time to re-drill.

Freshly plowed field in Shelley, Idaho.

Well, I'm back. I needed some time to readdress the direction and purpose of this whole thing. I originally started this blog as a place for me to express my feelings and thoughts on agriculture. I want to keep it that way. I let myself get distracted and disenchanted with society as a whole. Social media had become beyond irritating to me, still is a little if I am being completely honest here. My creativity was gone all together. I felt wrong in looking for the good in my life and the world. I get so frustrated with everyone complaining and airing their problems online. I choose to have social media as a creative outlet. So, when I see it being used for non-productive things I tend to get a little peeved. I'm rambling...

My point is, for me personally, I needed to take some time on what I wanted to achieve with 'The Girl on The Tractor' blog. (I was even irritated with that title, which I was so proud of just a few months ago).

A lot of my time is spent behind a windshield. This was a big blessing in allowing me to sort through all of my thoughts and feelings on where we are at as a world. I was disappointed in myself for allowing the state of the country to stifle my progress. I hadn't really let Covid affect me until February of this year. I was raised to be tough both physically and mentally. So I had been pushing through, giving my same 100% to everything. I don't regret this but it was easy to look back and see why I became more bitter over time as well as why I needed to take a minute to process my feelings on it all.

I would be lying if I said online school hasn't completely drained me in all aspects. I choose to be at college and gaining an education. I want to get the most out of the entire college experience. Neither of my parents had the chance to go and so I do not take for granted the opportunity I have to be there. With that being said, I really enjoy going to class (IN PERSON DANGIT). I enjoy taking notes. I enjoy researching various topics for papers. I enjoy participating in clubs and interacting with other students. I could do without the math classes but I passed my final last semester and will never have to see another quadratic equation again. With spending so much of time on Canvas and in Zoom-land I could hardly wait to get off my laptop each evening. I didn't give myself the time to creatively explore options for this blog.

Quite honestly, I had become jaded to online agriculture posts as a whole. I felt like I was seeing the same things over and over again just in different filters and fonts. I loathe unoriginality and cringe at the thought of being "just another girl with a blog and a camera". I will never put down others for putting themselves out there, especially in an online setting. But for me, I have to do more and do it differently. I really could care less about what the majority of people think of me. I know that I am who I am, no matter the setting. You're gonna get the same Saydee on Instagram as in you are in your animal science class and pretty much anywhere in between. I want that to come through on this blog. My passion for writing and documenting had dwindled, but I feel it coming back now. I attribute this partially to the fact that the sun is finally coming back out and the fields are turning green. I also don't have the distraction of school and am looking forward to writing the stories of folks and topics I truly care about.

My original goal has stayed with me and that is to document the agricultural lifestyle the way I see it. I have been blessed to experience different parts of the country and the world when it comes to agriculture. I have been touched by the people who so passionately work in this industry. I have spent time in numerous classrooms amongst youth who are ready to join the agricultural workforce. Agriculture brings us together and has a way of connecting hearts. So much of who I am and what I value is from lessons learned on the farm. I hope to somehow, in someway convey that. It took me some time to come back around to that main pull in my heart but I am grateful its back and I am beyond ready to document the farming season of 2021.

Overall, I wanted to take 5 minutes and write down where my thoughts are currently. Sometimes in farming, crops need to be re-drilled in the spring after everything thaws. The work was put in during the fall to prepare the land as well as to plant the seeds but weather during the winter and spring can take a toll on the seeds already planted. They won't sprout for one reason or another. In the spring, a farmer can 're-drill', which means replanting new seeds into the ground. This is important in fields so that everything is nice and uniform when harvest time comes around. I relate to this concept. I was so on fire and amped to continue writing on this type of platform. I had put in the work to seek out hot topics within agriculture. I was so ready to watch my seeds germinate and grow into thriving fields but I allowed different "storms" aka distractions to pull me off my goal. Well folks, I've got the tractor pulled out, planter hooked up, and seeds ready. No GPS needed, I know exactly how and where these new seeds need to go and no weather Mother Nature decides to throw is getting in my way. So, hop in the buddy seat and come along for the ride!

As always thank you for reading.

*tips ball cap from the tractor seat*