Our tractor is dirty, really dirty. Some people didn't appreciate the necessity of owning a tractor. And, yes, in the beginning even I had to be persuaded that we could be living fuller, more effective lives with a tractor. Last night I turned my compost pile with one scrape, scoop, flip, drop. Geoff built up a sturdy, compacted and ample dirt ramp, suitable for bicycles and remote controlled cars. Even our friend Henry added a sizable scoop to the job. The Chica Roja rumbles along like a perky hen. She may only peck away, but she gets the job done and looks good doing it. A common misconception is that the tractor is slow; not true. If I asked you to dig a 3 cubic yard hole and handed you a shovel, you would soon see that Chica Roja's 22 horsepower engine and her 2 thousand pounds of breakout force beat hand digging any day. Most places in our yard can't be dug, but must be beaten mercilessly with a pick axe, soaked overnight and attacked anew the next day, just to remove the first layer. Chica Roja, gently guided, diligently works her claw in to the ground, scoops and scrapes and in very little time makes a hole. We were wise to welcome her in to the fold with a party in her honor.
Does anyone else name their vehicles? Actually, I know some that do and I would love to hear of more. Our family car is "the Big Blue Whale," for obvious reasons. Last year, on a cross country trip with my in laws (my husband flew, but that's another story!) we Christened the motorhome "The Green Goose," because it's green, geese migrate and because we laughed at ourselves saying "there go the gringos in the Green Goose." There is also the fact about geese mating for life...maybe I am heading in to too much info here. The Chica Roja is a bilingual play with words. 'Chica' is Spanish for girl, and abbreviated English for chicken. Roja is red. So she is 'the little girl red hen; Chica Roja! Our '64 Mercury Comet went by many names including: "La Bamba," "The Bomb," and "The Vomit."
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