With an emotionally-charged voice, the home-team announcer enthusiastically described the play: “Brett drops back. Scrambles. Throws a bomb to Sharp in the end zone. Touchdown, Packers.”
Moments before the play unfolded my husband had leaned over, his quiet whisper tickling my ear, “Favre’s gonna throw a bomb to Sterling Sharp.”
(Just a side-note. I am amazed at the sheer, detailed volume of sports information stored between the ears of the male brain. My husband can be talking to his friends or our sons and he recalls when he was at bat at his high school baseball game — two outs, full count, a man on third, bottom of the ninth and he hit a line drive out past second base to center field, scoring the guy from third. I mean the detail. Where is that stored? In what section of the male brain?)
Out of the blue a few weeks ago, my husband said, “Hey. I wanna go see that Packer movie that’s coming out pretty soon.”
My head whipping in his direction, he got my full attention. He hates movies, and to me, watching a great film in a darkened theater munching popcorn and sipping an ice-cold Pepsi is right up there with eating a dish of Culver’s flavor-of-the-day. (Culver’s so happened to present this particular movie in support of the “Thank You Farmers Project.”)
Seriously. An offer of a movie from my farmer husband? A treat.
Presently I checked out the Shawano Cinema and our wonderful local movie theater had not one, not two, not three but four time selections Feb. 1. Reading the trailer, it sounded right down our wheelhouse:
“Foreclosure looms over Wisconsin dairy farmer Buck (Craig T. Nelson). With mounting debts and the land his family has cultivated for four generations at risk, Buck refuses to give up his legacy without a fight. Buck’s granddaughter (Madison Lawlor) works alongside him but dreams of a career in music. Her aspirations are fanned by a famous musician (Brandon Sklenar) but chasing her dreams might take her far from the farm. With time running out, Buck placed a daring Super Bowl bet on his beloved Green Bay Packers, risking it all to save everything he holds dear.”
Quoting the granddaughter’s grandpa Buck, “Farming wasn’t a job or even a way of life, it was a sacred act. It wasn’t the frozen tundra, it was the Garden of Eden.”
The movie was full of the realities of farming — one act had grandpa and granddaughter pulling out a brand-new calf; steam from the heat of the birth curl-rising in the sunlight’s beam. Phenomenal. Scenes included catching a bear running in the woods, deer bounding across the road, a month-old calf frolicking in emerald-green alfalfa and a cow standing out in the bitter cold pasture, puffing duel jet streams in and out in cadence with her breath.
Deeply moving, the film resonated with my farming background. While watching, tears swelled in humble pride — I am a farmer’s daughter and farm wife and went on to raise our children on our farm. The movie showcased a farmer’s bottomless respect and care for his land and animals. Privileged to have lived this lifestyle and to have raised our family on my husband’s generational family dairy farm as well, was an added blessing.
That aspect, added to the parallel of loving the Green Bay Packers, was the glue that really held the movie together, especially for my husband. This guy, who barely ever cries ever, got teary-eyed with the unfolding portrayal of grisly old farmer Buck’s tender love of the land and the animals.
A gentle part of the story showcased the deep faith of the grandma as well as her abiding love for her stubborn husband. One scene had them slow-dancing in the barn. When a medical emergency landed her in a hospital bed, Buck honors his wife’s faith by saying, “She’d want us to pray.” Bowing his head before him and his granddaughter’s meal, he tenderly pleaded, “Bring her home.” With palatable anxiety and a long, long pause, a tear formed at the corner of his eye. He simply ended the prayer, “Thank you.”
During one scene, distraught, he looked up at the stars in the sky and in the middle of his field, emotionally prayed to the Creator of the stars he was gazing at. Pushing his sweat-stained, weathered farmer cap to the back of his head, he confessed his lack of going to God for help in the past and his repentant heart broke.
At the beginning of the film, Buck and his granddaughter made light of attending church services, using every excuse to leave early so they could catch the kick-off. At the end of the movie, moved with gratitude, they praised God together.
Threads of faith, family and football as well as their supporting, close-knit community, wove the magnificent story together. I highly recommend this film, “Green and Gold.”
(“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10)
Kay Reminger was born and raised on a dairy farm, and she married her high school sweetheart, who happened to farm for a living in Leopolis. Writing for quite a few years, she remains focused on the blessings of living the ups and downs of rural life from a farm wife’s perspective.
