Tractor Archives - With Just a Bit of Magic

My daily 15 minute drive to work takes me through farmland, wooded areas, open fields, and city streets.

Horses graze, deer leap across the road, and chickens around wander yards.

The “big” city is only about 30 minutes away where we can shop, eat at amazing restaurants, check out museums, and all sort of other fun things.

There are times that I wished that I lived in the city. I love the hustle and bustle, I love all the excitement, and I love all of the opportunities that are available to everyone that is there.

Of course the country and smaller towns have a lot to offer too.

Wide open spaces, safety, a sense of community, and where I live great schools.

As I drive around there are a few sights that have grabbed my attention and begged to be photographed.

This red tractor had been sitting in this field for weeks. I don’t know if it was broken down or not… but with the surrounding fields, beautiful trees, and fog the morning I drove by it looked perfect sitting there, like it had been taken from another time and place and just dropped there.

This green tractor never moves from this spot and each day that I see it I am reminded of the movie Cars. It looks just like one of the tractors that Mater & Lightening tip when they go tractor tipping in the field for fun.

I don’t know much about this one other than it was hidden among the weeds and looks like an older truck (look at the horns on the top). I like older vehicles and it looks like this one might still work but has been forgotten for something newer. It’s a sad truck…

This one is my absolute favorite.

There is a long story behind this one and my husbands grandmother told me about it but of course I can’t remember it. What I do remember is that this truck was parked in it’s current spot close to 50 years ago and hasn’t moved since. The land owners and I think family of the truck have never considered moving it and so there it remains with the windows missing, surrounded by weeds, and little trees growing out of the engine area.

I’ve been thinking more and more about where I live and the sights in my area and have had some great ideas on what to go in search of next. Barns! When you live in Michigan there is a ton of farms and with that comes some beautiful and old barns. I think a little research first might be in order so I’m not driving around aimlessly looking for cool barns.

Tell me about where you live….

Last Friday I took the day off from work and spent the day with my daughter on her first field trip of the year. I was a little hesitant at first because it was for rural education day and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

We went to school early that morning, got our instructions, and then boarded the school buses. I should mention here that I really do not like riding school bus! Loud, bumpy, drafty… I don’t know how I rode the bus all those years.

We made the best of the trip going through our packet and of course taking pictures of ourselves.

Funny thing… it took us like 3 or 4 tries to get this picture because of the bumpy bus ride!

The ride finally ended 20 minutes later and I found myself transported back in time to a time with old gas tractors, yarn spinning, farm animals, and a place in Michigan where there was zero, zilch, nada in cell phone signal.

We planned out all the areas we were going to check out and headed for the candle making, yarn spinning, and rope making area first. The kids learned how to make candles and how to spin wool into yarn and then how to turn that into clothing or rugs.

I’m pretty sure that anyone living in the late 1800’s had such sweet smelling candles but they kids had a lot of fun dipping them over and over again in the hot wax.

We learned what sorgum is and how it’s turned into a thick, dark syrup similar to molasses. We even bought some to make cookies with for Lauren to take to school with her one day. The sorgum is grown, harvested, and processed right there!

By far though the best part of the day for any kid that was there on Friday was being able to drive a tractor! Those kids thought that it was the best thing ever and did everything that they could to be able to do it again!

Overall it was a pretty good day!

I was really surprised how much Lauren liked using the old fashioned washing machine…. I’m pretty sure that if she had to spend the day washing all the laundry that we, as a family of 6, produces in a week she wouldn’t like it much at all and she’d stop after the first couple of pieces!

Between listening to the heart beat of the cow, sheep sheering, tractor driving, and a good old fashioned hot dog lunch the kids (and I) had a pretty full day!

And of course only in Mid-Michigan will you have a rural education day field trip.

Am I wrong? Do you have rural education day?