I like wearing short pants during the summer months. You may even see me cleaning and greasing machinery wearing a nylon apron over the shorts and tanned legs. That’s just so I don’t get grime on my legs. The apron is long so I can kneel and the apron protects the knees.
There are many benefits to wearing short pants. They don’t wear out. There is more give and you don’t tear the seat of your pants out when you are bending over. Short pants are cool to wear in the literal sense. A nice breeze going up your thighs cools you off and your pants won’t stick to your butt. You feel much better wearing short pants. You feel younger, too. I don’t know why that is except you feel much fresher than wearing jeans.
Years ago when I made only little square bales of hay I wouldn’t think of wearing short pants. But with all this modern technology on the farm now I can wear short pants from the time I get up in the morning to when I go to bed at night.
Years ago I had to put up with some kidding and good-natured ribbing. Some people think all farmers should wear long pants. I was asked if I’m on vacation or if I’m a tourist. I don’t mind the kidding. I remember being at a County Plowing Match on a hot August Saturday when an out-spoken elderly farm woman told me “Men who wear short pants are nothing but overgrown boys.”
I certainly hope that this comment was only directed at my short pants and not my nature. The comment had me wondering — what is it that people have against men wearing short pants?
I polled a dozen conservative-type farmers and asked them if they ever wear short pants — you know like on Saturday evening or on Sundays. Their frown and headshake affirmed my suspicions that that’s not the attire they would want anyone to see them in. They mumbled something about bugs and getting scratches on their legs.
Men have this great fear of big bugs biting their legs. What’s with these guys? Are they wimps? The truth is they were brought up to wear long pants. My dad never wore short pants. Never!
Now I must say that many of the younger generation will wear shorts and even very sporty short pants.
From my experience having worn short pants at the cottage and on the farm, I can attest to the fact that bugs do not attack human legs. Do they attack your arms? Your neck? Oh maybe the odd time. So what?
Men are also very uncomfortable showing their bony knees and white legs.
My elderly cottage neighbour sometimes wears short pants when he’s puttering away at yard work. I asked him if his dad, who lived to be 95, ever wore shorts pants. He chuckled and said he didn’t because his long underwear would show.
