Lester

We drove the 565 miles up to the Northwest corner of Iowa this past weekend for a big family reunion. Grandpa Fred and Grandma Carrie started it all with their marriage in 1907. They had 14 children who produced 84 grandchildren. Grandpa and Grandma have been gone for some time now, but 5 of their children and 6 spouses were in attendance. There are currently 733 direct descendants and 1037 descendants including spouses and stepchildren. That's quite an impact that one family has made in 100 years! It was a day of fellowship, good food, reminiscing, and storytelling.

For me, going to Lester is like visiting Lake Wobegon ("the little town that time forgot"). That's a compliment, not a slight! It still has the agrarian/small town culture that Central Illinois lost a generation ago. They are thoroughly modern, but cling to the old fashioned values of family and Faith. They are a community of hard working people, friendly, hospitable, conservative, with large families.
The rolling farmland is dotted with traditional family farms. Out here they still use silos, they bale the ditches, and everybody has chores to do. Farms are diverse with dairy, beef, hogs, sheep, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese - sometimes all on the same farm. There are multiple generations working together. They set the start times for social events and church services by when the milkers will be finished. Most of the women still have large gardens, and know how to butcher a chicken, pluck a goose, or bake pies and bread from scratch.

I've been going to Lester for 50+ years now, and have many memories. I learned the town helping my cousin do the daily paper route. We watched the trains come through town regularly, played in the abandoned depot, climbed the switch towers, and put pennies on the tracks. We swam in Mud Creek and played ball in cow pastures. Our first stop after arriving (and kissing Grandpa and Grandma) was Butch's store on Main Street. We called it the "candy store". It was a true old fashioned grocery store with a penny candy counter behind glass and floor-to-ceiling shelves of groceries that Butch would retrieve for you from his ladder. A pot belly stove sat in the middle of the room along with barrels of bulk commodities.
On Saturday afternoon we would make the rounds to all the Uncles' and Aunts' farms, and get a snack at each one. I routinely heard my Uncles tell us: "You Illinois people have it made!" We went for weddings, holidays, reunions, and funerals - some tragic, and some victories.
As teenagers, we spent Saturday nights out on a country road or in town at Louie's. On a busy Saturday night, cars would park down the middle of Main Street. Sunday morning, we were sweating on the back bench of the un-airconditioned church listening to one of Bro. Leo's hellfire and brimstone sermons. I think the attendance at church is still greater than the population of the town.

The town whistle still blows to inform the residents of the time(6AM, noon, 6PM, 9PM - I think). The trains still rumble through town at any hour of the day or night. Life has a little slower pace here in this part of the Midwest. Half of my upbringing is rooted in the faith and heritage of this little community. Each time I leave, I think a little part of me stays there.


For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Ephesians 3:14-16

For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Deut. 8:7

Hank

Hank showed up in our yard in the late fall, we think in 2001. He had been seen in the neighborhood for a week or so wandering around, homesless. He had probably been dumped in the country by an owner that didn't want to care for him anymore.
He was a little leery of us at first (and we of him), but being dog-less at the time, we fed, watered, and befriended him. He stayed.
He was like an overgrown puppy, full of energy. The vet thought he was close to 2 years old. The first winter, he slept mostly curled up under trees. I couldn't convince him to go into our doghouse. He had a thick coat of long black fur/hair, big paws, and a large frame. The vet thought he had some Newfoundland in him, but he was of mixed breed. We named him Hank (after Hank the Cowdog - a family favorite). His nickname was "Dufas" - - he definitely lacked higher intelligence! He loved attention and he loved to run and play with the kids, and then run some more. He was good with kids, didn't chase cars, and for the most part, didn't bother the cats. The farm responsibility he chose for himself was to clear the driveway of cats whenever we drove in and pulled up to the garage. The cats learned to scatter when patrolman Hank was on duty.
He was scared of thunderstorms and wanted into the garage when he sensed a storm brewing. He grew to be a large barrel chested bear of a dog. The last few years he started slowing down and he got fat and lazy. He spent most of his time in the shelter of the garage. He developed arthritis, and because of his size, he probably had heart problems.
This past winter we could tell his days on earth were numbered, and when the recent heat wave hit, we knew the end was near. We discussed having him put to sleep. Tuesday night he wasn't in the garage, and Wednesday we found him dead under a tree across the road. He was so heavy we had to move him with the skid steer. His funeral and burial took place in the back lot Wednesday afternoon. There was no next of kin.

Hank R.I.P.

Africa

I like a cappella music, and Kim Komando recommended a video by an a cappella group from Slovenia. They perform the song Africa made popular by Toto back in the 80's. They do a great job, and the storm that proceeds the song is amazing. It takes a long time to download on our computer, so I will just give the link. The name of the group is Perpetuum Jazzile. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbpwlqp5Qw
Some of my kids performed this song in their High School Vocal Jazz group. It looks like a fun song to sing.

Storm

We finished side-dressing Nitrogen on Monday afternoon. One more job checked off the list. Now we are doing catch up hog work. We cleaned out one of our hoop buildings, getting it ready for the next group of pigs to be moved in. This afternoon I found a young skunk wandering around in it. I was going to try to pick it up by its tail, but I was afraid that if it had rabies it might try to bite me. So I scooped it up in a grain scoop and was carrying it around not sure what to do with it. I decided to just dispatch it with a hard blow to the head. As it was dying, it sprayed! I didn't know young skunks could do that! Fortunately I was not in the line of fire. It sure stunk up the area. I don't know why it didn't try to spray me while I was carrying it around, but I'm glad it didn't.

Last night we had a strobe-light lightning and thunderstorm followed by a lot of strong wind. I stayed in bed for most of the thunder and lightning, but as the wind picked up, I went looking for our weather radio. I couldn't find it so I went back to bed. Since I couldn't sleep anymore, I got up and went looking for it again, which I still couldn't find. By then the worst of the storm had passed so I figured it didn't matter anymore and lay down again until the alarm went off. The old farmers lovely wife slept soundly thru the whole storm! We had some branches down in the yard, and one of our trees along the road had twisted off and was completely across, stopping traffic from both directions. The township road commissioner came out and pushed it off the road for us. Lots of firewood available!


But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
Luke 8:23,24

Finished

At 10:45 last night I finished planting our last field of soybeans. So, today feels a little like April 16 does to a tax accountant. I didn't take the day off, but it definitely was a low stress day of work. We are about a month later than the ideal finish time, but so far the crops that have emerged look good.

Our Internet has been down for 3 days, so I'm trying to go thru all the email that has been stacking up in the inbox. There is also a lot of bookwork that has been put off that I need to get to soon.

For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
Job 3:13