Fav Farmer Call & Health Insurance - yay 2026!

I was deep in thought about plant stand placement, surrounded by parts, when my phone rang yesterday.

A cheerful voice teased me when I answered - “do you know who this is Kristin? You still know anybody in that South Dakota?” 😂😂😂

Deano!!

My favorite farmer ever. Lucky lady me got a phone call pep talk in return for my Christmas Card. And I got to tell him - no tractor yet, but when the day comes, I’m only going for it because what YOU taught me & THANK YOU!

Back when I dated his son, Dean was always happy to answer questions, show me how. A gatorade drop on the way to check on Aaron led to a sickle teeth change out lesson, and before I headed west for my first semester of college in 2001, he had to made sure I was comfortable changing my oil & my tires - just in case, because he knew my father Tom probably wasn’t going over those things with me.

Deano rewarded my outside enthusiasm with more knowledge. First farmer to trust me in equipment, let me cut ditch hay & I got to hop in a baler with him & Aaron when it was time to run the storm & get it up - cuz oh boy its almost on us.

Planting is a no - go. I dance to the music, just like in my Oscar truck, & it showed in my rows 😂😂☺️. BUT - he let me try!

Boys headed to elk hunting in Colorado meant I got to leave the fencing truck in the pasture & hop a pony to go play with my fencing pliers. I got to go antelope hunting with the boys, but Elk hunting I was told “oh its the mountains, you might get lost”. 😂 I think it was because I beat them all deer hunting with biggest buck my first year out, boys & their cousins.

And - YES - Aaron was one of my first calls after joining Search & Rescue. “Remember when I didn’t get to go Elk hunting & you said that ‘I might get lost’ comment because you forgot my mom was from the mountains & its in my blood?” Let me tell you about how we found these lost guys from Nebraska…

I loved calving season. Coffee tastes better hot, in a mug, pre-dawn, checking the herd.

All the new littles plus, any frozen feet calves - I got to play with them?! The photo is lil Buster Brown. He made it, we had to eat Barnaby.

And the kitty - that’s Jingle. Kathy was mad when she heard the “meow” in the truck on the way back from town. Deano saw me playing with my little black kitty cat friend outside the family Christmas gathering in town.

“Just, Kristin, tuck in your coat, don’t say anything” 😂😂😂😁

He let me use their gelding I named Jack (he had one eye, so of course his name was Jack) for the rodeo queen contest at my hometown PRCA rodeo. Ol’ Jack & his beautiful slide was what won me my Horsemanship trophy I still treasure.

When it was pair sorting time, Dean sent beef home for me & mom for my “work” that was always incredibly appreciated & even let me use the old small hog barn for my colt he had Aaron get me, my Charlie Horse, if I didn’t mind the work, cleaning it out.

Deano will be one of the reasons, I’ll soon be able to say: “ Yeah, we were all farmers, going all the way back all sides, except my parents, but I fixed that”. Maybe it takes a generational, to help someone one generation out, get back ‘tuit 😁

I really don’t know, BUT - I owe his effort & support & knowledge sharing, a whole bunch more effort, so I can drive him a full load of fruit, from in part, his labor of sharing the love & knowledge so freely.

And YAY! My health insurance card finally shows up today I believe. It’ll be a lot easier to get after the work - when I get my poor arm attended to by a professional.

Please think good thoughts of muscle / bruise muscular and not a tear, as I can’t take much more 70% light duty 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🫶🏼

Happy Wednesday

Get that sunshine - because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring - unless we are on it today!!