Jenny Bashutski – Bashutski Harvesting Ltd.
We have been in Montana for over a month.
We do mostly pulse crops here, ie: chickpeas and lentils. They can be a hurry-up-and-wait crop. They are sprayed at a certain time to help finish off the ripening process. Usually, five days after being sprayed, they will be ready to harvest. Not this year!
So, we cut for a few days then wait for a few days. All in all, it’s been a good run here. We fully expect to be here at least a month, so it’s no surprise we are still here. The guys should finish off our main client tonight and then they may get to go back into some wheat for some other guys here.
School starts tomorrow, September 4th, for our kids. They will miss the first day but will make it for the second day. Today, I cooked the last breakfast and the last supper in my camper for the men, for this year. I washed my last load of clothes in the wash trailer and hung them on my makeshift clothesline, that I love, for the last time this year. The kids and I will head home tomorrow, sans dad.
One would think I’d be super happy to go home. But, I’m not. It’s a bittersweet time for me. I truly love the simplicity of living on the road. Simplicity, you say? Yes, there is something so simple about this lifestyle. Maybe it’s because we are living with minimal belongings due to lack of space in a camper. Maybe it’s because there’s no house issues to worry about or no yards to upkeep (although I love yard work!). Whatever it is, it outweighs the problems endured while living this lifestyle. I will be happy to be home but will miss this and, of course, the hubby.😉 I will return, in a week or so, when they’re done to get my camper. Then, hopefully, it will be full throttle harvest at home!
1. Be ready to go at the drop of a hat...sometimes without a lunchbox.
2. Has removed the word impossible from her vocabulary!
3. Can hold a baby, take care of a toddler and drive a tractor or combine all at the same time.
4. Must be able to cook for a crew - large or small.
5. Must be able to read minds.
6. Must be able to banter with a parts man until he realizes you DO know what you're talking about.
7. Must be the entertainment director for those rainy days.
8. Be a wife, mom, friend, helper, cook, problem solver, taxi driver or extra crew hand at all times.
9. Can handle the call that makes you react, "You need what? When?" Dropping everything you're doing to make it happen.
10. At the end of the day say, "I really do love this life".
