Two Days in the life . . .

  . . . of a farmer in the spring.

It went from cool and wet last weekend to hot, dry, and windy this week.  By Wednesday conditions were good to be in the field.  It was one of the earliest starts in years.  I kept track of my activities a couple days this past week and thought maybe I would share them.

Up at 5:30, devotions, check overnight markets, check weather forecast, check email, eat a quick breakfast and out the door.  The old farmers wife and I dropped the pickup off at the field before she left for work.  Hog chores took about an hour, after which I had to bury a dead hog with the skid steer.  I ground and unloaded 3 ton of feed, then fueled up the tractor and headed for the field with the planter to start planting soybeans.  I drove the pickup home to get the seed tender, and had a tire blowout on it on the way back to the field.  I unhooked the tender in a neighbors yard and went back home to find a spare tire and jack.  After I got the tire changed, I continued to the field, filled the planter, and commenced no-tilling soybeans.  I grabbed a sandwich that my wife left for me for lunch.  After finishing that 48 acres, I brought the planter home and started disking the cornstalks where I hauled manure this past winter.  I stopped for a quick supper in the house and my wife took me to the field so I could bring the pickup and seed tender back home.  After evening chores and fueling up tractors for the next day, we had to DocuSign our tax returns and also my operating loan agreements for this year.  I made sure bills that needed to be paid are ready for the mail, checked email, weather, and markets, then headed for the shower.  In bed by 11:00.

Up at 5:30, devotions, check overnight markets, check weather forecast, check email, eat a quick breakfast, and back out the door.  Did chores, then ground and unloaded 6 ton of feed.  I pulled the seed tender down to my brother's to refill it with seed, then No-tilled another 40 acres of soybeans in the morning. My cab monitor needed to be reprogrammed, which took the dealer a couple of days. My salesman showed up at the farm late morning and reinstalled it and set it up so that my auto-steer would finally work.  I had been planting with markers so far.  I discovered a pinched hydraulic hose that runs my vacuum drive motor, so I ran to Blunier's and had them make me a new hose.  After installing the new hose and refilling the hydraulic reservoir, I re-calibrated the TCM so the tractor would be ready to plant.  Another quick sandwich for lunch, and then I disked another 30 acres of cornstalks.  After unhooking the disk, I hooked up the field cultivator to my tillage tractor and worked 80 acres that I could plant the next day.  I had supper in the field.  After finishing that field, I did evening chores late.  Back in the house, I checked email, weather, markets, hit the shower, and was in bed by 11:00.

Rinse, lather, repeat.

By Saturday, much had been accomplished.  I choose not to plant ahead of the cold, wet weather that was forecasted for Saturday evening through Monday.  We went to Bill Schick's funeral in Peoria Saturday morning because we didn't make it to the visitation.  As expected, it was a large funeral.  Bill and Joan touched a lot of lives in his many jobs and missions.  We were second cousins and our families were in two potlucks together.  We both grew up attending church in Morton, and later went to church together for a time in Washington before they left for the mission field.  We had a good visit in Farm & Fleet this past winter, and all were hopeful he could overcome his leukemia.  We trust in God's will.  Our prayers and support go out to his family.

I field cultivated another 80 acres Saturday afternoon.  In the evening, we went to Morton to pick up a table and chair set that Daughter#2 bought off Facebook marketplace.  We got it home and stored in the shop just ahead of the rains.

After the long, busy week, we were thankful for a day of rest!

Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.                Exodus 23:12

 

Hair Cuts

 March was pretty much cool, wet, and cloudy all month.  We had a number of severe storms around the area, but fortunately we didn't receive any damage.  I didn't accomplish much.  I don't like to work outside in those conditions, so my outside work gets pushed later.  I should have had all my fruit trees pruned, but I am still working on them.  Still lots of sticks and branches to be picked up in the yard.  I do have most of the machinery ready for spring, and the lawn mower has been serviced.  

I had some minor surgery (cyst removed) on my head, and the doctor gave me some unrealistic restrictions.  I tried to take it easy for a week, but still had to lift and work.  I get my stitches out tomorrow.

We spent a couple weeks helping Son#1 get his new (old) house ready to move in.  I mostly helped paint.  He moved this past Saturday and had lots of help.  It went quickly and smoothly, and there were enough young, strong backs that I didn't have to do a lot of heavy lifting.  We are also looking for a house for the returning Brakers.  They will be coming back in June, and so far there are very few houses that come on the market that are in their price range and big enough for a family of six.  When a house does come on the market you have to make an immediate decision, because they go quick.

My barber retired the end of March.  I have had three barbers in my life.  My mom cut my hair until I was 17.  I was a teenager in the '70s, the long hair era, so I never liked hair cuts.  I constantly argued with my mom while she was cutting my hair about how long I wanted it.  Finally, before my senior picture she told me to go to a real barber.  I started going to Larry in Washington.  He would cut my hair and tell me if Mom didn't approve, I could come back and he would take a little more off.  When Larry moved away about twenty years ago, I started going to Angie in Eureka.  Now I need to look for another barber.

The weather in April has finally turned dry, sunny, and warmer.  We hope to get in the field sometime this week.

Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.      Jeremiah 7:29