It’s that time again in the Pacific Northwest – pumpkin spice lattes, kids’ soccer games and corn harvest.
I never understood local duck hunters who subjected themselves to sideways blowing rain, 45ºF chills and boots that gained an inch in height as they tromped through muddy fields. Then, here we were as a family watching our daughters’ soccer games in duck-hunting weather. The field was so muddy that there was a group of hunters walking by asking if they could set up a hunting blind in the goal area.
This particular Saturday involved driving through a war zone, as much of the town was without power. The only people brave enough to be out on the town were local power linemen, the National Guard and parents with kids playing soccer. This group of heroes, however, had to navigate four-way traffic corners where most people had apparently been taught that a blinking red light, or no light, meant hammer the gas and scoot on through. After two near T-bones, your minivan-driving tank commander rolled into the soccer fields with windshield wipers working like the last two animals fighting to get onto Noah's Ark. Which conjured up the thought that if Noah was building the ark on this day, he would have an army of volunteers as they witnessed apocalyptic rain coming from the heavens.
We unloaded out onto the soccer field and trudged through a muddy bog to the sidelines. The moms huddled under blankets and umbrellas, while the menfolk pretended to be unaffected by the current hurricane-like conditions. This also gave us guys the exciting opportunity to talk about what particular generator we had at the house or farm.
For those who are unaware, in a generator-owning dad’s world, this is their Super Bowl. Being able to scoff haughtily at the unprepared without power is peak mid-life dad performance. For the record, while my cows have the ability to take hot showers and enjoy the benefits full power enables, yours truly and Mrs. Faber are stuck in a cold, dark house.
When the game started, it was a little more difficult to complain and feel sorry for us as we watched 12-year-old girls claw through mud and grass as they chased a soccer ball. The sidelines were subjected to sudden gusts of wind that had the effect of turning umbrellas inside out and carrying away small pets and children. In the end, the wrong teams won, but the kids learned valuable lessons about resilience and WWI-style trench warfare.
The Faber children at a soccer game. Photo provided by Dwayne Faber.
This experience was not unlike what we are experiencing now as the last of the corn crop is being harvested. It was a late spring, and there was a desire to leave the crop out in the fields later to dry out. The rain turned on like a faucet and the roads started looking like a rookie state patrolman's ticket-writing heaven. Having dedicated truck-pulling tractors became the norm as road tires in slick mud is about as successful as serving tofurkey instead of turkey at a family Thanksgiving.
As we head into the Thanksgiving season, there are many things we are grateful for in the Faber household. We appreciate power, healthy kids, safety and a tofurkey-free Thanksgiving. It is our prayer that you, too, find something to be thankful for in this tumultuous year of change.
