Begin forwarded message:
Subject: EPISODE 191 ROCKS ARE OUR BEST CROPEPISODE 187 ROCKS ARE OUR BEST CROP
Jack and Sean were paid for this job.alan skeochmay 2020This is a story about rock picking.
THERE is a very moving film called THE FIELD with Richar Harris as a hardscrabble Irish farmer whose field is all he hasin life. And he is prepared to die to keep his Field. I can identify with him. There are 25 acres on our farm where meh grandparentsmade a living somehow. 7 o 8 acres are swamp or a term used more fashionably the water acres are called a pond. Another 10acres are bush some of which we planted 60 years ago. Red pines…worthless for anything but pulp and hideaway locations forwild Turkeys.There are two acres of sandy loam at the front of the farm but one of our sons decided to plant oaks and maples thereone week-end. Our garden soil disappeared. Now, 20 years later, he is scooping out the trees to be replanted on fancy avenues.Maybe we will get the good land back but I am not holding my breath. I will likely have to rely on My Field behind the swamp.That leaves my two acre field…as seen below. Our best crops are rocks. Every year more rocks…and more rocks.Backbreaking work with a stone boat and pull tractor. Even with the bobcat the rock picking is back breaking.Ten years ago i bought a special hydraulic tractor for Marjorie for her birthday. She has never driven it but I tryto harrow our rock field with it annually. Take a look. These rocks come up every single year.How did our grandparents ever make a living.? Simple answer is they did not make a living. They existed…housewith no indoor plumbing, no electricity, dirt floor basement, lots of small creatures living between the single layer of bricksand the split lath pleasured walls. Hiding place for snakes and mice and bugs.Why send this? Just in case one of you readers longs for the good old days and are thinking of buying a small farm.alan skeochmay 2020
Now the field looks a little cleaner. How did it get this way? One summer day Jack Skeoch
and his friend Sean were cycling by our house.
“Hey, boys, do you want to earn a few bucks?”
“Sure.”
“I will pay minimum wage or better…”
“Doing what?”
“It’s a secret.”
And that was the way I got the rocks picked before we got the rock picker implement attached
to the Bob cat. Better than sending the boys to some sweaty gym. Outdoors. But no girls
which was a bit of a problem.
The Big Snapper looked like a rock. She was burying her eggs…
Now what to do with the stones. My Cousin Eleanor and her husband John built a large farm house with stones like these.
That skill I do not have. So we just dumped the stones in the rock pile. Every farm has a place for stones.
alan skeoch
Dec 2020