Big Ag borrowed the neighbors' tractor this morning and not only cut the grass in the pasture, but also cut a huge firebreak around the rest of the property. It's not a guarantee this place won't burn in a wildfire, but it definitely improves the odds.
This will be a long, dry summer by all accounts, so it's best to get started and be prepared early. This year was actually wetter than the last two have been, and so we saw a lot more growth of native grasses -- four foot tall native grasses -- than we have in the past. And so we have finally realized we have two choices: Buy a tractor or put up some fence and get some sheep. Or maybe both. Because while I love sheep, Big Ag looks awfully happy on that borrowed tractor!
We haven't even put our current house on the market yet in order to start looking for country property (we'll be doing that in February) but it looks like we've been blessed with a tractor to take care of the land we don't yet have. It's almost 60 years old, but still in pretty good working condition. It does run. It needs a few new parts, and a little TLC though.
I am a firm believer in God and how he works, and I love that He sent us the tractor in advance, almost as a sign to stay on the path we've chosen -- the path to relocate, west of here. I think there's a sweet farmhouse and couple of acres to use the tractor on up ahead in our future, too.
As it says in Deuteronomy 8, "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land..." In this case, a good land with a Ford tractor to use on it.
