Looking to work on a farm for a week this coming summer

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Hi, i am a 30 year old guy living in IL that loves going barefoot anywhere an everywhere. I know this will sound strange but its always been a dream of mine to go barefoot on a farm. Just seems like that is how life is meant to be. Would like to give it a try if possible this coming summer for a week or so. I have never been on a working farm before but I would love to give it a try. i hate shoes! wish I could go barefoot all the time and wish I had a job where I would get to work outside and have my feet bare an in the soil. would feel so free an soo natural.

Thanks

Craig

-- Craig (toeflexer@aol.com), December 27, 1999

Answers

One of the stories I remember my Dad telling me of his childhood years growing up on a farm, was the one about bringing the cows in to be milked in the mornings. It was during the depression, although they had very little money, they always ate well. My grandparents were mennonite, they knew how to provide for the family. New shoes didn't come until Christmas, so way down in the fall , the old ones were either non-existant or darn near it. So on those frosty fall mornings, his barefeet got mighty cold. His answer was dip his feet in a nice fresh pile of cow doo, the bigger and fresher the better, I guess. Times are better now, although my feet still get cold in my boots, I've never tried his remedy. Let me know how it works.

-- Rob Shipe (RShipe1046@aol.com), December 28, 1999.

Sometimes when it is real hot, (as it gets here in OR) in the summer, I wear sandals but I would not reccomend barefoot on my place, there are just too many things out there, old iron, glass, barbed wire, who knows what. When i was a kid, my grandparents farmed in Ohio, when my grandfather did the spring plowing i liked to walk behind in the furrow barefoot.

-- Bob Henderson (redgate@echoweb.net), December 29, 1999.

We have a full time commerical farm consisting of 1280 acres and we also feed some cattle. We are always busy in the summer. I would not reccommend not wearing shoes on the farm. In the yard or garden OK, but too much can happen out on the farm. Besides OSHA would sue the living daylights out of us for an unsafe workplace.

Bill Graff

-- William James Graff "Bill" (gll@plexiform.net), January 01, 2000.


Growing up on the farm as a kid, didn't have shoes. Later years I reach the age to harness the work team. Our Jenny was a favorite mule who I would tease each time I put her to harness. I would reach in and give her tits a big pinch. She would let out a big belch, jump and let an enormous amount of wind. One day, I gave her the big pinch and she didn't jump. She just side- step into me, gently setting her hoof on my BARE FOOT. The more I scream hit and hollered, the more pressure she applied. I can still hear her "HAW HAW" and feel the pain. We had a understanding that day. Have worn boots and don't pinch titty's from that day on. Today on the farm we are cutting Osage Orange & Black Loucust trees for fence post and fire wood. And they don't make shoes like they use to! JR

-- J. R. Jones (jr3star@earthlink.net), February 22, 2000.

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