Piling children into the car morning and evening to make the trek to my in-laws to move sprinkler pipe frequently seems bothersome. Oftentimes I’m convinced there’s not enough time to get this done, too. I hurriedly throw on long sleeves, spray exposed skin with bug spray, and dawn rubber, knee-high irrigation boots. My children and I step into a waist-high field of oats. We walk with mouths closed as mosquitoes swarm our heads. Sometimes we run to break free of the mosquito hordes. And then we hear it. It’s been there all along–we were just in too much of a hurry to pay it any mind. But it’s there: chtt, chtt, chtt.
The sprinklers’ chtt, chtt, chtt distills a quiet peace. Out in the field moving sprinkler pipe twice a day lends itself to quiet reflection. As a I fall into a steady rhythm of squat, lift, walk and then push in, turn, and pull back, my mind quietly meditates. I can only move one pipe at a time. The beauty of a quiet summer evening calms my rushed life pace.
This forced slow down brings balance and helps me face the mounting laundry changing water inevitably brings. Here are the farmhands fresh from the field.
And here’s what the laundry looks like.
This is what I look like after changing water. I’ll have you know that make-up survived a three mile run and subsequent shower earlier in the day, but was no match for moving sprinkler pipe. It’s a good thing getting wet has never bothered me. It’s one of those personality traits I never thought was actually very important. However, since I don’t mind getting wet, I’m free to enjoy a peaceful morning or evening moving sprinkler pipe.
Well sis at least you don’t have to haul small bails of hay after moving the pipe. There is a reward in the job. I always liked moving the pipe. Ecspecially in the mornings. Quiet,calm and crisp. Move the pipe to the next set. Straight as possible. Then turn on the valve. Watch the risers to make sure they all work. Smile with a small amount of satisfaction. Move to next set and do it over again. When your done you look at the feild and listen as the sprinklers are going and it is calming and hypnotic. 12 hours later you get to do it all over again.
oh my word, you do this twice a day??? you’re a stronger woman than me.
Twice a day when there’s water. We’re out of water now. Plus it was time to cut and bale the oats. Alfalfa produces 3 crops a year. So any water we can get goes to those fields at this point. We’re on severe water rationing now. We have to wait four or five days at a time for the pond to fill and if it’s our turn we have a limited number of rainbirds we can use.