Our Rural Roots

Meredith Bernard, Contributor

We made it. Past the long yet oh-so-short days of February. Through the lion winds and turmoil of March ushering in the first buds and subsequent blooms of April. We made it to May. The month where all things seem possible, as nature writer Edwin Way Teale put it. On the farm, there's no truer sentiment.

Around here, May means corn, beans and hay. All those mean crops to sell and feed for our cows. Cattle feed and crops mean the circle of life as we know and live it continues another year. There's both peace and promise in that, but none of which comes without an extra dose of patience.

This month never seems to come fast enough and, once it's here, never seems to last long enough. From seeds going in the ground for corn and soybeans to grass being cut, baled and hauled out of the field, there's often more to do than there are hands, feet, equipment or time to get it all done. But, how good it feels once it's accomplished.

Not until I became a farm wife and experienced this life firsthand could I appreciate this month for more than sunshine and the first family vacation of the year. Those things are still favorite memories from the past and a part of our present and future -- but watching a farm come to life this time of year gives meaning beyond compare.

The smell of turned dirt. The satisfaction in working together as family to get calves worked, equipment greased, seed in the hoppers and hay raked and baled. The joy that comes as payment for our combined contribution of sweat equity. No maybe about it, this is the month that all things seem possible. And, we'll hold onto that hope for whatever the months ahead may bring.

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-- Meredith Bernard writes and looks for all things possible while tending to farm and family from North Carolina. Follow her on social media @thisfarmwife, and visit her website at https://thisfarmwife.com/…

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