longer have the proper license to tow a trailer of this size or weight capacity. Instead, I have the jobs of second-guessing the truck GPS with my own navigation, planning our fuel stops that include making sure there is somewhere big enough to park our rig, watching out for traffic, potential hazards, singing along with the stereo, asking random questions, and looking up random facts. Remember when we didn’t have GPS, satellite radio, and the internet? We played games of I Spy, license plate tag, and 20 questions. While we still play those games in a way, I’m grateful for the internet so that disputes can be settled quickly!
This time of year is always nice to travel across the country. Farmers and ranchers in every state are busy with either harvesting or prepping the ground for next year. I’m not a livestock person, but the cows I do see are nice and healthy looking. It’s also interesting to see the different ways of irrigation. It’s important to note that these observations are from my views as we drive across on I-80. I’m sure there are many ways farming and ranching is done in the different states, just like there is in California. In a lot of states, the crops are grown in circles with overhead irrigation sprinklers set on a central pivot. Some areas have terracing because of the rolling hills, and some are dry land farming, hoping there is enough rainfall to irrigate the mostly grain crops. When we stop at rest areas, I look for the “interesting facts” boards or plaques. I think it’s neat to learn random things about particular areas. I hardly ever remember what I’ve read, but it gives hubby and me some new topics to discuss.
One fact that I do always remember is that once you get out of California, most rest area bathrooms are clean, but they don’t have toilet seat protectors, paper towels, or air dryers that work well, and 80% of the rest areas are really small. Anymore than 6 trucks, and it gets to be a really tight squeeze. That’s when having living quarters built into the hauler becomes really, really nice!
The other beautiful sights are the foliage colors. The brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows!! There is still quite a bit of green in the trees, but I can also feel that Fall is near. I had just started to feel that coolness in the mornings and evenings at home. Here, it’s a bit more pronounced. It’s hard to explain to someone what the different seasons feel like beyond freezing, warm, scorching, and cool. To me, the seasons feel more like sleeping, waking, working, and resting. Right now, I feel the final frenzy of farmers and ranchers everywhere working hard to finish the year’s work and prepare their piece of earth for the long sleep of Winter.
I also feel like my attention is split in two. I’m right where I need to be, with my hubby and supporting him as best as I can, but there is a big part of me that wants to be home because my own harvest is about to happen, and I’m not there to “help” the harvesters. MCFB Board Director Will Cosyns, my PCA/Helena Rep, sometimes farm manager, and friend is overseeing my harvest with the help of Kirk Squire, my Horizon Nut Company Field Rep. This will be the third year that Sonny Rai has harvested my orchard. The reality is that I don’t “need” to be there, I want to be there. My husband is much better at compartmentalizing his differing feelings. When we loaded the truck and trailer and said goodbye to everyone we needed to, Hubby pretty much went into race focus. When he’s on the track, that’s where my focus is, but off the track; well, that’s a different story.
The part I love most about this area of Wisconsin is that it’s all small towns and agriculture. We have a few favorite restaurants we like to go to, but I also like to find new ones to try. The rule is “no chain restaurants unless that’s the only option.” There are so many independent eateries, and that’s where I usually find other farmers, dairymen, or ranchers.
On more than one occasion, the “where are you from” question is asked because, apparently, Californians have an accent. When I fess up to being from California, there is usually a little pause, and then I offer that I’m a farmer from California. Then conversations start to happen regarding commodities, farming practices, water, and politics. With this being a presidential election year, the conversations should be pretty lively.
I’ve said before, I really like talking to people that are dedicated to one person or the other and those that are for one position on a bill or local measure over another. Everyone brings a unique perspective. The only commonality is that we all seem to want what’s best for this country. Some of the best conversations I’ve had are with people that can have an open enough mind to consider a different viewpoint. But, mostly, learning about someone else’s way of farming and how long they’ve been at it is what I look forward to.
To wrap up this rambling message, I hope we all choose to be open-minded and consider all the viewpoints as we go to meet and greets and candidate forums. MCFB’s Candidate Forum is on October 16, starting with a meet and greet at 5 p.m., and finally, to the polls. I hope everyone has had a successful, fairly smooth harvest and that all the work gets done so that we can enjoy the Winter nap.
Lastly, I hope my husband stays focused, races well, and ends up in 1st place to win the Master’s Championship!
