June 22, 2010
We bought our wheelines a number of years ago at an auction in Moses Lake. The lines had been out in the “back forty” for who knows how long. We broke them down and brought them to the farm and have put them back together again as we have needed them. Last Friday we assembled four for the field with Sudan, Emmer, and Wheat. We took them to the field, hooked them up, and turned water on. We found out how lucky we’ve been.
Three of the four pipe have holes. Not just a few holes, but enough to make the wheeline look like some type of water show at Disneyland. Little pin holes, large holes, and cracks threw water upward, sideways, and downward. Turning the water on in the late afternoon with the sun in the western sky meant we had a multitude of rainbows mixing and dancing with one another up and down the wheeline. It was quite a sight, and I imagine I should have taken a picture of the wonderful event, but I have to admit, I didn’t see a lot of beauty in the moment.
Yesterday we pulled in a few, replaced the pipes, and got them back in place. We’ll work on getting a few more replaced today.
© David B. Bell 2010
Chewing the Cud 