by ronde
Brought back a lot of fond memories of my youth, though finding out you are allergic to corn pollen while trying to de-tassel wasn't pleasant. Farm folks are a special breed. They work harder than many realize and do it because they love it. God knows they'll never get rich. We would be in a world of hurt without them. As for that last line. RIP TK.
It always amazes me that Ronde has the time to research for his stories and write frequently. Another 5*
As the son of a farmer I thoroughly enjoyed reading about it. You covered it very nicely. Story was pretty cool too.
Another well written story. Have you considered writing a total bomb? I'm starting to run out of praise words. :)
The volume, variety and quality of your writing output is astounding - thank you for sharing.
I never detasseled corn, but I grew up in central Illinois surrounded by cornfields. So I definitely knew about it.
I always saw the detasselers out in the fields every summer.
Lot of detail but I did miss the dialogue between them as the story progressed. 4.5*
As always, I am in awe of your research. It brings a tremendous amount of authenticity to your stories. 5*
Wonderful story, 10 stars. Gwen got rid of an asshole and found a husband long before they said wedding vows. Wonderful, and Gwen is in her element. Wife, and mother!
Very nice story! I grew up on a dairy farm, so I know what it was like in the old days. Nice romance with two appealing characters. Five stars isn’t enough for this one. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice story and pretty accurate I'd guess you lived that life at one time. Good read.
I'm a bit older than you. When in high school, I detasseled corn, but it was all by hand, walking through the fields in the mud. I wasn't five feet tall, yet, so you can imagine how my arms felt at the end of the day. We had girls detasseling, too, but they would be in the field next to the one the guys were in, and there was NO mixing!
We lived in the country, but didn't farm. I worked for a farmer, but I drove an old International M. On days LaVerne had something else to do, I got to drive the M TA. Both tractors had the old steel seats with holes cut out for ventilation. Pulling a four-bottom plow or an eight-foot disk took a long time to cover a forty-acre field at the speed those tractors could pull, too! Many a farmer hauled grain to the elevator in a half-ton pickup with a 1 x 8 sideboard added to the sides of the bed, but the pull-behind combine was hard put to keep up with two pickups hauling to the elevator if the farm was anywhere close to town.
I follow several farm channels on YouTube just to remind myself what I miss. I agree the old days of sitting on an open tractor with none of the comforts had a lot to offer, though I'm sure if I had a choice between that old "M" and a modern tractor I wouldn't hesitate. The "Good Old Days" are best kept in memory.
Thank you for an enjoyable tale that is true to the scene and to the times/mores. I confess I miss those days, too.
I gave you five stars only because that is the limit.
Would you believe I just had fresh hot corn cobs for tea tonight. This lovely story reminds me of my favourite farming couple from Nebraska, who farm corn and soy beans in 2024, so I was picturing everything through what I see done on their farm. Delightful.
Great story! 5*. I detasseled corn while in high school. Boys and girls all worked together. There was no talk of separating the sexes. The last summer I detasseled there was talk about special detasseling machines but I never saw one. It was hot sweaty work, but easy money for a high school kid!
Glad you know about how sharp corn leaves can get!
Takes me back 60 years.
5-stars, of course.
Another fantastic story. I had to laugh. I thought you meant Hammond, IN, not realizing there is a Hammond, IL that is close to Decatur. Definitely made more sense. 5stars
I grew up in Seattle but visited my Illinois relatives every other summer for a couple of weeks. Always enjoyed the warm evenings. Loved catching fireflies and gathering the eggs from the barn. My grandparents lived in Morrison and my oldest aunt and uncle had a small farm. They even had a hand pump for water. Eventually put in an electric pump for convenience. Still have grandpa’s corn shucking knife as a reminder of how things were done back then. I was lucky to have some good experiences while back there. They worked so hard. Wish more people knew how hard they worked to make a living and provide the food for all of the rest of us.
I too am running out of ways to say "another great story".
My wife grew up in Decatur (the "Soy Capital", but they processed a lot of corn too); I'm a Chicago native (mostly grew up in the suburbs). Once again, I appreciated the level of detail in your background. I'm glad I didn't grow up in that environment; I'm allergic to corn (found out the hard way, when grown), and I get headaches when the pollen's up. (And I'm old enough to have seen the equipment you describe, not the newer stuff.)
Keep up the good work. Thank you.
I can't begin to say thank you to this skilled, prolific writer for the quality writing he has shared with us.
Five stars just for your description of farm life. You captured the feel of farming during that era that only a person with a farming background can do. This story brought back memories of farm equipment without cabs, trucks without AC, lines of trucks waiting to unload, grain cars on the railroad side track waiting to be loaded, the push to get one more load of grain to the elevator before it closed for the day, and more. I remember staying in the truck can while it was hoisted to unload, and the hot, dusty days.
Definitely a five star story and a five star telling, one of the best things is how you worked it the different ways time and years change. I look back and think how much we have changed over the year's. Great telling and great reading your work. Thanks
Love the story, always like your details. Not to mention your story was before cell phones and internet, brings back simpler days. Unfortunately the stigma of being divorced, was worse for women.
Thanks for sharing. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved the story -- and imagined Jeff with his shirt stripped to reveal a sexy hairy young man's chest -- making gentle love to Gwen! Please follow up!
Gerat accurate story! I really like it when the author completes the story and doesn't abruptly end the story. Nice to see "what happens next".
As an aside, this Brought back memories. I detasseled corn for several years for Pfister corn in El Paso, Illinois.
Lots of tassel fights!
Then when I was 16 I drove the tractor for the girls detasseling.
GREAT eye candy for a 16 year old red blooded AMerican boy.
Spent a couple summers on a WD45 working in northern WI. Had a two bottom plow we used, had to plow in third though to get the tractor to pull
hard enough. Made me smile.
Ronde, your level of detail always impresses me. I studied journalism in college and was taught to write about things I knew about when first starting out. I can never tell what your background or life experience has been since the details in your stories are generally plentiful and believable. I commend you. I read your works for the story, not the sex. As with most erotic authors, the portrayal becomes the part that you can expect to be similar in each story. I also appreciate you not taking sex to the obscene or vulgar levels. Thank you!