Feb. 25, 2025 – Has the snow been a challenge for you this winter? Winter driving isn’t on my top 10 list of things to do. Especially in a 2-wheel-drive full-size van. Now if it’s full of 10 kids it’s pretty good but when it’s empty, the smallest amount of snow can prove difficult. If you’ve read any of these stories in the last year you may recall that we’ve acquired some pigs and calves and hens. So in addition to feeding a bunch of kids we also feed a bunch of animals. On a recent snowy Saturday I hooked up the enclosed trailer to the van, loaded up a few kids and headed out to collect a giant one-ton bag of brown oats for the animals. With barely enough traction to get out of my icy driveway we hit the road.
When we got to the farm where the oats were, I had some concern about the snow in front of the barn where I needed to load up. It was an imposing one or two inches deep and that could spell trouble for our grip-challenged van. The tote was around six feet tall and barely squeaked into my trailer gently rubbing against the top of the door as it was pushed in. Loaded up we attempted to leave on the slightly-inclined driveway. It was a challenge that filled my heart with envy towards all my friends who pull trailers with 4-wheel drive trucks. After a few spins and some back and forth maneuvering we were on the road and headed home where our next challenge awaited us.
Appropriate for our small hobby farm is our small hobby tractor. This was the second bag of oats we had picked up for the animals and previous experience reminded me that it would be a struggle for my little Kubota to lift out. I’d definitely need some kids on the back for a counter-weight. The kids enjoyed climbing up on the giant sack and emptying half of it into another empty one we brought into the trailer from the barn. Surely our little tractor would simply lift half a ton out of the trailer! It wasn’t exactly easy-peasey and it did require 3 kids standing on the back but we managed to slidey-scrape-lift the first bag out.
I guess the scraping part wasn’t helpful because one of the kids happily informed me that we had ripped the bottom of the bag open and oats were spilling out onto the snow-covered ground. We did our best to patch it up and collect the spillage. But I was glad we could share some of our newly-purchased oats with the pigeons and wild birds that would soon flock to this food-filled spot on the ground.
Our mission was a success. Oats were put in the barn. Calves and pigs and hens were happily fed. Hopefully the kids learned a bit about solving one-ton problems and finding ways to get the job done. Are there any hard jobs you’ve been putting off, dad? Maybe this weekend it’s time to git’er done! Time flies! Make every moment count! Event the too-heavy ones!
Jason Weening just published a new book all about the injuries and adventures of life with 10 kids and one wife. You can get “Yes, Dear…I’m Watching Them” on Amazon.
Ancora Imparo, Jason Weening
Laugh with Jason’s New Book for Parents: Yes, Dear..I’m Watching Them! Buy Jason’s Fiction Book for Kids: Danger in the Jungle! HEYDADS.ca Podcast