It's been a little over two years since I've been the agriculture reporter for The Democrat-News, working part-time out of my home trying to bring to light some of the people and events in our county that help contribute millions of dollars to our local economy. The rest of the time I am a farmer, farm wife, hired hand, truck driver and of course a taxi driving mom to a teenage boy.

It was over 20 years ago that I came to Saline County, fresh out of college at the University of Missouri, where I had fallen head over heels for a farm boy from Saline County. At that time, having grown up in Kansas City, and attending Raytown Schools, the only thing I knew about farming was what I had read in a book or seen outside my car window. The funny thing is that I always thought that I wanted to live on a farm. (Of course, some days now I think I would like to live in the city!)

Now, 23 harvest seasons later I find myself in a unique position to share some of the insights into agriculture I have learned. I hope some of my columns will be funny; sharing my sometimes-unique way of looking at the life I've come to love. Other columns I hope will be thought provoking, but most of all I hope in some way they'll be entertaining. (Please note: I'm not above a little exaggeration to make something more fun!)

January is the perfect time to start a new column, because it just happens to be my favorite time of year on the farm. I know it is cold, snowy and most farmers are anxiously awaiting the day they can get back into a tractor and work up that great smelling dirt.

But for me, January and February are the only months I get to enjoy the "normal" family life I dreamed of some 23 years ago. In March we'll have calving, field work and anhydrous; April and May we'll plant; June, July, August, we'll put up hay, work with cows, mow roadbanks and haul corn in between the county and state fair; and in September, October, November and some of December, we'll harvest our crops, do field work and put on anhydrous. The rest of December -- well, we do Christmas!

But for two months I can enjoy my "normal" (or as close as possible) family life.

I can plan supper at one time, and actually have people there (if there are no other practices, activities, dates, etc.) Everybody still works, but for the most part the hours are regular -- no 18 hour days. It gets dark by 6, so the cows and chores have to be taken care of by then.

We spend most January and February evenings actually in the house. We can watch TV, surf the 'net, work on a crossword puzzle or even ignore each other if we want. No one is working late hours in the field, or worrying about cows calving.

It is also our time to plan a party, a vacation, or even a date. And something I really love is that for two months I can actually say "Yes" to an invitation without having to first say, "Well I don't know, it depends on whether we are putting on anhydrous, planting, haying, harvesting, calving, etc." It is fun to know that for just two months our social life can actually be planned in advance. It's not dependent on weather, cattle or farming.

I also love the fact that for two months, our next crop can be perfect. It's all a dream and a plan. We don't know if it will be dry or wet, early or late, or whether the seed stand will be good or bad. We don't know if the prices will be up or down. We also don't know if our calves will be born early, on time, late or even alive.

No -- for two months we can just enjoy, relax and be "normal."

And for two months, we can dream 2008 will be the perfect farming year. How's the line go ... "We'll always have Paris." Well for our family, "We'll always have January and February!"