Harvest 2012

 Harvest 2012 began on Memorial Day. The first time that has happened that my father in law can recall. Dean got the combine out yesterday morning. Derek was eager to get out and help him. 

  The girls and I decided to go shopping. Carter's had their Memorial Day sale. When I called Dean at one point, he said they were getting ready to head out. Other trucks were going by, hauling wheat to town and honking at him. It was time to get to the field!


  Since the boys were in the field, the girls met Papa and Nana at the new Braum's in Newton for supper. We got home around 9:30. The boys didn't come till about 10:00 when we were on our way to the neighbor's to get milk, farm fresh milk. The boys ate some supper while the girls tried to wind down and get to bed. Derek napped in the combine, so wasn't quite ready for bed yet.


  This morning, Dean had to fix the baler to go bale a couple more bales he had been trying to get done before starting harvest. Farm equipment is not guaranteed to be free from breaking down. Farmers have to know a lot if they want to save money and fix things themselves. Dean's dad, who is 86, comes to the farm everyday and helps.


  Dean also had to unhook the baler from ONE of our AGCO tractors and hook up the grain cart. They use that to unload the combine on the go in the field instead of taking the time to unload in the truck. Our grain cart driver came after dinner. Dean still had some other things to do before going out to the field. Derek kept asking when he could go out and go with daddy. He was eager to get ride the combine again.

The girls took naps this afternoon (too bad not at the same time)! After everybody was awake, we went to pick mulberries in our yard. Since the boys were close to home, and rain in the forecast, I got by with sending sandwiches one of the times Dean came home.

  Dean was cutting seed wheat to be used for this fall's planting, so he was unloading at home. Grandpa drove the combine, with Derek helping. Derek was so excited when he came home after 10:00. (he napped again so isn't tired and still up at midnight) No sooner had Dean gone back out to drive equipment in, and it started raining. Praying for no hail! We need some rain to help "fill" the big cracks in the ground, but hail would not be good for the wheat.

Trying again...

Summer is Here

We need some structure around here. I don't know if that is even possible with summer on the farm. I don't know from one day to the next what Dean will be doing. (I wonder if he knows when he wakes up!) I still need to try to get some order to inside life...maybe I should wait till after wheat harvest which is fast approaching with the hot, windy weather. Then it will be wait till after double crop planting, then...


I wish my mood wasn't so dependent on the cleanliness of my house. I like to have order to it, too, because I thought that was something I could control. Instead it seems to control me and my mood. Sometimes everywhere I look it's a mess, though, and I can't handle that. If I can clean one area I feel better. Structure...I try to get better organized with my cleaning even. I have a schedule of different things to do every day and even once a month. I don't always get to it even though I've been trying for the past month to stick to it. I have to remember if I don't get it done that day or week, it will still be there! It's not like we have people coming to our house that I need to have it clean, it's just for me and my sanity!!

  The above was written on June 8, 2011. All of it still holds true. Harvest is fast approaching...early this year.  Now I have a 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old. My mood, sadly, is still dependent on the cleanliness of my house. I still don't have structure. I keep thinking if I could have a couple hours of uninterrupted time to think and plan. Oh the things I could do:

    1. Menu planning

    2. Household rules

    3. Chores assigned

Ok, maybe I would need a couple hours for each one! I am in survival mode. Even though I know all these things would help this household run smoother, I can't seem to get them implemented.

I am hoping to blog about wheat harvest this year..I planned on that last year, too!  I wish I could write more, but my brain can't think with kids needing attention.  I will see what I get written this year.  I thought it would be neat for non-farm people to get a taste of what harvest is like down on the farm.