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Show , life orrtne farm i 1 - 'M Ml ' i - 4 " ft I! For A Symrmer You unhook the pipe from the next one in line, and holding it with the riser against you, you carry it the feet to where you hot it up again. Until you learn to balance the pipe, it will keep tipping from side to side, and it makes you plumb mad after a while. But when you get the hang of it, its not bad except for a few complications. One complication is hilly land, where the pipes are full of water and wont drain out. Theyre so heavy that it takes Donna and me tugging and lifting our hardest to get them unhooked. Another complication is moving in tall hay, where your feet get tangled, and you cant hook the pipes together because the hay gets in the way. 60 0 YOU HAPPEN to be the type who likes to get up real early in the morning, and traipse up and down hills, and who is strong and willing to work? Well, if you are youre hired you can take my place moving sprinkler pipe this summer. My sister and I had the joyous experience of moving pipe for our big brother last year, from June into October. Oh, we had a blast, I tell you! I know this Is a boys job, but since I am a professional, I thought Id tell you a little bit of how its done. After all, who knows, you might find yourself doing it too, someday. The line of pipe stretches across the field. You have to unhook it, move it down the field a ways and hook it up again to water a ner stretch of land. On alfalfa, you move it once a day, but on potatoes, wheat, and sugar beets, you have to move it every morning and night. It gets pretty tiresome before long. ' &V,j. TO SHOW you just how it is, Ill relive a typical morning of moving pipe. At 5:30 a.m., someone hollers down the stairs, Get up! Time to Oh. horrible go move pipe! thought! I groan and moan, and finally flop out of bed. When were ready to go, the worst is usually over, for Im sure youll agree that nothing is as bad as getting up in the morning. I mean mv brother By Sve Richard, 19, my sister Donna, 14, and myself, 17. We Reids live in the prettiest valley in Idaho, along the Blackfoot River. Rich, Donna and I climb into his old. rod, which doesnt have a top. and go roaring down the dusty road. First we switch off the pump, which is by the canal. It pumps the water up the hill through the mainline. Rich tells us that he wants us to move our old friend the hay line. So we hop out when we get to it. First, I shut off the valve, by turning the valve opener handle. If its a leaky one, I get squirted while I turn, which makes it nice! THEN I KICK off the valve open- er, which sometimes takes 20 minutes for me, but only a few seconds if you do it right, aind take it to the next valve. The lines finally ready to move. Salt Lake City, May 30, 1965 BUT THERES WORSE things tlvn tall hay to move in like tall grain. You can lose the line and wander around looking for it for quite a while sometimes before you find it again. Im learning that the best way to keep from losing the line is to count your steps from the. one line to where youre hooking R up again. But spuds! Boy, sometimes I think theyre worst of all! A person can get stuck in the mud holding a pipe, and not know what to do! Well, when we get the line moved finally, Donna and I look back at it and let 9ut-- a groan. Its so crooked! All summer we moved v pipe, and still our lines looked this bad: Of course, Richs always were just like this: The only way to make a straight line is to lay down the pipe when you hook it, and not monkey with it till you think its straight. Donna and I just cant remember this. I ITS AFTER a real exasperating line of pipe that we sure wish Rich would fire us, but though we give him plenty of opportunity to, he just wont! From what Ive said, you may think theres nothing good about moving sprinkler pipe. But I guess there is, come to think of it. You get to feel close to the soil, and see things grow day by day! And on a nice day, moving pipe is even kin-d-a fun. And, it keeps you physically fit. However, last spring I said to myself, Boy, Ill be so slim by next fall Itll be just wonderful! Well, I was wrong about that. But if I hadnt moved pipe, Id really be a fatso! ANYHOW, I know last summer is one Ill never forget, and I have a sneaky feeling that this summer is going to be the same. But, I dont think anyone has really lived until hes moved sprinkler. I, |