35

After a week of wet weather, finally some sun! We were able to pick a little corn Saturday afternoon, but the field was still too wet to be out. Then we had a breakdown, so we put the combine away until Monday morning.

Saturday night we attended my 35th year class reunion. I didn't realize that I had gone to school with so many old people! I enjoyed catching up with people that I only see every five years. For one of my classmates in attendance, it was the first time we've seen each other in 35 years. I was amazed at the number of classmates that were already retired. After listening to all the jobs they've had and all the places they've lived, I told them that I haven't gotten anywhere in life - I'm still at the same place I started. Someone put together a fun DVD with our old yearbook pictures and 70's music. Lots of memories were shared and and we were fed good food. I look forward to the next reunion.

We lost a neighboring farmer this week. As a child growing up on the farm, one of the highlights of the year was corn shelling day. Don Hunziker owned the sheller in our neighborhood. I was always impressed with watching him operate the machine and coordinating the day. The ear corn was fed into the machine with chain conveyors, and the shell corn was augered into a truck, the cobs went into a dump wagon, and the husks were blown into a cage wagon. The shell corn was then hauled to town and sold, and the cobs and husks were used as livestock bedding. As kids we loved climbing on the shrinking piles of ear corn in the crib, and killing the numerous mice and rats that would be forced from their home. Don was very friendly, and in my adult years I always enjoyed visiting with him. He lost a battle with cancer, but won an eternal victory.

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:2