We got to meet some of the owners and their horses/mules on Friday evening as they were arriving on the farm. One couple in particular was very personable and they invited us to come visit and pet their mules, which we did on Saturday. Joel was totally in his element on the back of Andy the mule (Amos was his partner). When asked if he was ready to get down after about five minutes on the mule's back, Joel replied, "No." My little cowboy relished the opportunity to be on the back of a real mule, instead of being relegated to a stick horse. These mules were no small beasts, either. I didn't know that mules came in such big sizes.
Most of the day on Saturday, the horse and mule teams plowed a nine acre parcel of land. I heard several farmers who came to watch the event ask the drivers things like, "Do you have GPS on that thing? What about auto guide?" All joking aside, it was really a sight to behold. So quiet and peaceful. To be honest, I couldn't believe how quickly the field got plowed. Approximately ten teams plowed, while a few other teams drove harrows over the newly plowed soil. By late afternoon (after a lunch break), the teams had to move to another field in order to keep plowing.
Old fashioned horse plowing is a hobby for these folks. They all have other jobs ranging from farming to engineering. They travel from event to event in the spring. They love their animals and it shows. And we loved watching them. They also love people and some of them were gracious enough to give my kids a ride.
Near the end of the afternoon, one of the women asked Elizabeth if she'd like to drive her team of mules. Elizabeth said, "yes." Matt, Uncle Keith and I could hardly believe our eyes when we saw Elizabeth rounding the corner driving that team as they pulled a harrow (we didn't know she had been offered the chance to drive). "Yeah, Elizabeth!" I yelled from the sidelines. Pretty darn cool.
As if things couldn't get any better (my favorite place is the farm), the day turned into an impromptu family reunion. All my aunts and uncles were there, as were my mom and dad and two of my cousins and their families. I hadn't seen some of those folks in a very long time, so I really enjoyed myself.
We had a tasty lunch of pulled pork, German sausage and homemade pasta salad, courtesy of the local chapter of the Future Farmers of America. Over lunch I got to talk with some people who are related to our missionary friends who are currently serving in Guatemala. It's a small world!Years ago, that same land was farmed with horses. I remember my Grandpa Paul telling me the story of when Great Grandpa built the big barn that still sits on the original homestead. The cement that they used for the floor was too slick for the horses, so Great Grandpa hired a man to chip out chunks of the cement to give the horses a better footing when they came into the barn after working in the fields all day.
It was neat to see the old timers who came to watch this weekend's event. Their eyes just lit up. One man couldn't resist. He hopped the rope separating the spectators from the field that was being worked and tromped on out into the dirt so that he could get a closer look.
Uncle Keith quoted this verse of the Bible to me last week in anticipation of the weekend's happenings: "Jesus said to him, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.' " Luke 9:62 Uncle Keith knows from experience that if you're looking back while you're plowing, you're not plowing a straight line. "You have to keep your eyes on the prize," he said. Good advice for farming and for life.
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