Mailbag Monday #9

Today_we_continue our Mailbag Monday series…

Dear Nathan,

I’m Tara.  I live on a farm.   I love, love, love to ride horse.  Do you like to ride bike?  I sort of like to ride bike.  Do you live on a farm?

Sincerely,

Tara

Roadside spectators

Hey Tara,

I had the privilege of growing up on a farm and have learned and seen so many things I wouldn’t have even dreamed of growing up in a different setting. The only pain was that it was difficult to get to town to hang with the city kids, so I had to play with my brothers and sister. My family grows a wide variety of crops including wheat, barley, and sunflowers. We’ve also had beef cattle over the years, which have lead to some pretty interesting school nights. We plan on having the cattle give birth to calves starting in February so it won’t conflict with farming in the summer. The majority of the cows tend to give birth during the day, but occasionally there are a few who miss the memo and wait till well after midnight to get to work. Since it is so cold about this time, as you probably know, we have to bring the calves in to dry them off and make sure they get their first drink of milk. It’s crucial for their immune systems to be fed within hours of being born. We usually bring the calves into the barn in a sleigh that we pull by hand, although I bet we could use our horses if we really needed an extra hand, or hoof.

I enjoyed riding horse when I was back home as a kid and still ride when I get the chance. Occasionally I’ll have friends and family come out to the farm to try to tame our feisty beasts. There is a mutual satisfaction between the rider and the horse. The rider gets a ride and the horse its oats.  Riding a bike and riding a horse are two completely different thrills, and I love them both. Stick with the bike and you never know where you might end up, and it won’t need any oats either.

Sincerely,

Nathan