Rockin Party

When spring weather arrives around here and a field is newly plowed, close to being ready for planting, there are always good sized rocks that find their way to the surface.  Not quite boulders, but they are sufficiently large to cause damage to farm machinery that travels across the fields during the year.  My husband's solution to this has always been to have a "rock party."  Family and neighbors are "invited" to come help with the gathering of stones, limiting potential damage that might occur once he gets planting underway, not to mention the harvesting. 

A big tractor moves slowly  along,with a large loading bucket on the front, as the rock pickers walk along each side, targeting the biggest chunks.  They bend, pick up the rocks and toss them into the bucket.  It requires constant movement, down, up, toss, repeat. One also has to keep a lookout to prevent making a connection with the missiles being tossed.  When the bucket is loaded it is emptied onto a dump truck and it starts all over again.  All ages are welcome, no particular skill required, only willingness and a smile.

We have just finished a rock party, with only one injury out of the ten pickers.  A head wound with much blood, but applying an icy cold compress from the spring water that fills our pond tightened up the blood vessels quickly so that only the pain was present.

There is a reward of sorts for all the effort.  Besides the camaraderie that binds us together there is a weenie roast and s'mores at the end of the backbreaking work, visiting and the glow of the twilight campfire.  And there is a large dump truck full of good sized rocks should someone wish them for landscaping or whatever.   It is nice that rocks are now in demand for the beautification of property these days.  

When we first started this endeavor there was no great demand for rocks of this size.  You are wondering if we have never heard of those machines called "rock pickers."  Certainly, but we have never been able to afford one and thing of the good times we would have missed over the years.  Our children have fond memories, or maybe not, of this procedure and I am sure it is something they reflect upon from time to time.  None of them have gone into the farming business and this might have had something to do with their grownup choice of occupations.  However, the 15 year old neighbor confided to me this year that "this was kind of fun."  Yep, he's a great kid with the right kind of attitude.