Finished

We finished our harvest today! And it is still October. We only had about 10 acres of soybeans left ( plus a small test plot), so it only took about 2 hours. Its a good feeling being done, even though harvest is an enjoyable time of year. We are thankful for a bountiful crop, no accidents or injuries, and no major breakdowns. Once again, we have been blessed.

Now its on to tillage work, equipment cleanup, bookwork, planning, and preparation for winter.

To everything there is a season...

Harvest Update

We got a half an inch of rain saturday night, so the fields were a little bit soggy yet monday. We got both of our trucks stuck on their first loads of corn. The chain broke when we tried to pull them out, so we ended up putting the front of the tractor( the weights) up against the rear bumper of the trucks and pushing them out. Not the approved way to do, it but it worked. After that, we left the trucks parked on the road shoulder and filled them across the ditch with the auger wagon. About 4 in the afternoon while the old farmer's wife was running the combine, the water pump went out and overheated the engine, and sprayed antifreeze everywhere. I had to make a quick trip to Lexington for a part, and by 7:00, the mechanic had us running again. Today we finished our last field of corn( and there was great rejoicing). The overall yield was very good, but no bumper crop. No need to tear down our barns and build bigger. With rain in the forecast, we hope to get some of our remaining soybeans out - one big field left.

Hot Air

The November issue of Citizen magazine has an interesting article on global warming. I will share a few exerpts.

. . . temperatures fell from the mid 1940's to the mid 1970's. An April 28, 1975 Newsweek article warned that falling temperatures could cut food production, and "the resulting famines could be catastrophic." One scientist said the drop had "taken the planet about a sixth of the way toward the Ice Age average". An extreme idea was to cover the polar ice cap with soot to melt it. "The longer the planners delay, the more difficult they will find it to cope with climatic change once the results become grim reality."
Prof. William Gray (CSU) says, "Everyone looks out the rearview mirror, they think if it's changing, it's going to keep changing." The temperature then began to climb from the 1970's to now. No worldwide famine. No Ice Age.
Instead, the April 3, 2006 Time magazine cover showed a sad-looking polar bear on a melting hunk of ice. The headline: "BE WORRIED, BE VERY WORRIED. Climate change isn't some vague future problem-it's already damaging the planet at an alarming pace. Here's how it affects you, your kids and their kids as well."

Scare tactics and twisted science.

Most scientists now agree it's warmer than it was in 1900, although precisely how much is still up for debate. "It's on the order of about a degree Fahrenheit( Richard Lindzen, meteorologist, MIT). It is much smaller than computer climate models predict we should have seen for the amount of CO2 that has been added."

It's all about politics.

Scientists tell me my farm was once covered with a thick layer of ice - the Illinois Glaciation. Global warming happened, the glacier melted, and left a fertile layer of loess on my farm along with a temperate climate. My farm is now part of the breadbasket of the world! Since man wasn't around to get blamed for it, God must be responsible, for which I am grateful. I believe God, though his creation of all things, is also responsible for any warming( or cooling) that is or isn't taking place now.

I do believe that there will be catastrophic global warming someday.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)

I have made plans not to be here to see it!

Rain Delay

We've had a beautiful fall so far - able to work in the field almost every day. So even though we are not done harvesting yet( some of our neighbors are), it was nice to have it rain today so we can relax a bit and regroup. I had to quit early a couple of times last week; once for potluck, and one night the entire EHS Cross Country team was at our house for supper. Because of the rain we were able to get the water pump replaced on one of our trucks, so hopefully it will make it thru harvest without further problems. This was the truck that was parked loaded in a field along route 24 last weekend broken down. We are about 2/3 done, so the end is in sight. The wheat is up and starting to look good - it's always nice to see a green field while everything else is brown and black. The pigs are eating lots of feed and growing. Life is Good.

For your amusement and amazement, here is an old picture of one of our celebrity pigs being potty trained.

Baseball

This time of year there is a lot of excitement in the sports world because of the baseball playoffs. When I was in grade school, I received my first transistor radio. To have your own miniture battery powered radio was pretty special back then. You could carry it with you wherever you went and it didn't need to be plugged in! About that same time I started getting interested in sports and in particular, the St. Louis Cardinal baseball team. They had just beat the N.Y. Yankees in the World Series. I became a diehard Cardinal fan, listening to the games late at night( late for a grade schooler) with the transistor radio on my pillow close to my ear. I didn't want my parents to here me up so late. I followed them closely thru two more World Series appearences in the next few years. Our teachers in school would bring in their black and white TV's so that we could watch the games in class. Since becoming a Believer, my interests have changed and I don't follow them very closely any more - occasionally checking scores and standings in the paper or on the web, out of curiosity. The Cardinals have been in the Series 7 times in my lifetime, and my condolences go out to my Cub fan friends who have never seen their team in the series( their dads didn't either!). Maybe next year. Right.
Anyway, this time of year I get a little nostolgic for the Redbirds as they go thru the playoffs and try to make it back to the top. Now where did I put that transistor radio?

The Church and the World

A seasoned old Brother gave me this poem when I was a new believer 27 years ago. I will share it on this Sunday. Author unknown.

The Church and the World walked far apart
On the changing shores of time,
The World was singing a giddy song,
And the Church a hymn sublime.

“Come, give me your hand,” said the merry World,
“And walk with me this way!”
But the good Church hid her snowy hands
And solemnly answered “Nay!

I will not give you my hand at all,
And I will not walk with you;
Your way is the way that leads to death;
Your words arc all untrue.”

“Nay, walk with me but a little space,”
Said the World with a kindly air;
“The road I walk is a pleasant road,
And the sun shines always there.

Your path is thorny and rough and rude,
But mine is broad and plain;
My way is paved with flowers and dews,
And yours with tears and pain.

The sky to me is always blue,
No want, no toil I know;
The sky above you is always dark,
Your lot is a lot of woe.
There’s room enough for you and me
To travel side by side.”

Half shyly the Church approached the World
And gave him her hand of snow;
And the old World grasped it and walked along,
Saying, in accents low:

“Your dress is too simple to please my taste;
I will give you pearls to wear,
Rich velvets and silks for your graceful form,
And diamonds to deck your hair.”

The Church looked down at her plain white robes,
And then at the dazzling World,
And blushed as she saw his handsome lip
With a smile contemptuous curled.

“I will change my dress for a costlier one,”
Said the Church, with a smile of grace;
Then her pure white garments drifted away,
And the World gave, in their place,
Beautiful satins and shining silks,
Roses and gems and costly pearls;
While over her forehead her bright hair fell
Crisped in a thousand curls.

“Your house is too plain,” said the proud old World,
“I’ll build you one like mine;
With walls of marble and towers of gold,
And furniture ever so fine.”

So he built her a costly and beautiful house;
Most splendid it was to behold;
Her sons and her beautiful daughters dwelt there
Gleaming in purple and gold.

Rich fairs and shows in the halls were held,
And the World and his children were there.
Laughter and music and feasts were heard
In the place that was meant for prayer.

There-were cushioned seats for the rich and the gay,
To sit in their pomp and pride;
But the poor who were clad in shabby array,
Sat meekly down outside.

“You give too much to the poor,” said the World.
“Far more than you ought to do;
If they are in need of shelter and food,
Why need it trouble you?

Go, take your money and buy rich robes,
Buy horses and carriages fine;
Buy pearls and jewels and dainty food,
Buy the rarest and costliest wine.

My children, they dote on all these things,
And if you their love would win
You must do as they do, and walk in the ways
That they are walking in.”

So the poor were turned from her door in scorn,
And she heard not the orphan’s cry;
But she drew her beautiful robes aside,
As the widows went weeping by.

Then the sons of the World and the Sons of the Church
Walked closely hand and heart,
And only the Master, who knoweth all,
Could tell the two apart.

Then the Church sat down at her ease, and said,
“I am rich and my goods increase;
I have need of nothing, or aught to do,
But to laugh, and dance, and feast.”

The sly World heard, and he laughed in his sleeve,
And mockingly said, aside-
“The Church is fallen, the beautiful Church;
And her shame is her boast and her pride.”

The angel drew near to the mercy seat,
And whispered in sighs her name;
Then the loud anthems of rapture were hushed,
And heads were covered with shame.

And a voice was heard at last by the Church
From Him who sat on the throne,

“I know thy works, and how thou hast said,
‘I am rich, and hast not known
That thou art naked, poor and blind,
And wretched before my face;’
Therefore from my presence cast I thee out,
And blot thy name from its place.”

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (II Corinthians 6:14-18)

Wheat

Harvest is one of the busiest time of the year on the farm. Then to make it even busier, the ideal time to plant winter wheat in our area is the last couple days of Sept. and the first few days of Oct. So, we have to pull one or two guys off of the harvest crew and prepare the ground and drill the wheat seed. We spent yesterday and today doing just that, and I finished sowing the wheat by suppertime tonight. The heat is good for the seed and soil, and now a gentle rain would be great to help get it germinated and out of the ground. The tractor cab that I was in all day did not have a functioning A/C, meaning it was about 15 degrees hotter in the "solar collector" cab than the outside temperature! I'm feeling pretty ragg'd out this evening. But I'm happy to have that job done and can resume havest full speed(which for us isn't too fast).

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Advice

An Old Farmer's Advice: (borrowed)

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.