Progress

For the most part harvest has been progressing smoothly.  The yields are still coming in better than anticipated in our area.  We had a flat tire on the tractor that pulls the auger wagon, but Midwest Repair was here in an hour.  It took a half hour to fix it, and the tractor was back in the field.  The weather has been cooperative and beautiful.  The majority of our corn is harvested, but we just got a good start on the soybeans.

The feed truck died on the way to the neighbors again.  I was close enough to coast into his yard.  After no luck trying to start it, my brother brought over the spare fuel pump we had just purchased after the last problem.  We borrowed the neighbor's tools, and with the new pump on, it started right up and I was able to unload the feed and head back home.  So we bought another pump to keep on hand.

We got our winter wheat sowed this past week, so that job is finished.  Because we no longer have a sow herd to bed down with straw in the winter, we did cut back a little on our wheat acres.

I gave my granddaughter her first combine ride this week.  I don't think she understood what was happening, but she enjoyed riding in a vehicle without being confined in a car seat.

Last weekend was Matt & Lena's Illinois reception.  It was good to see a lot of relatives and people that we don't get to see very often.  And the dessert was good.

I also gave a combine ride to a missionary and his son who are from Pretoria, South Africa.  They were visiting inlaws next door to the field where we were harvesting.  He shared about his job recruiting missionaries with Operation Mobilization, and we discussed the fact that South Africa does grow a lot of corn.  But it needs irrigation because of the dry climate.

Last night we were blessed to hear the testimonies of three souls who have repented of their sins, been converted, and found peace with God.  It was a good reason to quit harvesting early on a Saturday evening.

After a blessed day in church that included baptisms, we got to spent the evening with the Koch family at little Miss's first birthday party.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:7

Harvest

We started harvesting corn last week, but the moisture level is still high (upper 20's), so we just opened up fields mostly.  It took me some time along with the help of a couple of technicians to get the new electronics figured out, but the machine is running very well.  Yields overall so far are better than anticipated.  On the yield monitor I've seen everything from 0 to 235 bu. per acre. I don't understand how the small patches of high yields can exist based on the extreme heat during pollination and the drought, but they are there.  I do understand the spots where there are cornstalks with no ears on them at all.  The average yields will be mediocre, but that will be good for this year.

We spent Sunday in the newly remodeled Champaign Church.  It was a blessed day in the Lord's house.  We were in town for the U. of  I. new student picnic Sunday afternoon.  We don't have a new student, but daughter #2 was one of those in charge so we came to support her.  Plus I love being in C-U.  It was a beautiful afternoon for a picnic, and the food and fellowship were good.

We got rained out of the field tonight.  We haven't been able to say that a lot this year.

And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
Genesis 41:54

Hitched

It is definitely different this time having a son rather than a daughter getting married.  It has been exciting watching Son #1 taking on the responsibility of buying and preparing a house for his bride.  Almost nightly and most Saturdays he has been cleaning, fixing, patching, painting, shopping, and moving his stuff.  I haven't been too much of a help to him, although I did help move his farm set, and assemble and set up some furniture.

I met Lena on a father/daughter canoe trip to the Boundary Waters a few years ago.  She was full of energy and a lot of fun.  She is a pretty, talented, Godly young woman, and we welcome her into our family.  She comes from a great family and we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them.

Matt has been a consistent, stable, faithful, supportive son.  He is smart, hardworking, responsible, and a handyman.  He has been a blessing to our family.  And he shares my interest in Agriculture :)

We spent another blessed weekend in Winthrop, MN (and Gaylord, LaFayette, New Ulm).  We enjoyed good weather, good food, good fellowship, and a beautiful wedding.  The church was full on Sunday and the Spirit was present.  I think I am even starting to get some of the Messners and Schmidts figured out.

Father of the bride and Benji moving the sweet '51 Chevy.

 

The wedding party lining up in front of the Chevy.

This is how you embarrass your daughters ( and I'm not talking about little miss!).

Congratulations Matt and Lena!  We wish you God's blessings throughout your marriage, and as you turn your house into a Christian home.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Genesis 2:24

Feed Truck

I left home at about 2:00 Saturday afternoon with a truck full of feed for our pigs that our neighbor raises for us under contract.  Before I got to the corner, the truck died.  At first I thought I ran out of gas, because the fuel gauge wasn't working (blown fuse, now changed), but after my brother brought me some gas, the truck still wouldn't run.  We worked an hour trying to start it, made some phone calls to a mechanic, and finally determined that the fuel pump had gone out of it.

Saturday afternoon, Labor Day weekend.

I called every auto parts store that was still open in the towns of Eureka, Washington, and Morton, and none of them had a fuel pump for a farm truck.

I finally found an O'Reilly's in Peoria Heights that had one.  Brother and son pulled the dead truck to his yard with a tractor.  I headed to Peoria to get the pump, but it was aftermarket and didn't look like the right one (I should have taken the old one with me).  I drove back home to check to see if it would work (I should have brought the new one home with me), and realized that it would.  I drove back to Peoria to buy the new one, and by the time I got it home and grabbed a bite to eat, it was getting dark and was raining.  Lying on our backs in the grass under the truck in the dark with rain on our legs and oil and dirt dropping in our faces, we tried for an hour to get the new pump installed.  For some reason it didn't want to go on correctly, and finally the cast base cracked and we gave up and went home.  In the shop, I used J-B Weld and "glued" it back together.

This morning I hauled feed to the neighbor's with a tractor and feed wagon to get the hungry pigs by until we could get another pump on Tuesday.  In the afternoon we decided to try to install the "glued" pump (I was very skeptical that the J-B Weld would hold). 
In about ten minutes the pump was installed, the truck started, and no oil or gas leaks!  The "weld" is holding!

I'm still not sure why we had so much trouble Saturday night, but all is well for now.  We will still buy a new pump as soon as we can to have a spare in case the other one fails.

We have a lot of feed to haul before the big weekend coming up.

And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
Matthew 8:30