Green One

One thing that I've always wanted to do was drive a tractor. The closest I'd ever come was sitting on one at the state fair. It always just looked fun to me. Sitting up high. Plowing through an open field. Turning the big steering wheel. Working all those gears.

So when a friend invited us out to his property to look at his tractors, I said, yes please.

The tractors that Fireman has are bigger than we need, so it was good to see if I could actually handle his. His were big Green tractors (I can't remember brands but I can remember colors!) and 100 to 150 horse power ones. The rear tires were taller than me. Of course, he was sitting next to me telling me what to do. But I did it. Hooray! And it was much easier than I had expected. The one main thing I learned is that you don't actually shift gears like you would with a car. You choose the gear for the job. You start out in a gear and mostly keep it in that gear for that particular task you're doing. But there are sometimes 16-18 gears to choose from. It definitely takes skill.

The one thing Guv'nor learned is that he would want one with an enclosed cab. It's not just a luxury for the heating and air conditioning, although that is a nice thing. It is more a safety issue with dust and debris flying up in your face.

We are hoping to buy a tractor soon. We will need one when we get cows and just generally to manage the property. Guv'nor is doing his research and scouring the want ads for previously owned tractors. They're expensive! So far he's found two he likes - a Blue one and a Red one.