Have you ever had an experience so exciting or so terrifying that you were left shaking and queasy afterwards?

I’ve had two such experiences in my life.

1. Walking from the ambulance through the hospital after a plane ride with my newborn Henley and the shocking news she had a problem with her heart. Crying for hours and being seriously overdue for a breastfeeding session, I was definitely shaking and queasy.

2. Waiting in the gas station parking lot for Mr. Rancher to arrive with the card to re-fuel the swather after a harrowing drive from the field, down the highway, and through town.

Having been commissioned as a ranch hand really sucks sometimes. Like when you’ve spent several hours swathing a hay field, so the boss now thinks you’re qualified to drive the swather on the highway and through town.

Swathers are very temperamental machines and turn at the slightest touch. In order to keep the wheel steady, I had to dig my left elbow into the arm rest and clutch the wheel with white knuckles to keep it straight on the road and away from oncoming traffic or mailboxes to the right.

Once if finally completed the drive from the field to the gas station, my arms were actually shaking from the effort of driving straight and a sousing a crash.

Since that initiation, Mr. Rancher thinks I can drive the swather anytime.

When am I going to learn to STOP learning how to do things in the farm?