Work

Hot, humid, sweaty, and dirty pretty much describes my last 3 weeks. After the BWCA, we had much work to do before we could leave for our family vacation. Throw in the occational rain shower and I spend most of my days wet. My daughter and wife usually are quick to let me know how bad I smell. Hog manure + wet feed + sweaty body = some rather interesting odors. I was again helping daughter #2 build character - I had her walking beans and helping chase hogs.
The high humidity of summer always gives us problems grinding and mixing feed. Soybean meal doesn't flow well in humidity. Feed premix contains salt, which tends to draw moisture to it. This then gums up our mixer and augers. So we end up spending a lot of time babysitting our feed mill. This past week we had to grind and mix two weeks worth of feed in one week in preparation for vacation. I was in the corn crib (where the mill is) by 6 most mornings to get a batch started, and often was out there at 11 at night keeping the mill going.
The last 3 weeks I averaged 11 to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. I would even go back out after Wednesday evening services to start the grinder. By Saturday at 2:30, we were caught up and I hit the shower and we were off for vacation. I'm afraid I'll spend my first few days just recuperating (also known as being very lazy).

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

Straw

Friday afternoon and Saturday we baled over 2500 bales of straw. It's always some of the hottest days of the summer when baling time rolls around. I seem to always end up in the haymow, making sure the help does the stacking job correctly. The hay mow is the hottest, dustiest place to work with very little air movement. It wasn't good for my lungs or my contacts. It seems like you can consume your weight in water, and sweat it out as fast as you intake it. I can still out work most the young guys we hire to help, but I sure felt my age Saturday evening when we were done. Uncle Roy ran the baler Friday, and cousin Dale ran it Saturday. They pull their baler with a cherry LP gas JD 3020.

Bob and Jenny got in the act also. Bob worked on the rack a while, and Grandpa taught Jenny how to drive the JD 60, pulling the racks in from the field.

The haymow where I worked with 2-4 youngsters.


Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.
Exodus 5:11

BWCA 2

On our way north from Minneapolis, we stopped for supper at Gordy's old fashioned hamburger stand. Here is a picture of the girls in front of Gordy's.

While camping, a group effort produced a birch bark checkerboard for a checkers tournament. Wild blueberries were used to dye the dark "checkers".

Making popcorn on the campfire the old fashioned way.

Another beautiful evening at camp in the peace and quiet of the Boundary Waters.

Picnic lunch on the rocks during one of our day trips. Summer sausage and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly never tasted so good.

On a guys day hike, we ran across this old relic and we wondered how it got here since there are no roads anywhere near here. Someone probably drove it across frozen lakes during winter, but why?

The girls silhouetted in the setting sun.

Our first nights meal. Steak, hash browns, and green beans cooked over an open fire. Everything tastes better when camping!

The plastic stump latrine. It was quite out in the open. In the evening the mosquitoes really enjoyed the location.

Sunset over Fourtown Lake. Our home for the week.

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Mark 6:31

BWCA

I had the privilege to spend last week in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with a group of 8 Dads and 10 Daughters. Most of whom I had never met before. The girls were between the ages of 16 and 20. We had a great time making memories, building friendships, and enjoying God's creation. We hailed from Congerville, Fairbury, Forrest, and Washington Illinois, plus Rockville Connecticut. Because there were 18 of us we split into 2 groups. After paddling and portaging into Fourtown Lake, we found an Island that had campsites on opposite sides that were connected by a trail through the woods. It was very convenient for our groups, so we base camped and did day trips and fishing trips from there. It was especially satisfying to watch the girls bond together and work together away from all the modern conveniences. Except for a 5 hour rain early one morning that flooded the girls tent, we had beautiful weather. I was afraid that maybe the old farmer was getting a little too old for this sort of thing, but I enjoyed it and managed it all quite well. I will try to post more pictures and commentary later.

The group of Fathers and Daughters in Minneapolis the day before.

Group 1 camp mates.

An after picture of the group, ready to head for the showers.

The BWCA is a 1.9 million acre wilderness area that borders Canada in North Eastern Minnesota. With hundreds of lakes connected by portage trails, there are a thousand miles of canoe routes throughout. There are no roads or services, and boats with motors are not allowed. The campsites are primitive, with just a fire grate and a "stump" latrine. There are bear, moose, deer, eagles, loons, and various other critters living here. It is the most visited wilderness in America.

Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
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 8:22-24