Hearts

 I finished planting corn the first week of May.  The second weekend, we had over 2 inches of rain.  My cousin Dale had not finished planting yet, but his wife Susie was in Phoenix waiting to have open heart surgery on the 17th.  We didn't know if the fields would dry enough to finish before he had to fly back to be with her.  On Friday the 14th he started working ground in the morning and called me and said he thought he could plant in the afternoon, with a little sun, wind, and warmth.  I had offered to help, so I started planting with my planter at 3:00 in the afternoon, and he was able to get started at about 4:00.  He had to line up a tillage operator to take his place, and then keep both planters filled with seed.  We were able to plant his last 190+ acres that evening and by morning it was raining.  Saturday afternoon he was on a plane for Phoenix.

Dale called me Monday evening to tell me surgery went well, so now we pray for a speedy recovery.  On Tuesday, Dr. Dan had a similar open heart surgery in Peoria.  His surgery went well also, and he is now back home.  We pray for a speedy recovery for him also.

We had over two inches of rain that weekend, and we had over two inches this past week, so we've had over 4 inches in the last two weeks.  I think I will need to do some replanting of wet spots.

I officially turned old last week and am now on Medicare!  All of my career I have been paying for medical insurance and all medical costs out of my own pocket.  I've never been employed by anyone who offered health insurance.  It will be nice now for the Government (to whom I have paid taxes all my career) to start picking up most of the tab!  And maybe now (if I'm not too proud), I will start getting some senior citizen discounts!

Nephew Tate got married this weekend.  We enjoyed having all of our kids and our 11 grandkids around most of the weekend.  We had nine guests overnight for two nights; it got a little wild at times!  Sunday we all went to Eureka for the wedding and it was the first time since pre-covid that I have been in that large of a crowd.  There was a full house at church, and we waited about an hour and a half in the reception line with the passel of rowdy kids.  We enjoyed the wedding, the fellowship, and the food, and we still love our grandkids!  Congratulations Tate and Tamra! 

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.            Psalm 112:7

So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.            Matthew 22:10

Planting Progress

 After our time of quarantine, we made a quick trip out to Iowa to see our newest granddaughter.  We had a nice drive, and it was good to see Son#2 and family again.  And of course, our 2 granddaughters are cuties!  

Overall, April was a fairly cool month.  The ground was slow to dry out and stayed cool.  As planting dates rolled around and a cool, wet forecast, we decided to plant soybeans first.  I planted a field a day, waiting for a warm-up so I could switch to corn.  I ended up planting all of my soybeans before any corn, as I didn't really want to switch the planter back and forth.  That was the first time in my career for that.  And then for another first, we had snow on planted soybeans along with several nights of frost!  Fortunately the beans were not up yet so no damage done.  We've had some warmer weather recently, so I have most of my corn planted now.

I attended a lot of online farm machinery auctions late winter and early spring.  I would much rather attend in person, but many went online because of Covid.  My only purchase was a 16 row cultivator.  I spent a couple of our rainy days rebuilding the lower gearbox on our feed wagon.  The oldest farmer bought it new in 1973 and I am still using it almost daily.  I can still get parts for it, so it should last the rest of my useful life.

  

I am officially a card carrying member of the controversial Fully Vaccinated Club.  My involvement in vaccinations has also made me the black sheep of the family -  a label I am quite used to and not bothered by.

D#1 and family had us over one evening last week for smoked salmon and fresh morel mushrooms!  The first and maybe only mushrooms we'll have this year.

It rained Wednesday and into Thursday morning, so we decided to head to Leo on Friday for Nancy K's visitation.  She had breezed through Covid and made it past her 100th birthday before going to her eternal home to join husband Bill.  We spent the night at Maple House with D#2 and family.  It was fun to surprise the grandkids, showing up unexpectedly, and to watch N & M in action, as they were on duty while we were there.

On the way home on Saturday, we ate inside of a fast food restaurant (in Indiana)for the first time in over a year!  The closer we got to home, the more tractors I saw in the field.  We got home at 3 in the afternoon, and I was in the field working ground within a half hour.  I then filled the planter, and got a 40 acre field planted before I shut down for the weekend.  I tried to listen in to the LifePoints Gospel Sing on my iPad while planting, but was unable to for some reason and didn't want to be distracted, so I quit trying.  I will listen to the recording later.

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.           Isaiah 51:3