Tim has been giving me tractor driving lessons this week and I have to say that I am a LOT more confident than I was on my first lesson several summers ago, I was terrified of tipping over on practically flat land! Driving a 40 horsepower farm tractor is much different than driving a car or even a riding mower (I can't believe that I was once scared of driving one of those) because you have to remember to put it in the right gear, remember at which speed to put the throttle on depending on the situation, use the 4 wheel drive in the fields, but not on the pavement, and constantly adjust the mower height. The machine is huge and is very dangerous to children on the ground as well to the driver. I have mowed around some of the fields, but when I was caught in a huge downpour Tuesday evening, I quickly pulled up the 7' mower, cut off the PTO, and put it in 3rd gear to get back to the barn. Of course by the time I carefully backed it in, the rain had almost stopped.
To make mowing the edges of the fields safer for Tim and myself I have resumed my pruning of the trees that stick out. A local man died last year when a branch whipped back into his chest while he was mowing. Well, three hours using heavy duty loppers and a pole saw has worn me out so badly that my muscles ache just sitting still. I can't lift anything more than a teacup, but no branches are going to slap me when I get back on that tractor.
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