I have had multiple experiences with tractors and maybe it is safe to say I should stay away from tractors, or everybody around me should stay away from me if I’m trying to drive one!
Bastiaan in front of a tractor
When I was 16 years old I wanted to get my tractor drivers license.
In the Netherlands you just can’t go hop in a tractor and drive around your farm or on the road. If you get in an accident, get pulled over or do something stupid you are in serious trouble, with the police, mom and dad or the insurance company. And since I liked to do it all (not the get in trouble part)… I wanted to learn how to drive a tractor and get my license.
Across the road from us our neighbor farmer raised hogs and owned and operated crop fields where they grew asparagus. I used to work there every weekend, after school and on my vacation days and he had a tractor. I asked him if he could teach me how to drive the tractor after and during work and that way I could practice for the exam. After weeks and weeks of practice, with a very patient neighbor (i DID NOT have a natural talent) the day had come to do my written exam and driving test. The AG teacher from my high school came to my house and we checked the tractor and went inside to do the written exam.
I had studied really hard and had my mom and dad gave me “fake” tests to see if I could pass. I would pass every time! We were in our own kitchen and the teacher gave me the papers. I ended up doing the test 3 times!?! I was so nervous I couldn’t get the answers straight although I knew what they were! Eventually my mom vowed for me that I really studied hard and the teacher should let me do the driving test and he would see I could really drive a tractor… Maybe the cookies that my mom gave him helped too.
The teacher put some pillions out in the field and I was supposed to drive the tractor with trailer in a big S, drive straight, make turns, park the tractor and back up with the trailer and park in a designated area.
Well…. I did it…
The tractor were we feed all our
cows with.
But I hit my hand on the door handle and I didn’t go fast and it didn’t go smooth. When I got off the tractor I was very flustered, adrenaline rushing true my body, still incredibly nervous, I went over to my teacher. He just looked at me, looked down and looked at me again. I had no idea what I needed to do next but he looked in SHOCK!
While I was standing there in front of him, awaiting my verdict, thinking about all the things I did wrong ( I didn’t run nobody over so it couldn’t be that bad???) I decided that if I didn’t get my drivers license this time I surely would get it next time because I would have better control of my nerves!
Whooohoooo!!! I was so happy, I hugged him and told him thank you!!! Then he said something I didn’t understand… “You better wash your face”.
Wash my face? Why would I was my face after driving a tractor???
Well, when I went inside and looked in the mirror, while my mom and the teacher were catching up, I saw that apparently i busted my hand open when I hit the door handle and because I was so nervous and sweating I tried to wipe away the sweat. I wiped the sweat away all right… but all over my face was blood from my hand!
I looked like I was killed, slaughtered and left for dead! No wonder my teacher looked so shocked!
Putting new sand in the barn every week with
a little tractor
I really don’t think I passed my tractor drivers license test if it wasn’t for my mom and her cookies and if my teacher didn’t feel incredibly sorry for me.
And since this is only the beginning of my disasters with lovely red/white/blue and green tractors I can tell you, there is more to come…
Happy Friday!!!
…
Funny story. But truly---tractors are dangerous pieces of equipment. So many unforseen things can happen. Be careful!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Your tractor teacher/tester saw you were willing to BLEED for the chance to drive one. :) Too funny!
ReplyDeleteHA! Oh no! It sounds like you really earned your license! I just love how you tell your stories :)
ReplyDelete....and I will be back to hear the rest of the tale. I really enjoyed the humor and your story. I'll be smiling for the rest of the day. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteI truly had to chuckle over "I didn’t run nobody over so it couldn’t be that bad???"
ReplyDeleteOMG!.....Please be careful out there! (Well done you!)
ReplyDeleteHaha....wow. I bet he just wanted to get you passed so he didn't have to go through that again;);)
ReplyDeleteJust kidding...I'm super proud of you!
Gutsy Girl, that's all I can say! Nothing would get me in the driver's seat of one of those big boys, I have a hard enough time with the riding lawn mower!
ReplyDeleteGreat story and you sound like a pro to me!
ReplyDeleteI'd say you got and "A" for effort, and of course your mom got an "A for her cookies.
ReplyDeleteNot runninig over anyone was a real plus also.
Thank you for the follow, I'm now following you back!
ReplyDeleteThose are some big tractors and I loved your stories!!! Guess what?You have a new follower.I do love looking at farms.Lol Cheri
ReplyDeleteCute story, glad you didn't run over anyone:@)
ReplyDeleteSo excited you didn't even know you were bleeding. That's excited! Those are some really nice tractors you have.
ReplyDeleteI have stumbled upon your blog and liked what I just read about the tractor...You are gutsy, to say the least...funny story...We raise a small amount of sheep, so the tractor, although we don't have one, caught my eye.....
ReplyDeleteTHAT WAS SO FUNNY... ALMOST A CANADIAN KIND OF HUMOUR... JUST KIDDING.
ReplyDeleteLOVED YOUR CANADIAN STORY PREVIOUSLY...
I'm not very good with a tractor either, but they seemed to always give me a tractor with bad brakes. I loved your tale of getting your tractor driver's license. Great memories, huh?
ReplyDeletewow!!! That's quite an adventure! At least you passed!!! I love tractors too....although I haven't had any bad experiences with them yet. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my, what a great story! I am impressed! That tractor is HUGE! I've driven a few tractors... but they were much, much smaller. One time I had to drive my boyfriend's tractor about 4 miles on the road. Once I relaxed a bit, I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday, hopped in from social parade! New follower! http://momsbookshelf.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteWow! I have driven a tractor before but not a big one, ours was an Ford 8N. It's not as easy as it looks....cute story and I am glad you passed!
ReplyDelete"Happy Friday"
That's pretty funny. I can tell your test had an effect on you.
ReplyDeleteCAUTION CAUTION.. WOW!! Funny all the same :))
ReplyDeleteLoving Your Blog.. Officially following you from blog’hop.. Hope you can stop by my blog sometime.. I'm Marilyn from http://www.theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com/ excited to indulge in your posts.. :))
Your stories are so funny... I've never drove a trator & would be scared too!
ReplyDeleteOH...I have tears from laughing. Persistence pays off! It was a great story~
ReplyDeletefollowing via social parade...thanks for checking out my blog too!! :)
ReplyDeleteI've had a few close calls on our tractor -- I'm not very coordinated. :)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I've never driven one, I would sure love it!...:)JP
ReplyDeleteI just sat here and read through this entire site. You are a great storyteller!
ReplyDeleteI am not so great at driving the tractor, but what I lack in skill I make up for in enthusiasm. My tally of things destroyed with the tractor so far is: one gate, several fence posts, one fence and I put a large dent in the side of the barn. Luckily, we don't need tractor licenses in America...
Oh my gosh that must have been scary but it sounds very funny now reliving it. Your Mom must make really good cookies.
ReplyDeleteI have ran over a few things in my day and hit a few things and broke a few things I never had to pass a test that is probably a good thing I drive a tractor every single day now it has a learning curve now I am very confident that is a good thing because the tractors are much bigger and faster now. Funny be careful have fun. B
Great story... I was about 14 when I drove my first tractor. Because my mother hated standard transmissions, I'd never even learned what a clutch was and I had a lot of learning, but it was just a matter of going slow and keeping it straight down rows of tobacco.
ReplyDeleteToo funny! Sounds like something that would happen to me! :)
ReplyDeleteYou have a wonderful blog. I enjoyed reading your posts and finding out more about you. I especially liked reading your post about nurses - as I am a nurse and I worked giving chemotherapy in a cancer clinic. Cancer survivors like you make me smile and also make my profession a joy to be a part of.
ReplyDeleteYou seemed more nervous about taking the tractor test than most 16 year old kids are in taking the driver's test. But it sounds like it was very important to you, so I can certainly understand why. Thank goodness for moms cookies and the blood on your face. But I sense that your preparation and determination had a lot to do with it too.
ReplyDeleteGreat story. The ones we write from our memory banks always make the best ones.
Hail the tractor driver. Well done, Leontien.
ReplyDeletewhat a hilarious story you've told! I grew up on a dairy farm and a "tractor test" is something I've never ever heard of. this must be something native to Indiana, because Illinois has no such thing. my younger brother likes to tell the story of his first time driving a tractor - he was 6 years old. our dad needed him to drive it back in from the field and he hopped on up and did it. I find that incredulous, but he swears it's true. this was a delightful stop on my Sunday morning blog hop. thanks for the laughs! and I hope you have a grand day.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea to have to get a tractor driving license. They always look like such fin to drive, but I know from the one time I attempted it, that they aren't. Looking forward to more tractor stories.
ReplyDeleteboy, it seems you had more drama in you life before age 20, then most people have at 40! :oD
ReplyDeleteOh, my! You must have been nervous if you didn't realize you'd messed up your hand! We have similar training at a local college, and it is great fun to watch the "tractor challenge", the students have to run tractors through a big obstacle course in a parking lot. (Many orange cones have given their all to make safer drivers...)
ReplyDeleteGlad you made it okay, and keep safe!
Cat