Snow

We had snow flurries while harvesting corn this evening. Its been a long time since I remember that happening!


As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
Proverbs 25:13

Rain Delay

Yesterday, shortly after lunch, it started raining. This was about 15 minutes after we finishing repairing a hydraulic problem on the combine that had us out of the field since the previous evening. Not a very productive day! Oh well, we can catch a break and get caught up on some chore work.

The wheat is up, green, and growing well. Its good to see the new green life while all around it is dry, brown, and dying. It must look like an oasis from the air.

A Eureka High School grad is playing in the World Series! How amazing is that? Currently there are 5 EHS grads playing some form of pro sports! Not bad for a small Midwestern town.

He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
Job 8:16

Rides

This week was "rides" week. Cliff had his first combine ride. Kandace, Carli, and Clayton rode also. Yesterday Jesse was here a few hours to ride the combine and tractors. Chase and his dad rode a couple rounds. In the evening Kacie and Kray showed up from Indiana for rides just before we called it a day. It's fun to watch little boys get their first ride on machinery. We forget how big, noisy, and impressive it must be to a little kid. Michelle even went for a ride this week. Of course Troy, Trent, and Tate also had turns, but it's old hat to them.

In general, we had a very good week harvesting. We made strong progress on the soybeans, and the corn is finally dry enough to go at it aggressively. We did have our first breakdowns this week. The arm that drives the cutterbar on the soybean platform broke, so we were down about a day. We had to wait a half day for parts, then we had to totally disassemble the drive side of the platform and remove the wobble box to replace the arm. A brake line broke on one of the trucks, so we were without it for a few days, but that didn't slow us down any.

It was a long week and we are very thankful for the day of rest.

So the people rested on the seventh day.
Exodus 16:30

Sowing

Our soybeans were finally dry enough to harvest, so we spent the whole week working on them. As soon as the first field was finished, we prepared it to sow wheat. I finished sowing the wheat Thursday night. It's a good felling to have that job behind us so that we can concentrate on harvest.

Saturday night after I left the field, we went to a family gathering at the "Sourdough Ranch"(may Uncle Dick rest in peace). My wife had some of her first cousins in town for the week. One came from Alaska, one from Texas, one from Colorado, and then the locals. It was good to visit with them, even if it was a short evening. We were invited to visit all three places and hope that we can find the time to do it someday.

Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
1 Corinthians 15:36-38

Well, again

This summer we started noticing fine sand in our water. It was wearing out our hog waterer nipples and valves. We installed filters where we could and that helped overcome the problem. But this fall the sand increased and fine clay was also in the water and our filters were plugging way to often (not to mention the stained fixtures and the gray, white shirts). We determined that our well casing had a hole rusted through it. The men in the white trucks showed up to diagnose and then fix the problem. First we had to hoist the "pump house" off from over the well. They pulled the pump, cleaned the screen, installed a PVC sleeve inside of the old casing, inspected and then reinstalled the pump. It took us about nine hours start to finish, but now we are back in business with clear water. BTW, our well is 144 feet deep and was drilled in 1947. Four generations have enjoyed its water. It has never failed to provide us with plenty of water for all our needs.

My daughter supplied the well repairmen with fresh apple pie. That should score us some points and keep us on their good list.


But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:19

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Isaiah 12:3

A Start

Harvest has started v e r y s l o w l y. The cool weather just doesn't speed up dry-down. We have one small field of corn dry enough to pick and it will be put in our home bin for hog feed. We can only dry a few thousand bushels per day, so we can't pick it all at once. Our other fields are too wet to harvest yet. Still, we have been picking a few loads here and there every day this week, mostly because of our impatience. The neighbors are doing the same. Not much activity yet, but everybody is chomping at the bit. Very few soybeans have been harvested yet either, but they are starting to get close. Right now all three trucks are working, but they are not getting much use.

We made about 9 gallons of apple cider Monday night from 4 bushels of apples. Fresh, sweet cider is hard to beat. The apple sauce is all made, the tomatoes are canned, and it's time to dig the potatoes and onions. If the economy crashes around us, we have food to eat for a while.

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 6:6-8