How to make Michael Happy!

[Amishway Homesteaders]

What a wonderful Day I am having!

Left early to go to the Amish Farm we help with Farmers Market and picking on the farm, and today was the start of thrashing day! Poor Lori had to go to work at Library but she will be there after 5 pm as we will be trashing until 8pm tonight. I am just home long enough to rest a bit (very hot out there but a breeze so that helps – but eh sun gets to me)

So I get there and they have already have gone down to the big barn to get the thrasher ready to go but Ben is back at shop to fix a strap. Hey he says, want to drive the horses back down to the boys? YES! So I got to drive the 2 horse team and wagon across the fields out back to the thrasher.

Back it right in so we can hook it up they say. NOT if you want the barn doors to stay on I say. So Joseph gets on and does that part and off we go to the oat field that was cut and stacked last week – they (oat stacks) are very dry and ready to be thrashed. I hope off the wagon when we get onto the middle of the field and helped ‘park’ the old McCormick Thrasher so we can hook up all the belts (11 in all) to make it work and we also had to unfold some parts to get it ready.

They took a break and I headed home for a rest.

Later I have to go back and help toss the oat stacks onto wagons and bring to the thrasher. Then my job will change and I help toss the stacks (using hay fork) into the machine to separate the oats, chaff and other stuff before it is bagged or put on wagon to go back to barn.

I am so tired! .......................... But having so much fun!

I was born too late in life BUT thank God for being able to work with the Amish that still do things “the old way”.

 

[themartianchick]

It does sound like a lot of work, but I'm so glad that you enjoyed yourself!

[Mother]

I, too, have been involved with thrashing but nearly as involved as you are Michael. It's hard and often dusty work but it brings with it a sense of stepping back in time where hard work had it's own rewards besides the obvious of grain in the barn. It brings a sense of accomplishment.

 

GOOD FOR YOU. Have fun but remember the heat.

 

[Cat]

In case anyone is curious about what Michael is talking about, here are a couple of links. There are some videos included at these sites.

 

Farming in the 1920s - Harvesting wheat. (pretty much same procedure as oats)

http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe20s/machines_06.htm

(neat little "How a thresher works" step-by-step graphics)

 

Implements used on the farm

Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ndfahtml/ngp_farm_threshing.html

(more pics you can click on at site)

 

 

My Dad worked on these crews as a kid. He had some great memories he shared with us. They would go from farm to farm, everyone helping everyone else, and the family they were helping fed everyone. It was like long, hot Thanksgiving feast weeks! Women were more than a little competitive about the food, as others would "talk" about who did the BEST...

[sassenach]

I am glad you can do this today AH. It does sound like fun and good hard dusty work. The reward, oats harvested and bagged up for the needs on the farm and perhaps to profit from. Nice.

[Dee]

My Mom grew up in the days of thrashing. I remember til the day she died if there was alot of food when we went somewhere she'd say, "there's enough here to feed a thrashing crew!"