If you are bowling you wait for the lane next to you to finish bowling their lane before you bowl yours and I wondered if the same applied to running the tractors. Should I have waited until the neighbor was finished before I mowed? My son laughed at me when I called him to ask.
Someone accused me of being blonde. (Apologies to blondes everywhere.) My response, "I do not yet know farm etiquette". Another comment, "Two words never heard together before "farm" and "etiquette".
Perhaps I can become the Emily Post of farming. Rule #1: Wearing earrings while mowing is optional.
Rule #2: You should always wear a flowery dress while driving a tractor, along with rubber boots.
etc., etc., etc....
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| Had to add this image to go with my response to Cliff's comment. |
Nothing wrong with being blessed with good manners.
ReplyDeleteI am completely in the dark about farm etiquette. I have never been a farmer not operated any farm vehicles/implements. But it always helps to be nice whether any farm etiquette exists or not.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a farm, but our house is one of three in a row that were built on old farm land. The three home owners always end up mowing within two days of each other. To my knowledge there was never a discussion about this, it just happens and the expanse of the three lawns always look so well cared for and country home-ish. In fact, the neighbors took care of the yard while I was doing the two weeks of hospital vigil without being asked. Those acts of neighborliness do mean so much.
ReplyDeleteyou are funny, but there is some truth in the question you ask, but it depends which way the wind is blowing...You would not want to blow dust in your neighbors face and you would not want dust blown in yours! Think about it! Much more sensible thought and farmers are sensible people.
ReplyDeleteI smile at the thought of you mowing in a flowery dress and earrings! And I think it's very nice of you to be concerned about farm etiquette.
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing with your son.
ReplyDeleteProper attire for women while farming is similar to what Daisy Duke wore.
Competition over the fence is normal. But I would agree with the fact that the dust would be a concern. But only if the one receiving the dust doesn't have a cab.
Pat -- My parents taught me to always be polite.
ReplyDeleteR. Ramanathan -- I should have been playing closer attention when Ron was out there working.
Olga -- How wonderful that your neighbors cared for you lawn while you were at Mike's side. Thankfully I had my children and siblings to care for home and hearth in my absence.
Brite Mist -- So glad you knew I was being funny. So much for my hopes as a stand up comedian when some think I am serious. It is a good point about watching the wind. However that was a very still day.
Lynn -- The boots are definitely a necessity regardless of the rest of one's attire.
Cliff -- Oh I knew you would be laughing with my son. And I am sure he too would vote for the Daisy Duke attire...however not on me!!! Just picture Ma Kettle in that outfit. (Rather don't or you will burn your retinas just thinking about it.)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait 'til "Annie's Book of Farm Etiquette" hits the stands. I think the earrings should be required.
ReplyDeleteI love your life. I know it's not easy figuring out the etiquette of farming, but it's not easy figuring out the etiquette of life either. So we all struggle. You just get to have way more cool animals than we do.
ReplyDeleteBack home, the farm etiquette only meant that you do not run in the pile of "rice hay" with shoes. A lot of farm kids had a lot of fun as they understood the value of rice and the reasons we cannot let it be under our shoes. We ended up not having fun as our grandma did not allow us to go anywhere without shoes. She did mean well, a little paranoid, but meant well. LOL
ReplyDeleteLaughing still. Having grown up on the farm, I do believe a bit of farm etiquette exists or maybe it is just plain old country manners. As long as you wear a bra under your flowery dress while mowing it is all okay in the country...lol...tractor bounce is not good if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteI admire you!
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ReplyDeleteI dont have a farm but yard etiquette allows neighbors to mow at the same time as long as they wave and acknowledge the other mower first..
Now if 3 or more neighbors are mowing it gets a bit more intricate as one must wave to the mower who began First and that requires walking along the road a bit to see who'd the fartherest along:) of course you can still break the rules on this if one neighbor is a Faster Mower..
The only way I know too rectify this issue is to always mow wearing your custom made mowing tshirt , white with large black lettering, of course.. Print on it " Hello to all fellow mowers. May your blands be Sharp, your engine run smooth and no raindrops till you finish your task".
If you have any problem remembering these mowing rules please call 1-800-mowerrules OR contact us at www.mowerrules.com ..
thank you and have a wonderful day.
*******************
did ya get all that?
love ya
Sonny
rut roe I just read Rae's comment.
ReplyDeleteI am a BOUNCING MowerPerson. In fact my chest appendages are of a size that what happens would better be called" swapping cylinders" than bouncing..
know what I mean.. lucky I havent knocked myself out when hitting bumps in the lawn.. just lucky I guess.
Manners are important! And I'm with you about looking nice :)
ReplyDeleteGood manners are wonderful, on or off the farm. Mowing in a dress with boots on is nothing new around here (see pic of my idol Ma Kettle). You go girl!
ReplyDeleteI guess manners are important no matter what you are doing and the readers comment about blowing dust made sense to me. In the suburbs it is noise...do not make lawnmowing noise before 8:30!!
ReplyDeleteHeheheh.......I remember 'mowing' when we visit our friend's house in Southern France. But coming back to manner, that aside, if it is your farm and your time I suppose you can do it anytime or any which way you want :D
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Farm etiquette may be an oxymoron, but it's no more ridiculous than June Cleaver cleaning house in her pearls and pumps.
ReplyDeleteInteresting juxtapoistion of terms!
ReplyDeleteI think mowing at the same time is optimal, due to getting the loud noise over ASAP! I hate mower sound! Every one here at a different time keeps me from sleeping.
I love your post- So original! Hate floral prints tho! Don't even have any- Can't attract bees, I'm allergic. I want to live!
I won't wear red, orange, or yellow either. Do sometimes prefer the dark, bluer violet tho.
Sorry loading has been too slow n quirky after work to get here much lately.
Jeanie – Probably the first rule should be not to call yourself a “farmer” if you just live in the country and raise chickens.
ReplyDeletecube – Soon the word etiquette will be lost along with the words ethics and morals. But don't get me started.
Munir – We do not have rice hay but running around here without shoes was a big no-no with Ron. Grandkids were in trouble if caught outside barefoot. Not only do we appear to be growing rocks around here, there is also glass that turns up in the most unexpected places. Don't know what the previous owners did unless the sat out at night and tossed their beer bottles everywhere.
Rae – Yep, I know about that tractor bounce. Now I'm laughing.
JeanMac – Never as much as I admire you!
'
Sonny – I'm making me one of those t-shirts. Love it!
Riot Kitty – Well, to be perfectly honest, I look like a homeless person when I mow. And if you think people get bugs in their teeth riding motorcycles, wait til you see me after mowing.
Brighid – I need a new pair of boots. Not my cowboy boots but my knee high rubber boots. Our neighbors had a ton of them a while back and offered me a free pair. I declined and Ron said I should have taken them. He was right. Now mine are splitting and I'm not sure if it would be correct to go knocking on their door to see if any are left and if the offer still stands.
Tabor – Yes the wind thing is certainly a matter of consideration. Now about the noise, you would not like the sounds of farm equipment running around here, plus the roosters crowing and the guinea fowl squawking loudly as well as the dogs barking. It is all music to my ears.
Shionge – Thanks my friend, you are so right. My home, my rules. lol
Susan Adcox – Oh yes, June Cleaver would have mowed in those pearls and pumps.
Snaggle Tooth – I know when we lived in town we would not start our mowers until 9am on weekend.
I learned a useful thing when mowing to keep the bugs away. Wear a sheet of fabric softener on your clothes or under you hat. It works.
Well, we hire yardmen to do our yard once a month. I leave the rules of yard etiquette to them. Lol.
ReplyDeleteThat is cute, Annie. And I think a valid question. And, yes, rubber boots and pearls make perfect sense while out mowing. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend.
Here's my suggestion for farm courtesy: always warm your hands before you milk the cow. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd then I wonder if it is like the grocery store where you know someone. Do you have to acknowledge them every time you pass or just the first time?
ReplyDeleteI can remember when my grandparents would be scandalized to see their farm neighbours working the fields on Sunday. I don't know if that was etiquette or not but you see it all the time now.
ReplyDeleteWow! That question has never occurred to me. As for the mowing etiquette, the only thing I think of is to avoid doing so when your neighbor is having a party.
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