Siding

We received 2.3 inches of rain in the first two weeks of August!  I think that was more than the last 3 months total!  It's too late to help the corn, but the soybeans sure are looking greener.
My brother is on vacation for 2+ weeks, so I am alone on the farm.  The weather has been beautiful, so I have been getting a lot of work done.  We still have a lot more work I would like to see done before we start harvest.

Today, I learned how to install vinyl siding in Peoria on a Habitat For Humanity house.  I have supported them for 25 or so years, but never seemed to have the time to volunteer on a house.  Today I took the opportunity and got to work side by side with Greg Batton, on air radio personality from WMBD radio.  We made a good team, and maybe visited about as much as we worked!  The HFH house was a lot like working on a Apostolic Christian World Relief Project.  HFH generally builds 4-5 houses each year in the Peoria area.

The old farmer and Greg's siding job.

Part of the volunteer crew for the day.

Daughter #2 made a big batch of Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls this afternoon.  So right now the house has that wonderful smell of fresh baked rolls.

The way to a man's heart . . . .

 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
Proverbs 24:27

Drought



The corn on the left are typical ears from last year.  The ears on the right are ears I just picked a couple days ago, and are fairly representative of much of this years crop.  There are also many barren stalks this year that will help lower the yield.

Does it mean that the drought is bad when a buzzard is roosting on a shed roof in your farmstead?  A second one is flying in from the lower left in the picture.

USDA says that the drought shouldn't have a very great effect on food prices next year, since commodities only make up 14% of the cost of food.

‘If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house and in Thy presence (for Thy name is in this house), and cry unto Thee in our affliction, then Thou wilt hear and help.’
II Chronicles 20:9

Catching Up

Last weekend, we had a relaxing and blessed time in Winthrop.  It felt like we were on vacation.  We again enjoyed good food, fellowship, and worship.  On Saturday morning, the Steiner men took me fishing.  I caught one fish, and it was so small that Benji took him home and put him in the aquarium!

Thursday we finally received a nice rain of  7/10s of an inch.  It is too late to help the corn, but it will be good for the soybeans.  The grass should start greening up again now.

I just finished reading Blood Covenant by Michael Franzese.  He was a wealthy and powerful Mafia boss in New York's Colombo family.  He eventually fell in love with and married a beautiful woman who led him to Christianity.  He became Born Again, and left "the family".  But he spent time in prison and struggled for years overcoming his past.  He now has a successful ministry helping athletes and underprivileged youth avoid crime, gambling, gangs, and the problems he was involved in.
It was a good reminder that no matter how great the sin, God's grace and forgiveness is greater.

Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:1

Wind

Last week we received .2" of rain twice.  I think that brings our total rainfall since the first of June to about .8" of rain.  There were 26 days in July with the temperature over 90 degrees and 7 days over 100.  The corn crop keeps deteriorating, the beans are hanging on.  We had to spray all of our soybeans now for spider mites.  They usually are only a problem in drought years.

On the land we farm 30 miles northeast of our home farm, two wind turbines are being built.  I drove up there a couple of times lately to cut brush, scout fields, and check on the progress of the towers.  The contractors bring in a small crane to erect the first three sections, and then a big crane to put up the top two sections, the generator, and the turbine. They built a permanent road through our field, in addition to tearing up a lot of soybeans working around the base of the towers.  They will reimburse us for the damage, but at least the dry year kept them from having to really tearing the place up.

The two partially built towers and the rest of the pieces laying around on the ground.

Hub and blades waiting to be lifted up.

Inside one of the tower sections.

The crane (on left) driving across the field to the towers in the front.

Nephew Troy on the crane.

Yesterday, we drove a couple of hours to a machinery dealer that had some good manure spreaders for sale.  We ended up buying a nearly new one and bringing it home with us.

I wonder how long it will stay looking this nice.  It's about 50% bigger than our old one.  We will keep the old one for a spare, or for when we want to use both at once.

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
Proverbs 30:4

The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
Ecclesiastes 1:6