Back to Grand Bear

 We took our family back to Grand Bear Resort for a four day vacation.  You might remember that the last time we did that, the place burned down the afternoon we left!  All the cabins that burned are rebuilt, but weren't open yet.  We had to rent three smaller cabins instead of two big ones.  We spent the first day with all of us hiking at Starved Rock State Park.  I love hiking with the grandkids.  I like seeing them have fun outside in nature.  Grand Bear has an indoor water park, so the kids spent a lot of time there, especially the second day when it rained.  I spent an afternoon hiking on my own after the rain stopped.  We had a lot of good food and a fun time together.

We managed to get all of the grandchildren to stand/sit together halfway cooperatively for a group picture!

The corn is maturing rapidly from the heat we have had this summer.  I don't know if harvest will be early, but it won't start late.  I picked the rest of the peaches and pears.  We need some cold nights to sweeten up the apples.

The City of Washington is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.  We didn't attend much of the festivities, but I did go to the antique tractor pull last Saturday.  Son#1 entered the Massey Harris 44.  He plowed the sweet corn patch with it the day before to make sure it was in pulling condition.  Either the clutch slipped or something else happened, because it stopped before it pulled down.  We need to figure out what the problem was before we try it again.

My mom turned 97 this month!  I can't imagine being that old (and probably don't have to worry about it).  We had a party for the local relatives, and some that were able to make it from out of town.  We wish her continued health and quality of life.  Her dad, my grandfather, lived to be 104!

For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.               Proverbs 3:2

 

Time Flies (?) when it's Hot!

 It's been a long time!

I dug out my smoker and smoked ribs for Father's Day.  We were hosted by D#2.  They turned out very good!  As was all the other food that day.  I rarely use the smoker, but there are definitely some recipes that I would like to try sometime when I am motivated and have time.

Ed and Peggy came for a week long visit as part of a much longer trip out to the east coast.  They stayed with us part of the week and at Steve and Renee's the rest of the time.  We had Denny and Emily and Lee and Alice (cousins) over one of the evenings.  It was good catching up with everyone.  

We ate at the Pickled Radish one of the evenings.

On the last Sunday afternoon that they were around, we had planned for a picnic so they could spend some time with our whole family.  Son#2 and family came from Iowa, so all of our kids and grandchildren were here.  It turned out to be a very hot and humid day, so we were able to rent the Walnut Creek Family Center for our gathering instead of the park.  It was much more comfortable, but I think our 15 grandchildren were a little overwhelming to the company!

Back in the 1970's, I put together an expensive, high quality stereo system.  Today, everyone just has all their music on their phone or an iPod.  But I still like the old system and want to keep it alive.  My CD player stopped working last year, and I finally got around to finding a place that repairs old stereo components.  After getting an repair estimate from the small shop in Chicago that I found, I wasn't sure if it was worth the money.  But the repairman told me my Pioneer CD player was one of the good ones that was still made in Japan and that I wouldn't find that quality anymore.  So I bit the bullet and I again have a fully functioning system.

Our big family vacation was back in the Ozarks this year for four days.  There were several niece's and nephew's families that were not able  to make it, so the turnout was a little smaller than usual.  It was hot and humid, so I didn't spend a lot of time outside.  It also rained a couple of the days, but it didn't seem to slow the grandkids down much.  They still got in a lot of swimming, and several of the older ones learned how to water ski for the first time.  We tried a new resort this year.  It wasn't first class, but the price was reasonable and it fit our needs with enough rooms and a large room to gather in and eat together.

We had a very good cherry crop this year, with all the cherries our family wanted.  The peach and pear crops look like they will also be good.  Sweet corn has been good, with all of our families getting what they needed for "putting up".  Picking and shucking all that corn was a hot, sticky job.  I can still find a few eating ears, but the majority is getting too hard now.

I walked a fair amount of soybeans this year to cut out volunteer corn.  I don't know why I had so much.  We had a very dry spring and early summer, so I snapped a picture of the cracks in the soil while walking beans one day.

Since then, we have had an abundance of rain and the crops all look lush and beautiful.  This is in spite of the fact that the month of July has been very hot and extremely humid.  It is very hard to get much work done outside these days.  It's been "three-shirt days" and it isn't even August yet!

Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.                                                  II Corinthians 9:11

 

Bach

 I have been cleaning and putting machinery away after our successful spring planting.  The side-dressing of N is done.  The crops all came up looking good.  We were dry all spring, but earlier this week we finally received 2 1/2 inches of rain.  Much needed, and it came down slow.  This week has been hazy as the smoke from the Canadian wild fires works its way south.

One day this week, Gus was barking in the landscaping against our house.  At first I couldn't tell what he was barking at, because he was keeping a safe distance.  When I crawled through the bushes to get a closer look, a small skunk was nesting in a corner tight against the house.  I decided to leave it alone.  Gus was smart enough not to tangle with it, and I told him to leave it alone. He came back occasionally throughout the day and would bark awhile.  Fortunately, it moved out during the night and was gone the next morning. 

We rode with Mike and Dianne up to Elgin last week for Marilyn Kellenberger's visitation.  We had some good visits with some old friends and family at the visitation, and good visits during the road trip.  I used to spend a lot of time with the Kellenberger boys when I was single, and we spent time with some of them as couples.

Last weekend was Randy and Karen's 50th wedding anniversary.  Their boys planned a celebration for them, and chose to hold it in Illinois so that mom could be a part of it. I was an usher in their wedding which was in the big old Morton church.  There must have been 800 people and my sister had a very detailed seating chart for us.  I think that was my last migraine headache!  The whole family got together Saturday night at my brother's house for a hamburger cookout, and then we had a short grain bin singing.  It has been a long time since I participated in a grain bin singing.  It really sounded good.  Singing in a metal bin magnifies the sound and sounds like you are singing in a large stone cathedral.  Sunday after church the family did pictures and then we sat down to an excellent meal of BBQ meats catered from Smokin' Notes BBQ.  

Son #1 was asked to sing in the Peoria Bach Festival concert celebrating 300 years of Bach in Leipzig.  After a heavy practice schedule, they put on their orchestra and chorale concert last night at the Westminster Presbyterian Church.  We went early for the pre-concert lecture, which always helps, especially since it was all performed in German.  They did have the translations in the program.  The chorale pieces were Christian cantatas that were performed on Sundays in the Leipzig Church. It was beautiful and we enjoyed the evening.

Back on the last Friday in March of 1908, a tornado passed through Tazewell and Woodford Counties during the night.  On my Schick Great Grandparents' farm between Morton and Deer Creek, the family was in their beds sleeping.  My Grandmother Julia would have been 12 or 13 at the time.  The tornado hit and took the roof off of their house, and she was awakened by rain, still in her bed, which was sitting in the orchard!  That bed is still in the family, and has been passed down to D#1 and was delivered to my shop for storage last weekend.

But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.                                                            Ezekiel 19:12

Rittman Trip

 I finished planting corn on April 29.  I planted most of it after dark, and it was a little damp, so I hope it comes up okay.  The next morning I planted our sweet corn.  After I finished, I realized the population was set too high.  I may have to thin the stand a bit after it comes up, and probably ran out of seed before the end of the patch.  A week later I was able to get my old tiller to run enough to till a spot for the green beans.  They are now planted and waiting for warmer weather.  We've caught some rains over the last couple of weeks, but in general we are pretty dry.

I am on the Board and Planning Committee for the Apostolic Christian Home of Eureka.  We are looking into the possibility of building an Assisted Living building on our campus.  We have toured several local AL buildings that are recent, and were hoping to visit Rittman's new building.  I received a message on a Friday afternoon that there was a tour scheduled for anyone that could make it from Eureka on the following Monday morning!  We checked the calendar, and decided to make a road trip.  We drove separately from the rest of the group. We left for Ohio Sunday afternoon and drove all afternoon and evening in rain.  Not the most enjoyable way to travel.  We stayed at a nice hotel about a half hour out and had a pleasant drive to the Rittman Home Monday morning.  We had an informative meeting with their young administrator, several key employees, and a couple board members. They gave us a complete tour of their skilled nursing and new assisted living facilities.  After the tour we had some more discussion, they fed us lunch, and we bid farewell.  The reason we drove separately was because we decided to come home through Grabill and stay with Loren and Rita.  We had a nice visit, and Kray and Heather and new baby came over for the evening.  Tuesday morning we were back on the road for home.  It was a quick, but nice trip.

A few weeks ago Gus treed and I shot a raccoon.  Usually he won't let me near it for a couple days, and then I come get it out of the yard and make it disappear.  He hid this one in the landscaping, so we didn't find it for over a week when the smell became very obvious.  I carried it out of the yard and threw it in a pile of composting manure behind an old cattle shed.  The next day it was back in the yard.  It is now being consumed by maggots.  I hauled it out again.  The next day it was back.  The old farmers wife hauled it away this time.  The next day it was back.  We've been playing this game for a couple weeks now.  Not sure why he is obsessed with this particular raccoon.

I have been scouting fields and one day Gus followed me back our lane as I was checking a soybean field at the back of the farm.  On top of a hill at the end of the grass lane, there is a coyote hole that is sometimes active, sometimes not.  I noticed Gus staring intently into the den, so I walked over to him and heard his low growl.  From the inside of the den I heard a return growl.  Not knowing what could develop, I convinced Gus to leave and follow me back home.  I think that's the first time I actually heard a coyote in a den.  Usually they keep quiet.

We were saddened when we heard the news that my cousin Charlie and his wife Linda were killed in a tragic car accident after their grandson's graduation.  I had hoped to be able to go out to Lester for the funeral, but no one else was available to go.  I listened to the service online this morning.  I'm sure it was hard for everyone involved.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.                                                                  Psalms 90:12

 

Rocks

In the last two weeks we were blessed to partake of Holy Communion, Palm Sunday with two Sunday School programs, Good Friday services with a singing afterwards, and Easter Sunday services followed by a family dinner.  I am thankful for salvation and the spiritual opportunities we have because of Christ's sacrifice.

We haven't had a lot of rain this spring, so the fields have dried down nicely.  I did a little fieldwork the Saturday before Palm Sunday, and then on Monday started planting soybeans. We hit it pretty hard because conditions were good, and I finished Thursday.  I planted my first field of corn on Friday, and then we got a little shower Friday night.  It rained Sunday and Sunday night, and it rained again this evening.  I don't know when we will get back in the fields now.

I have had three repair projects waiting for me; bad wheel bearing on my seed tender, bad fan control board in my planter tractor, and bad tach sensor on my tillage tractor.  I was able to get two of the three fixed today.  I am waiting on a special tool before I can tackle the third.

We are blessed with good soil here in our area with few problems with rocks.  But, there are numerous old farmstead sites from many years ago where old foundations were buried.  In the old days they didn't bury deep enough, so over time with freezing and thawing, rocks, bricks and concrete chunks work their way to the surface.  Every couple of years we have to go over these spots and clean up the newly exposed trash.  I spent most of the afternoon on Saturday picking up from on old farm site that the buildings were gone before I was born!

 In soybean fields that were not tilled last fall, henbit is really coming up this spring.  We have a neighbor who has an entire field covered with the beautiful purple flower.  Unfortunately it is a weed and will need to be destroyed before planting, but it sure adds color to an otherwise drab look to the fields this time of year.  Actually, henbit can be eaten in salads or cooked.  It also supposedly has medicinal uses.  I snapped a picture while planting next to this field.

Some seed fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.                              Matthew 13:5,6

Sabetha

 At rotating potluck one evening, the question was asked; how many AC churches have you been to?  I had not thought about that in years so I really couldn't answer the question.

Rod and Arlene invited us to Sabetha for an invite-a-guest weekend.  As we were traveling west, the old farmers wife got out the Church and Minister Book and we started counting.  It turns out that I have visited 76 churches plus 3 that no longer exist for a total of 79!  The total number of churches I think is 92 (North America).  We had an enjoyable and blessed evening at the Fellowship Center with a meal, singing, and fellowship.  It was good to be reacquainted with many we know from Sabetha, and also many of the other guests that were there for the weekend.  Afterwards we got caught up on Rod and Arlene's family and happenings.  After a blessed day in church Sunday, they gave us a tour of Sycamore Springs Whitetail Ranch which their son and family owns.

Indian tribes knew of the mineral springs for hundreds of years.  They believed the water had healing properties.  In the 1800's as settlers moved west, the springs became one of their important water stops.  By the late 1800's it was developed into a health resort complete with picnic areas, hotel, and hospital.  The 60 room hotel and the hospital burned down in 1916, and a smaller hotel and hospital were built using the old stone walls in the 1920's.  A large swimming pool, the largest roller rink in Kansas, and campgrounds were added later.  This is a very condensed history!  

Sycamore Springs underwent many changes and owners over the years, but now the ten room hotel and the guest house (old hospital) can be rented,  there is a large campground, tennis court, pickleball courts, mini golf, playground, event center, event barn, fishing pond, splash pad, hiking trails, picnic areas, and the old roller rink has been restored to its former glory.  They also raise whitetail deer in several large pastures around the park and springs.

Upper Springs #2

The Hotel and Guest House

The Roller Rink

Rod and Arlene fed us a snack in their private family compound onsite, then we said our farewells and headed to KC to visit the Kellenbergers.  We were going to hit KC around 7:00 PM, so we agreed to meet them at the west side Jack Stack for a late supper.  We all love their BBQ!

 We appreciated our stay and visit with the Kellenbergers, but had to be back on the road by midmorning Monday.  

Last week was cousin Darin's 50th birthday! Mary and Virg had a big open house birthday party for him Saturday afternoon.  Many of the relatives from Sabetha were there, along with some from Lester, Elgin, Bloomfield, Indiana, and more local.  I think he enjoyed it!  He has two first cousins the same age.

Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.            Joshua 15:19

March Update

 The first week of March we headed back across the Mississippi River to see our new grandson.  We now have six male grands to nine female.  They are trying to catch up!  It was good to be back in Mediapolis and we enjoyed the visit once again.  Little Ivan Jacob is doing fine and growing normally.  The name has Slavic, Hebrew, and Russian origins and means "God is gracious". 

I have been going to farm meetings on a regular basis, so I have been eating well.  The meetings are over now as we all prepare for the new planting season.  I have been slowly and systematically going through the planter, making sure everything is in working order.  The problem is, you really don't know until that first day in the field!  It has snowed three times so far in March, but none amounted to much, and none stuck around more than a half day.

This summer, the township put two new layers of tar and chips on our road.  The problem was that they used a larger than normal rock for the chips.  It was 1/2 to 3/4 inch rock instead of pea gravel.  The snow plows this winter peeled a lot of it off and windrowed it into the ditch and our front yard!  I spent a half day raking and scooping gravel out of the grass.  I ended up with a skid steer bucket full of extra gravel.

We spent an evening at T-towns Jazz Coffee House.  It is Tremont's Jr. and Sr. High jazz night.  Our oldest granddaughter plays in the Jr. High jazz band.  We sat at theme decorated tables and were served coffee and dessert. It was a fun night with the K kids.

I spent an afternoon at the Deer and Turkey Classic at the Peoria Civic Center last week.  It was hard not to spend a lot of money there with all the hunting gear and equipment available.  But I restrained myself and just picked up brochures and business cards in case I want something in the future.  I have been considering hunting with a crossbow, but haven't made the decision yet.  That would lengthen my season and let me choose the days I want to hunt.  For $250,000 I could have purchased this all terrain vehicle, but I passed on it!

Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

Proverbs 20:17