Thursday, July 26, 2012

Wheat Truck Pioneer



My husband (yes, the "wonderful awesome husband" I (he) posted about on facebook the other day) is working harvest.   He has summers off because he was smart enough to go into education.   This summer, though, he decided that since we have an appendectomy and a tonsilectomy to pay for he would sacrifice three weeks of his lazy hazy summer and work for one of the local wheat farmers.    He is four days into it now and is wondering what the heck he was thinking!   

Jewels over at frazzledandfrumpy blogged about Pioneer Day - - the celebration of the early Mormon pioneers trekking across the country to escape persecution and ending up in the Salt Lake Valley.   It took many months and was extremely hard.  People sacrificed most of their worldly possessions.   They suffered along the way, physically and emotionally.  Many died on their journey, but they kept on trekkin', motivated by the promise of religious freedom.    Those who made it paved the way for others to come and were heroes to their descendants.   Jewels' blog post reminded me of my husband.  He is kind of like a pioneer as he drives the wheat truck every day, six days a week, 12 hours a day.   It's hard work.  He is suffering.   He has sacrified some of his summer.  He is motivated - - not by religious freedom (we already have  that).  He is motivated by FINANCIAL freedom (well, not total financial freedom but freedom from medical bills).

Okay, fine.  It's really nothing like the pioneers of old.  People won't be talking about him decades from now and how he sacrificed his hammock for a few weeks in order to drive an air conditioned wheat truck and earn thousands of dollars.  (Yes, they pay really well.)   He won't die and his body buried in a makeshift grave in the wheat field.

But . . .  he IS paving the way to freedom from medical bill debt . . . and . . . he IS my hero.

Plus - - the bread you will eat just may have been made using the wheat he is harvesting . . . :)  His influence knows no bounds.   

30 comments:

  1. His family will tell the stories about this Summer, there has to be some good to go with the BAD! Glad he won't have to be buried int he wheat fields.

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    1. Well, Mary, the jury is still out on the buried in the wheat field thing :) Hopefully all will go well!

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  2. I think he is a pioneer! And, hopefully your kids will remember Dad's sacrifices to pay for their medical bills.

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  3. Those in education earn their summer 'vacations'. They also don't get those vacations paid for either. Any kind of farm work is hard and your husband is a hero.

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    1. I've always been jealous of the summers off thing :(

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  4. A legend in his own mind.

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  5. I know his sacrifice! No, I don't know anything about wheat harvesting or driving big trucks but I don know how essential those three weeks off in the summer are for him. What a good guy to make that effort to help you attain freedom (from medical bills!).

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    1. Fortunately, he should still have a few weeks until school starts once he's done harvesting. I think his body will need that time to recover!

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  6. I can identify with Sean, as far as working is concerned. I did either summer school or summer enrichment programs for six-week blocks, thirteen of the sixteen years I taught. I loved it, because otherwise, I would have had to do construction work. Those pesky bills just don't understand the concept of summer.

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    1. Usually my husband stays home during the summer - - and my house is never cleaner! And I never have to cook!

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  7. simply a super great guy and hence you a super lucky gal !
    I always wanted to be in education so I could go farming in the summer (kidding!)

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  8. He is a trooper with that schedule even if the money is nice, but good that he has the opportunity to do so to help pay down some bills! I'm really thankful I didn't live in the times of the pioneers; I would never have made it across country in a covered wagon with the obstacles and adversities they had to face. So thankful I live in a bit more modern time :)

    betty

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  9. I would definitely say he's a hero! And quite a good man too!

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  10. Awww on your hero! :) Mine works construction, so won't say anything about long hours in the heat, especially when I have an inside job, except for the one house that has no air conditioning. Enjoyed reading your post :)

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    1. I know. I feel like I can't complain about not having my summers off (well, at least not THIS summer anyway - - maybe I'll complain again next year!).

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  11. Farming is hard work and I don't envy your husband doing that at all!!! Those pioneers though....the spirit and fearlessness it took to blaze new trails across the country blows my mind. The poor Donner party.

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    1. I definitely could not have been a pioneer back in the day :)

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  12. I love this post Judy! You should feel very proud..and what a wonderful example to your family. He sounds like a gem!

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    1. He is a gem, Jennifer - - although he doesn't have a talent for decorating like you do :)

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  13. My reservist husband is doing his two weeks active duty right now...we miss him but I love how he has stuck with his goal of adding to our retirement. 20 years has gone by in a blink of an eye!

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    1. He does it for you and your children . . . what a great way to show his love.

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  14. what our husbands do for their families--i hope your husband and you enjoy your summer :)

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  15. I have never known anyone who "worked a harvest" before. This blogging thing introduces me to such neat people. Sorry about all the offending organs you've run into lately. Darn organs. Your husband sounds wonderful. And I'm already madly in love with Jewels. Not that there's anything wrong with that. (;

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    1. If you're going to have an offending organ, I guess a tonsil or appendix is the one to have :)

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  16. tell him I prefer black black and thank you

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