Little Mowing Man

A couple weeks ago I tried to mow my yard but the mower was gone.  Then I got gout and could not walk.  After going to the ER and falling through my porch rail trying to get into my house, my nephew, Derrick, said he'd mow for me since it was getting really tall from all the rain we have had.  Not until you get the mower back from your hired man.  The next day Jeff brought back the mower and Derrick and Layne began mowing.

 



 After mowing some between the trees across the drive and a couple rounds in my yard with Derrick showing Layne how it works, Layne began running the controls by himself with his daddy sitting with him.  Then Derrick got off and let Layne mow all by him self in my yard.

 

Layne finished mowing my yard by himself with his daddy and great aunt watching.  He went slow enough for the thickness of the grass and learned where to drive the front wheel in order not to miss some grass.  When he would miss a spot when he turned around (I do that all the time) he would go back and get it the next time he came by or when his daddy pointed it out to him.

 

You can see that his 6 year old feet are not able to tough the mower deck by a good 6 inches but that did not stop him from being able to run the joy stick and mow.  He was so pleased with himself that he mowed their ditch which is flat (mine is not) and then mow in front of Grandma & Papa's house so they could see him.  



 

 I love to watch Derrick with his kids, especially with his son.  Derrick is such a good father.  Layne is such a little man as he follows his daddy and Papa around the farm and the little guy is a lot of help.  They will tell him what they want him to do and he can do it.  He was in the tractor 2 different times in the week or so as Derrick and Dad were working on equipment and Layne would pull levers or flip switches for them as they worked on the ground. That saves them so much time climbing up and down, in and out of the tractor.  All you need to do is explain it once to Layne and he knows it.  That is just like his daddy, Derrick, was and still is.  Layne will grow up just knowing how to farm work on equipment just by hanging with his dad and his great grandpa.  I love these three men in my life.

Now that Layne is learning to mow and Derrick wants him to do it more with him being there to watch and move things out of his way and to mow a perimeter for Layne, I may be soon out of my summer farm job.  Oh, well.

Rose