Pickin' Grass Seed

My man, on Sundays is the best looking, best smelling man I know. He is the image of anything but a farmer, well that is until you see is boots.

Monday through Saturday is a completely different story. His clothes smell nothing like the man I can’t get close enough to in church. If I could enclose a stractch and sniff you would totally agree. The first time my family meet Steven, they asked if I was sure that he was a farmer ‘cause he looked like a pretty boy in his hot pink Hilfiger (yes Isaid HOT PINK) and starched Wrangler.

For the last few weeks, they have tried to pick grass seed- our new sources of income since we have stopped growing tobacco. However, this past year the rain has caused pure havoc on the seeds. While waiting out the rain, they have spent numerous hours mechanizing on the mean green grass seed eating machines.

Despite the aggrevation, he still pursues the fields as though the bounty is plentiful. Last week, I had the privilege of helping them (Murrell, Robert, David and Steven) relocate to the next field of seeds. Steven has mentioned on several occasions that all of my posts are about my side of the family. So, I decided to do a post on the Hines Brothers men. The partnership originated with two brothers, Murrell and Robert and Murrell’s two sons- - hence Hines Brothers. Steven later bought into the partnership right after we married. They have dibbled and dabbled in almost everything except making moonshine. Come to think of it, Derrick makes homemade blueberry wine. Okay maybe they have been involved in everything.

Back to my original reason for the post, Steven asked me to come to the field and being his work truck, then take him back to the barn to get the semi-truck. When we first started dating it amazed me that Steven could drive a semi truck. I’ll never forget my first ride in the big honker. I was terrified the entire ride. Steven had commented on the rats that occupied the cab. My mind could only think “where I could go if the rat got on me or even worse what if a snake sneaked up on me and slithered upon my feet”. Needless to say, I could barely enjoy the time alone with my honey. Since then I have learned to sit Indian style or better yet only ride with my honey-love if we haul the seeds in the comfort of our truck.

Back to the story—

We load all the kids in the truck.

We stopped at the barn to get Steven’s truck when I noticed the barnyard full of combines. We searched high and low for Steven when Charlee spotted him—so she thought it was actually David. It amazes me the resemblance between all of them. As we peeked around the other machines we soon found our dad. Unfortunately the men have spent more time it seems like repairing the equipment than actually using it.
Part of the convoy proceeded to the grass field- 3 combines, 2 pick ups, 1 semi and a truck load of children. As we drove down the on lane road, I thought-- I hope we don’t meet anyone along the way. The road is very tight and has he most beautiful canopy. It wasn’t long before we meet a car. they pulled over and patiently waited for the band of farm machinery to pass.

You would never know by the excitement, that everyone in the truck was farm kids. Dillon commented that when he gets out of high school he wants to work on the farm. His dad manages one of the BIGGEST farms in Alachua, plus they live on a small farm. He said “I wish Uncle Steven would let me ride with him”. I replied “yeah I wish he’d let me ride some time”, then Charlee chirped in “your too old to ride with dad”. As kid I loved to go the fields and watch my dad and brothers harvesting peanuts, baling hay picking soybeans, that was, until I got old enough to help out.

When we arrived at the hay field, David immediately began picking. Then Steven arrived he cleared a small area to park the semi. As we headed out the gate we noticed Murrell coming with the semi. We all laughed as he cleared his path into the field knocking over small trees and bushes.
Murrell rode back to the barn with us and the adventure was over.

Here's one of our grass pickers that doesn't need repairing.