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During harvest, a farm wife is bound to hear, “Are you busy?”  Why, just the other day, I was having a fairly good morning.  The kids and I went to the Y.  This is the one place I go where I can get a little me time in while working out without worrying about the kids.

There are great people there to watch your kids while you use the facilities.  This definitely helps me maintain my sanity most days, it is that one stress reliever that I need for myself, and really, everyone around me probably needs it also.

So, I had a good workout, the kids played for a while and off we went.  I stopped by Barista’s for a good coffee, as I call it.  It is one of my favorite treats and I just love the smell of fresh coffee as you come pulling up, it warms my soul and spirit.

The kids have taken to it also, as I hear from the backseat, “I want a vanilla steamer”, and “I want a pumpkin steamer”.  I wish I could say that actually it sounded like, “Excuse me mother, may I please have a steamer today?”  Well, let’s be honest, that’s not what was said.  I may have encouraged some re-wording before giving in to their request.

I do have to say, they have good taste and have gotten into the tastes of fall by adding pumpkin syrup.  As we proceeded to Wal-Mart for some groceries, I got the call from my hard-working, farming husband.  I answered the phone and heard, “You’re not busy are you?”  Really, I don’t know technically if it is a question or not.  But, none the less, my only answer would be, “No, what can I do for you”.  I’m sure it came out just like that too and sounded so sweet.

When I hear that question/statement, it usually means; 1. Parts are needed, 2. Food is needed, 3. Help is needed. In this case, parts are needed.  So, the kids and I made a U-turn and headed south of town to Fairbanks, commonly referred to in our house as, The Red Tractor Store.  The guys at the counter have the parts ready.

In the short amount of time we are there, my son Aiden is busy trying to drive the toy tractors around the store.  At the same time, my daughter, Brynn, is trying to open the peanuts they have there for people to snack on.  She claims she is going to take some to daddy, but those didn’t make it to the field.  Actually, they were probably eaten by the time we were out of the parking lot.  While doing laundry, I have found little stashes by Aiden in his pockets. He’s like a little squirrel, just getting a little extra for a snack for later.  So, once I get everyone loaded up, we head out to the field to drop off the parts for the combine.

A belt had come loose, or gotten bad, broke, something like that and Ryan, my hard-working, farming husband was ready to see us.  We dropped off the parts and said good-bye; this wasn’t the time for us to be hanging around.  I headed home, ready to re-group, decide my plan of attack for the day, and wait for the next call to come in stating, “You’re not busy are you?”

About the author: Kristi Weeks

Kristi Weeks is mom to a busy 5 year old boy Aiden, and a busy 2 year old girl, Brynn. She and her wonderful husband, Ryan live and farm in Juniata, NE. She cherishes getting to be a stay at home mom and having the opportunity to help out on the farm and be with her kids all day. Krisit is also the co-coordinator of the Hastings MOPS(mothers of preschoolers) group and she and Ryan stay active with Adams County Farm Bureau and Nebraska Farm Bureau. Kristi enjoys working out, finding new recipes, spending time with family and friends, golf and Husker football.