TCD Blog
Sunny, 46 degrees
Humidity 51%
Dew Point 29 degrees
Wind S @ 20 mph
Forecast: Sunny all day, very slight chance of rain tonight.
Talked w/Hilary about some Blog/site ideas….may have to give up my day job!
Last year’s winner
Sunny, 84 degrees
Humidity 21%
Dew Point 40 degrees
Wind South/SouthEast at 10 mph
Forecast: clear
Last year Michelle was the winner (by a goodly amount) of the ‘ who can collect the most scraps of metal in the yards & drives’. At a nickel a piece she walked away with enough to buy a new John Deere 9030 4-wheel drive….well maybe not quite that much.
This year i have a plan for the collected metal that involves welding-torch and a vision….at least it will keep me off the roads during down times. LOL
The glamorous part of harvest
Sunny, 97 degrees
Humidity 12%
Dew Point 35 degrees
Wind S @ 17 mph
Forecast: Hot, dry
We got fairly good at fixing the header chain. After several breaks and a bit of
detective work a new clutch pretty much fixed the problem. Seems the clutch wasn’t slipping in the tough straw and the ‘its getting tough to cut’ light wasn’t showing up in the combine. By the end of harvest I was pretty much on a first name basis with the people at the BTI dealership (John Deere) in Ness City. Well actually it wasn’t ‘first name’ it was more of ‘no name’….i’d walk in and folks behind the counter would nod and say, ‘What’s Bruce need?’ LOL
Cloudy
Humidity 33%
Dew Point 36 degrees
Wind ESE @ 20-25 mph
Forecast: Cool, mostly cloudy, chance of rain 60%
Here’s a link to our first video attempt. This is from last year. Still have 9 hours of video to go through before this harvest begins! LOL So check back.
Kentucky derby day
Cloudy 70 degrees
Humidity 53%
Dew Point 52 degrees
Wind ENE @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Clear, sunny.
For the last few years, Grandma (Elfriede), Carolyn, Hilary and sometimes Bob have attended a Kentucky Derby Day party at friends in Greenville, NC.
At a Derby Day party hats are a must for the women and Elfriede took the cake (but not the roses). Elfriede insisted that women in Kansas just don’t wear hats like these. But after a few sips of Mint Julep she started telling stores about the hats her mother and grandmother wore, ‘but only on special occasions.’ Of course in our part of the South, Derby Day is just about as special an occasion as one could want.
Elfriede’s 90th birthday is coming up this Fall (9.11.2011). So get your hats ready….we’ve got a special occasion coming up!
Weather change
Light scattered rain, 73 degrees
Humidity 86
Dew Point 59 degrees
Wind SE @ 15-20 mph
Forecast: Rain, clearing, highs near 91.
A major break in the 100-degree heat.
Several East Coast folks have asked if its always hot in Kansas. Well….the farm is in Western Kansas. Of course its got to be hot to ripen wheat, but just as today shows, there are cooler days.
Here is a shot of the Christmas 2011 morning.
Hilary & Bruce milking.
It was 15 degrees.
Da’ Green’s 2011 road trip begins!
Cloudy, 76 degrees
Humidity 57%
Dew Point 59 degrees
Wind ESE @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Rain, Isolated T-Storms tomorrow, highs near 98.
Well we though we would be cutting wheat starting this Saturday (6.18.11) but the rains have finally come. Bruce says it will probably be early next week. Go figure. Could have better used the rain a few weeks ago but that’s why its called farming and not ‘cutting’. Kind of the same way it’s called ‘fishing’ not ‘catching’.
Hilary & I will be leaving Greenville, NC and starting our road trip to the farm tomorrow. Stop in Chattanooga to see uncle Johnny, then to Lawrence to see grandson Orson singing in a stage production of Aladdin….then to the farm. Orson will ride out with us. It will be his first trip to the farm.
We will be taking pictures/videos on the trip across county. We’ll try to get them posted daily. Something to do at night in the hotel and good practice for harvest.
See you on the road.
On the road
Cloudy, 77 degrees
Humidity 47%
Dew Point 55 degrees
Wind SE @ 20-25 mph
Forecast: Chance of T-Storms tonight, sunny, highs near 90
In Chattanooga. Got here about 10:45pm. Hilary, brand new driver’s license in hand, put in about 150 miles, from Ashville to South of Knoxville. Through the North Carolina mountains, surrounded by really big trucks.
Hilary took her official North Carolina driver’s test this morning. 8am. First in line. Totally finished and ready to walk out at 8:30….except for the broken ‘official’ camera. Well actually the camera was not broken the statewide computer link was broken. No NC Division of Motor Vehicle office was able to take pictures. Ah, the beauty of integrated technology. But by 9:05 everything was back online and we were on our way. Throughout Hilary did an awesome job.
So did Carolyn. While we were at the DMV. the truck was gassed, windows cleaned, coffee in thermos and cash money in the console. With support like this harvest is going to be a snap.
Over the Mighty Miss
Mostly cloudy, 73 degrees
Humidity 49%
Dew Point 59 degrees
Wind NNE @ 15-20 mph
Forecast: Rain all night & tomorrow, highs near 85.
Saw uncle Johnny. He’s at home and getting great care, thanks to cousin Jen.
Ran into a little rain in Georgia and South Tennessee. We planned to take pictures of all the state signs (at the state line) but we we’re leaving Georgia when we realized we had been there….same for Kentucky. Well we had pizza in Paducah, so we knew we were in Kentucky but sure missed the sign. Oh well maybe on the way home.
Hilary drove from Paducah to O’Fallon (West of St. Louis). Coming out of St. Louis on I-70 we saw the lights of a Trooper driving in front of us, maybe a half a mile. Then we saw a pick-up a little in front of the Trooper hit the gas! Big time. Never saw a real police chase. Didn’t last long. About three miles up the road the pick-up was on the shoulder and the Trooper was at the truck window.
Talked with Bruce this afternoon.
May start cutting on Tuesday.
Made it
Rain, T-storms, 73 degrees
Humidity 90%%
Dew Point 42 degrees
Wind NNE @ 30-50 mph
Forecast: Rain all night, clearing tomorrow, highs near 85.
What a ride. Should we continue to the farm or seek refuge with Clayton Michael & Rheta? Called Bruce…..several times. Suddenly saw a bright red Sun on the horizon. So we kept going.
Started the day in rain and wind in Columbia, Mo. Got to Lawrence, Kansas at 11:30 and had lunch with Muriel & Steve, Orson and Eli. Went to Orson’s musical, Aladdin Jr. (he was the Prince formerly called ‘The Artist).
Great show.
Hung out for awhile and looked at high definition, solid state camcorders. Headed West around 5 pm.
Saw folks cutting wheat West of Topeka. But that gave out soon. Of course Bob Fainter and I saw cut wheat fields near Stokes, North Carolina last Monday on the way home from visiting ‘The World’s Greatest Luthier’.
Just ask him.
Just West of Russel, Kansas we saw the storm on the horizon. We were going to stop at the Wal-Mart in Hays to get my yearly fishing license but when we got there we decided to just keep on trucking. About 10-12 miles West of Hays we ran headlong into wall of indecision. Started to go back. Couldn’t get in touch with Clayton Michael & Rheta. Talked with Bruce. Took a deep breath and headed West again. About 5 minutes later we saw the Sun. Figured the storm couldn’t be too wide. By the time we got to WaKeeney we could see the setting Sun and the edge of the storm. Of course the farm is 9 miles South of WaKeeney so we were driving straight into ‘the other’ storm that was 30 miles South and full of hail, but our storm was pushing this one East. By the time we got to the farm the rain had let up enough so we could unpack what we needed for the night. Still, it was raining hard enough that the dogs didn’t bother to come check on who had showed up. Or maybe Bruce had told them we were coming.
Happy Father’s Day
Sunny, 84 degrees
Humidity 27%
Dew Point 39 degrees
Wind SW @ 10-20 mph
Forecast: Clear, chance of rain tonight.
Beautiful Sunrise. Went out to the barn, coffee in hand, to talk to Bruce. The cows don’t actually look ‘too’ muddy. Bruce has a new ‘dipping’ solution for post-milking. I’ve pretty much got to be retrained every time i walk into the barn. Not sure if this is because of the continuing innovations (Bruce runs a Grade-A, Organic dairy) or just poor quality help. Got 35/100 of an inch last night. No hail.
08:30 Bruce in for breakfast. Hilary fixed pancakes (new recipe she created) with a strawberry sauce. Way good.
Short run to town with Hilary. Spent the day unpacking. We went out with Bruce to check the wheat. Two/three dry days with lots of Sun and heat and we’ll be ready to cut….unfortunately there is supposed to be rain coming.
Went up North a mile then back West (about 7 miles due West of the farm). All of the wheat looks good. Just need rain. Found a steer out. Bruce and Clayton Michael are also raising some steers. They are spaced over three pastures. When we were back West we saw cow tracks on the road. Drove into the pasture and around and sure enough saw the runaway. Unfortunately he was on the wrong side of the fence (there’s a song in there somewhere). I got out walked across the stream and up the hill, opened the gate walked up the road a bit and tried to look non-threatening. Bruce got out further down the fence line and walked the steer back up the fence to the gate. The steer walked in and Bruce and I walked back down the pasture. Hilary drove around the pasture back around the pasture and picked us up. When we were getting into the truck Hilary said that was the first time she had driven completely on her own….there’s another song in there.
Hilary spent the afternoon creating a Father’s Day dinner for Bruce and me. Awesome. We also made ice cream topped with peach sauce Hilary created. 10 pm, Bruce has gone; probably asleep by now. Hilary just got out of the shower and is headed for bed. I’ve been watching a show about the universe with Steve Hawking. There are wall to wall stars visible tonigh
I like looking at the stars
Rain
Overcast, 68 degrees
Humidity 27%
Dew Point 39 degrees
Wind NNE @ 20-25 mph
Forecast: Chance of rain, clearing.
A beautiful morning at the farm….unless you want to cut wheat. Cool. Nice breeze. Gentle short rain before Sunrise (no dust). A great day for doing ‘stuff’. Lousy day for the beginning of wheat harvest.
Hilary & I will finish getting stuff put away and setting up a couple of new Picasa farm photo albums
(try to have those up by tomorrow). Carolyn & Grandma get in late this evening. They are going to stop by Topeka and pick-up Clayton Andrew on the way through. He took this week off to help with harvest. Guess we’ll clean/grease equipment, cut grass, some field work (if it dries enough).
Lost a calf yesterday.
Still born.
Delivered a month early.
Spent most of the morning/afternoon working around the farm. Took down a tarp (20×30) covering the end of the cows Quonset. The wind had caught it and bent the pipes that hold it in place and tore part of the tarp. After harvest they will be straightened, repaired and put back up. Pulled the storm window off Grandma’s North window. It got broken a few weeks ago
Unloaded a couple of truckloads of boiled (now dry) rolled soybeans; it gets added to the cows food. After the trucks were unloaded I was using the hand wench to get the auger hopper (about 400 pounds) up off the ground. Just flat out wasn’t paying attention. The handle whipped around and caught me on the back of my right hand. Thank God for leather gloves. When I pealed them off just had an inch cut. The up side is that when I flexed my fingers we could watch the tendons move. Just wished I had a video camera handy so I could get some shots to show it to our first semester students. Always looking for someway to get their attention.
6:10 pm; Carolyn & Grandma have picked up Clayton Andrew and are heading out of Topeka. Going to meet them at Clayton Michael & Rheta’s. They should get there around 9pm. Of course there is another storm passing through. So far we’ve only gotten wind.
11:00 pm: home. Everyone is wiped out. Hilary stayed at the farm while I went to pick up folks in Hays. Carolyn & Grandma had a great flight, a little rough on landing, but there is a storm passing through. Stopped and saw Muriel in Lawrence, then to Topeka. Clayton Andrew drove all the way to Hays.
The wind has been 40-60. They were driving a Nissan which gets great gas mileage unless you’re driving into 50 mile an hour winds.
The rain is steady.
No hail.
Walmart run
Sunny, 78 degrees
Humidity 52%
Dew Point 53 degrees
Wind W @ 40-60 mph
Forecast: Sunny, windy.
Another beautiful morning at the farm. The wind has picked up which will help the ground dry. That’s good. I have noticed that the cows generally face into the wind or away from the wind depending on the number of flies or the amount of rain. Yesterday about 30 of them were bunched together staring intently at the windmill just across the road. The windmill pumps water into an open concrete tank they drink from. But they can’t see the tank. Just the windmill. But maybe they remember the windmill means water. Maybe they remember being on the other side of the road. Maybe they remember the water on the other side of the fence tastes better. Of course sometimes it’s hard to figure out just what the cows are thinking.
Carolyn, Hilary & I went to Hays to the Super Wal-Mart. Got a blue ton of groceries and stuff. Hilary had a grocery list that covered four emails to Carolyn, who wisely printed them before she came. The most important purchase, of course, was my fishing license.
11:00 am: home. Grandma is up. Clayton Andrew is working on the trucks and hauling some brush around. There is always something. Bruce is heading into town. Joyce came by for awhile.
Pam, Austin, Elianna & Michelle should be here about 6pm. Maybe sooner….their coming from Denver so have an awesome tailwind.
9pm: Bruce, Clayton Andrew & I spent most of the afternoon getting the trucks, combine, tractor ready. Joyce spent about seven hours today cutting grass. The place is looking ready for harvest. We’ll try to get some photos up on Picasa tomorrow.
Hilary & Carolyn spent the day cooking and cleaning the kitchen. Hilary went out to milk at 4. Her favorite cow, Millie, just had a calf (her first) so Millie is now in the milking line. Millie is an awesome cow (raised by hand, bucket fed, etc), birthed her calf easily, is a good milker but has a bit of an attitude.
Pam & the kids got here about 7pm. They brought a ½ ton of food, much of it Hilary ordered (making/trying new recipes). Austin drove most of the way from Denver and said he hardly felt the wind. We had pizza for dinner that Hilary & Carolyn created. The kids are now out walking. It is a great day for being at the farm….except for the wheat.
Bruce & Clayton Andrew went ‘back West’ to check the wheat. This is the field where we will start. Bruce says the wheat stocks are dry, the heads are not, and the fields are still too wet for the combine & tractor. So…..If the wind keeps up all night and it really is 90 degrees/Sunny tomorrow, we may be able to start in the late afternoon.
One way or the other we are going to ‘switch’ the cows tomorrow, but more about that tomorrow.
Getting ready
Sunny, 82 degrees
Humidity 28%
Dew Point 46 degrees
Wind NW @ 19 mph
Forecast: Sunny, windy.
Clear and Sunny.
Got up at 5:15 to help milk. Told the kids they had to sleep in because they were up late talking. As I was fixing coffee to take to the barn Austin was getting ready to take Bariki (their German Shepard) for a walk. Bariki was born and raised in Kenya and is still on Nairobi time….even though he has been in the States for several years. LOL
Had intended to sleep in until 6:15, mosey out to the barn about 6:30 after the cows are in the corral and the first 8 are already milking. That ‘gentleman farmer’ time line. But my cell phone alarm was still set on East Coast time, so as I was moseying Bruce was just getting the cows rounded up.
Clayton Michael & Bruce spent the morning putting the last touches on the combine. The kids were cleaning out the Quonset. Carolyn came out to get a picture of Bob with the new ‘field truck’ (flat bed, air compressor, diesel tank, etc). Several years ago we got a flat out in the field and had to borrow Melvin’s field truck….i fell in love with the rig. So when Bruce got this truck Clayton Andrew got a couple of signs made up with the Trego Center Dairy logo and ‘Bobs Service Pickup’ on the doors….just sure there is another song in here. Carolyn got ‘roped in to help finish the cleanup and take a load to the dump.
Clayton Andrew is working the field (disking to get rid of the weeds) across from Aunt Leona’s (about 6 miles straight West).
Bruce and I made a run to the field ‘back West’ (also 6 miles West of the farm). Bruce made a couple of passes with the combine. Looks like the wheat will be dry enough to cut as soon as the cows are milked at 1pm.
Switching cows
Sunny, 82 degrees
Humidity 24%
Dew Point 42 degrees
Wind NW @ 20 mph
Forecast: Sunny, windy.
Oh yeah; ‘switching the cows’.
Generally, the cows are milked at about 5am & 5pm. Bruce is usually up and in the barn by 4:30am. The pipes that collect the milk have to be switched from ‘cleaning mode’ to ‘milking mode’. All the milking equipment is cleaned (by an automated system) after each milking. The first step in milking is to switch to ‘milking mode’.
Once the barn is set-up for milking Bruce heads out to round up the cows.
Using a 4-wheeler.
Actually, this is more like a Cadillac of 4-wheelers: seat belts, roll bar, back deck for carrying stuff, etc. I have this idea of having the dogs bring the cows to the holding pen and then have the cats lead the cows into the barn. For some reason when the cats walk past the cows they put their noses down and follow for a while.
So far, the dogs have adopted the attitude that I’m flat-out crazy and the cats, keep mentioning that their union forbids this behavior.
During harvest the cows are milked at about 10am & 10pm because the wheat stalks are not dry enough to cut until early afternoon. We can often cut into the night. It all depends on the moisture. It is a lot more convenient to not milk early in the morning.
Now some folks would just not milk until 10ish on the first day, but this makes it a bit hard on the cows. They have been busy producing milk all night and want to give it to somebody. Holding off milking might lead to physical problems. Like the cats there seems to be some sort of contractual agreement about appropriate milking times.
On the day the cows get their schedule ‘switched’ they get milked three times; 5am, 1pm & 10pm. The 1 & 10pm milking go pretty fast. But by milking three times that first day the cows do a lot better. When it comes down to it; contented cows are happy cows. When working side by side (and underneath) 1200-1400 pound animals, it is a lot more enjoyable if they are happy about their job.
Cutting Wheat!
Sunny, 84 degrees
Humidity 28%
Dew Point 46 degrees
Wind W @ 20-25 mph
Forecast: Sunny, windy, rain possible tonight
We’re cutting wheat!
4pm: Bruce has gone to the field to start cutting wheat. One of the semi’s is already on the road at the edge of the field so he can dump wheat, from the combine, right onto it. The idea of the grain cart (which is pulled by a tractor) is that the grain cart can go into the field. Anywhere the combine goes. The semis get stuck if they are ‘in’ the field. But on this field the road is right at the edge of the field so Bruce does not need the grain cart just yet.
Clayton Andrew is back from ‘working the field’ back West and just as he is taking off the under-cutter, so the the grain cart can be attached, Bruce calls to say a belt is off the combine. So Austin & i pile into the ‘new service truck’ and head West.
Come to find out when the combine was serviced one of the drive belts (there are a bunch) was accidentally left off its pulley. This belt is part of two belt system that are side by side….except one wasn’t.
Once Bruce got into serious cutting he realized something was wrong. Stopped and started checking. Saw the problem and called. Farmers not only grow stuff but are awesome with machinery. Calling AAA (or the mechanic who is at least 30 miles away) might work but will take hours. During harvest nobody has hours to spend working on a tan.
It took about 10 minutes to re-attach the belt. Austin got in the combine to ride with Bruce and Bob started working on his tan.
Dinner in the field
Sunny, 82 degrees
Humidity 32%
Dew Point 42 degrees
Wind NW @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Sunny, windy, chance of rain
7pm: Rheta & Colby show up. She & Colby, who just turned one, get in the combine and ride with Bruce. Rheta is my grain-cart driving instructor. Rheta (Bruce & Joyce’s’ daughter) grew up on the farm. Last week Rheta forgot more about farm work than I’ll ever know.
A little while after Rheta & Colby go riding, the rest of the family shows up with food. Hot food! Several spaghetti pies, rolls, veggies and, of course, cake. Life is good. Just about the time the dishes are being unwrapped the combine crew finishes the field and stops for dinner. This is the first time Bruce has been out of the combine since he started. This is Colby’s first ‘field dinner’.
Grandma sat on the tailgate of the truck (Austin & I lifted her up there) telling stories about other harvests and showing Elianna how to check the wheat; how big are the heads, how many berries (seeds), how to tell the hardness (by chewing). At the end she reports that this is pretty good wheat.
Bruce only stops for about 10 minutes then heads across the road. This is a big field and we’ll be there the rest of the day and all of tomorrow.
After about 20 minutes I head across the road in the grain cart and the rest of the family pack up and head for home.
Dinner in the field is….well….incredible. Folks have spent all afternoon, sometimes all day, preparing food and bringing it and everything that goes with it to the field. Dinner in the field is a time to gather, talk about what’s going on back at the house, how’s the cutting, who’s going to milk, who’s coming, who’s going, and all of it revolving around a common goal; harvest.
There is a rhythm to harvest that takes over everyone’s life. Often hectic, but always with a shared goal.
At 9pm Clayton Andrew heads takes over cutting and Bruce heads back to the house to milk. Several of the kids will help.
11pm: We finish for the day. Carolyn came out and rode around with me for awhile. We get a few loads and dump them onto a semi. Sat for awhile and talked. There is a real romance about sitting in the middle of a Western Kansas wheat field at night with a bazillion stars (I counted last night).
‘Bob, you got a copy?’ says Clayton Andrew on the walkie-talkie. ‘I’ve got a load to dump, meat me at the West end of the terrace we did earlier’. Hmmm, guess it is time for Carolyn to go back to the farm.
At night I spend a fair amount of time getting lost in the field. The terraces, which follow the contour of the land, are cut first, then the area in-between is cut. So there are long curvy rows in the field. On several occasions I’ve gone to the combine to get wheat and found that I was on the terrace above or below him. Then have to drive all the way around the field to get the right terrace. ‘There are two things’, said Rheta a few years ago, ‘that you can NEVER do; 1) don’t drive on the wheat 2) don’t spill any wheat.’
When we get back to the house, pretty much everyone is getting into bed. Austin & Hilary are playing on the Wii, trying to unlock another Mario level. After a short while they quit and head to bed, so I take over the TV and watch the Weather Channel. Fair chance the storms will pass to the North. I’m beginning to realize why Grandma is such a fan of the Weather Channel.
Interesting day
Sunny, 74 degrees
Humidity 54%
Dew Point 57 degrees
Wind ESE @ 15-20 mph
Forecast: Sunny, high 95
Looks like a great day to cut wheat. With just a little luck we will finish the field we are currently working and move a mile closer to home (got a big chunk to cut over there).
One of the hassles with harvest is that when it’s time to cut its time to cut. And harvest is a group effort. Those in the field cut and carry. Those at home take care of the farm, cows, dogs, kids, prepare food for everyone and bring some to those in the field (the field crew will often spend 10 to 12 hours in the field). Being in the field is almost like being ‘gone’. Back at the farm people come and go at the farm (David, Janelle and their kids came yesterday afternoon), things get done, people go to town (Grandma got her hair done yesterday) and the people in the field may never know until dinner. It’s all about cutting wheat.
We got new belts on the combine yesterday. We got a leak in the radiator that is being fixed today (Bob & Carolyn made a two-hour run to Dodge to pick up the new radiator last night). So, the long and short is that the stories from yesterday will be up later tonight or tomorrow.
But check out the celebration we’re planning for Grandma!
Several have asked for the Trego Center Dairy ice dream recipe it will be coming soon.
Grandma’s 90th celebration
Here’s the invite!
Please come if you’re around.
A real dirt farmer
Sunny, 88 degrees
Humidity 34%
Dew Point 52 degrees
Wind SE @ 10-20 mph
Forecast: Sunny, slight chance of rain
Carolyn decides to ride around in the grain cart with me for a while and tell me stories about what it was like when she was driving the grain cart. Well, actually, she never did drive the grain cart. The grain cart has been around for only about 10 years. Back in Carolyn’s day she drove a truck (no semis yet), sat on the edge of the field and the combine came to the truck to off load wheat. Often, she would sit on a blanket under the truck and study.
In the middle of Summer?
But I’ve been married long enough to look the other way, nod my head and try to find Bruce in the combine.
Carolyn tells me a story I’ve heard before about her dad, Albert, coming in from the field one Summer afternoon. She was young and ran to the door to meet dad when he came into the house. He had been out working a field; turning the dirt over to kill the weeds, just like working in a garden but with an under-cutter attached to a tractor instead of a hoe.
Albert didn’t have an air-conditioned tractor cab. Didn’t even have a ‘cab’.
When Albert came up to the house he was just one consistent color. From head to shoe. From front to back.
He was the color of dirt.
Only his eyes, protected by goggles, were free from the dirt that clung to his sweat soaked clothes.
He was the dirt he worked.
Albert was as much a man of the soil as it is possible to be.
Two belts
81 degrees
Humidity 41%
Dew Point 54 degrees
Wind NE @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Sunny, slight chance of rain
A great day for cutting wheat, but one of the belts is off again. It is a pair of belts that help runs the mechanism that unloads the wheat from the combine. Bruce called the John Deere dealership and they are sending a mechanic our way.
10:30 Cole is here. Cole is a real live John Deere mechanic. And Cole brought two new belts.
In fairly short order we have a combine that is ready to roll….actually cut wheat.
I’m riding with Clayton today to get some video. Bruce is back home milking cows.
Just about the time Cole is getting to the main highway (off the dirt roads) we are cutting….but not reeling. The reel, which looks like big (32 foot long) old lawnmower blades, sweeps the wheat into the sickle which cuts the wheat. But ours isn’t turning.
Hydraulics?
Clayton Andrew & Bruce bled the lines this morning.
Motor?
The reel will turn backwards by had but not forward.
Gremlins?
Everyone has a few, but ours have been fairly content this year.
We call Bruce. Bruce calls the dealership. They call Cole. Cole comes back. He walks around the combine. Pulls on a few hoses, runs his hands along the reel and climbs into the cab. He checks a few switches. Starts the combine. Revs it up. Engages the sickle bar. Engages the reel. It turns like there’s no tomorrow.
Go figure.
But….after all he is the mechanic.
We say good-by to Cole a second time and get back to cutting wheat & filming.
Harvest memories
Sunny, 88 degrees
Humidity 44%
Dew Point 57 degrees
Wind S @ 15-20 mph
Forecast: Sunny, slight chance of rain
Joyce, Janelle, Esther & Carolyn bring dinner to the field. Hot chicken casserole that Pam made with a side of salad. Only Bruce, Clayton Andrew & I are eating. The girls are eating back at the house with the rest of the family. The field crew quickly reduced dinner to clean bowls.
Esther, Janelle & David’s oldest is four. She loves coming to the farm and she loves Bruce maybe even more than the cows. Her main goal, her only goal, in bringing dinner to the field is to ride in the combine with Bruce. As we were standing around the pick-up eating, Esther asked Bruce, who had just begun, if he was ready to go. He wasn’t. But it seemed he ate just a little faster and certainly was smiling a lot.
Within short order Esther was on the jump seat of the combine, sitting up very straight and proper and waving to everyone on the ground as they drove off
As we were watching Esther ride away in the combine Janelle started talking about how much she looked forward to harvest and riding around with Grandpa Albert.
Now its Esther’s turn.
Dodge City run
Sunny, 80 degrees
Humidity 54%
Dew Point 62 degrees
Wind S @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Clear, slight chance of rain
Esther, Janelle, Joyce & Carolyn have gone home and we’re back to cutting. The girls have probably just gotten home when I see the combine sitting and Bruce walking around. This is not a good sign.
I drive the grain cart over to the combine and get out. By now Bruce has pulled down the ladder (built into the combine) and is climbing up to the deck just behind the grain bin.
I’m not a mechanic (Cole can attest to this) but I do recognize the smell (and taste) of radiator fluid. Radiator fluid is definitely dripping audibly off the combine (it is on the deck about seven feet off the ground).
What to do?
Stop leak? Well we have a little but it is almost as old as the combine and probably worthless.
Start calling.
Bruce gets through to the John Deere folks and after a short discussion/consultation it is agreed that we need a new radiator.
No they don’t have one. There is one in Dodge City, about 80 miles South of us. The local folks can go get it in the morning and bring it out to us….or we could go get it and have it in the field first thing in the morning. This means they can start replacing the radiator by 9am instead of 11am.
We’ll go get it.
Carolyn & I will make the run.
The dealership in Dodge City will leave the new radiator outside their shipping/loading dock.
We head back to the house and call ahead. Carolyn gets coffee ready. As soon as I get home I stick my head under a faucet to wash away the field dirt, change into my going to town/church cap (Monsanto Seeds) and start taking the back seats out of our Sequoia. Just as I’m pulling the seats out David comes up to give a hand. With one hand, he curls the seat and walks into Grandma’s garage. It might be good to mention the Mai clan are tall and the nephews are in incredible shape. I step aside and compliment David on this P-90X program as he lightly takes the other seat into the garage.
With a thermos of coffee Carolyn and I head to Dodge City. It’s 9:10. For safety sake I ask to have the GPS set up. Carolyn looks at me like I’ve lost my mind but sets up the GPS….Dodge City is 83 miles South. Turn right out of the driveway; follow the dirt road ¾ miles stop at the hard surface road. Turn left. Go 83 miles South. The dealership is on the South side of the road just before you get into town. One turn to get onto the highway….one turn into the dealership.
We got to the dealership without any problems. Well actually we plugged the dealership address into the GPS and it lead us right there….just one mile North, but I don’t want to go into that.
The radiator was waiting where it was supposed to be. We got it loaded and headed home.
We didn’t use the GPS. Too bright. Ruined the view out the front window.
Got home about 12:45am.
About 1:45am I was working on some pictures and heard the thunder. Went outside and moved all the vehicles I could into the shed and Quonset. There was lightning everywhere and starting to rain. The rain stopped by 2:15am.
First thing tomorrow get the radiator in and get back to cutting wheat.
Quick update
Sunny, 79 degrees
Humidity 51%
Dew Point 52 degrees
Wind S @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Clear, slight chance of rain
Yesterday (6.24.11) was a wild day in the field. We changed the radiator on the combine (see below) and final got cutting. Moved to a new field and at about 8:30pm under perfect cutting conditions the wobble-box bolts broke (more later). So, we’re still running a day behind in posts and pictures
Speaking of pictures Colby (Rheta & Clayton Michael’s son who just turned 1) and Kyler (Clayton Andrew & Jessica’s son who is seven months) are supposed to get their pictures taken in their John Deere outfits today. But the wind is 30-40 mph from the East.
Bruce & Austin just got back with the wobble box so we’re off to the field to cut.
Grandma cutting wheat
Sunny, 94 degrees
Humidity 54%
Dew Point 60 degrees
Wind SSW @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Sunny, slight chance of rain tonight
Grandma Elfriede came to the field to make sure we’re cutting the wheat properly. This is one of the first fields she and Albert purchased when they were first married. It’s still producing great wheat….although there was that year back in the mid 70’s that was almost too good to believe.
Austin and Carolyn brought Grandma to the field. It’s a littler harder for her to get in the combine than it was in the 70’s but with Austin’s help she got up the steps without difficulty.
Clayton Andrew was back from hauling wheat to town when Grandma got finished and helped get her down. She has never forgotten the time a few years ago when Rheta and I helped into and out of the combine. As Grandma climbed down she missed the bottom step and we were just not close enough to catch her and she landed on the ground. No damage….except to our consciences. It’s just not good to drop ‘The Grandma’.
She was out with Bruce for several tankful’s (the bin on the combine is called the tank). At the end of it all Grandma reports that this field is living up to its reputation.
We’ve got some more pictures. Follow the links to the right.
Next year we’re getting a full time photo & blog crew!
Still up North
Sunny, Hot 104
Humidity 34%
Dew Point 70 degrees
Wind ESE @ 10-20 mph
Forecast: Sunny, hot
We were in the North field all day. Bruce & John taking turns in the combine, cutting wheat from 10:45am until just after midnight.
Don got in from Denver.
Awesome dinner, chicken, mashed potatoes, pasta salad….and coffee.
Should finish this field today then move back to home, to cut the large field right next to the houses.
Carolyn hitched a ride to the Kansas City airport with Clayton Andrew, Jessica and Kyler this morning (6.27.11). There heading back to Topeka.
Several folks from back East have emailed to ask about Elfriede stories. We’re working on getting some of the family to add some comments; it’s just a matter of time. Everyone is doing something from Sunup until after Sundown. I have my eye on a new John Deere tractor with built in computer/internet access workstation. Bruce said something about pigs flying….not sure what he means since we only have cows, not pigs.
Here is a poem that was more or less ‘flat-out’ stolen (with the dialect tweaked) from Grandma.
Bert and Bess
We had two horses
Bert and Bess.
Everyday it was my chore to harness em
up for dad before he’d go ta’ the fields.
Dad also had a pony he’d ride, just ta’ get the
cows in for milkin’.
We kids was never spose ta’ ride it, bein’
so ornery an’ all.
Course my brother Al never would leave nothin’ alone an’
once when we was seven he give the pony a try.
Bucked Al right off an’
give him a hernia.
He was as white as a sheet for four days with
Mom a sittin’ at his side a holdin’
every thing in place.
Don’t know how she knew what ta’ do but
she brought him back. He
went on ta’ play ball in high school an’
join the Army durin’ the war an’ that’s where we
lost Al.
He was 19 an’
him an’ Martha married lest than a year.
Push day & ice cream recipe
Sunny, 70
Humidity 53%
Dew Point 52 degrees
Wind SSE @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Hot, but with a 50% chance of rain tonight
Still here at home. Finished cutting at 1100. All this wheat goes into the bin here at home (will have pictures of the set up later). Today we finish this field and move back West for our last field. That field will probably take two days of solid cutting.
Michelle is working on several blog entries. We’ll try to get them up in the next few days. We’ve also got a bunch of new pictures….which, like the stories we’ll get up as soon as we have a break from cutting wheat….when we finish or when it rains. In the mean time here is the ‘official’ Trego Center Dairy ice cream recipe. OK, we’re always experimenting but this is a good place to start. LOL
Trego Center Dairy Ice Cream
Ingredients:
5 eggs
5 cups of whole milk
3 cups of whipping cream
2 ½ cups of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
3 teaspoons of vanilla
Gently beat eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add the sugar until there is a rich consistency.
Continue to beat gently.
Add whipping cream.
Add milk.
Add vanilla.
(Grandma prefers ‘Watkins’ vanilla.
They’ve been in business since 1868 and….
they ship: www.JRWatkins.com)
Add the mixture to the freezer the freezer container (with the paddle) Follow the directions on your freezer. We use several different kinds of ice cream freezers. If you are using a hand crank freezer jump right in and take the first 10 minutes on the crank. It will show the folks you are with, that you are a ‘team player’ and willing to be the first to share in a difficult job (it is, after all, a ‘hand-crank’ freezer). This action may save you the last ten minutes of cranking. This point in the ice cream making we try and save for the nephews who are all in the 6’ 4” to 6’ 6” range and are young and are in awesome shape.
If you are using an electric ice cream freezer, just follow the directions.
Notes from the farm kitchen:
We have found that adding a cup or two of hot water to the ice and rock salt at the beginning and a cup or two about half way through (after we’ve added more ice and rock salt) really helps.
We use rock salt instead of ‘ice cream’ salt
We smash-up the ice. Put the ice (in its plastic bag) into a burlap bag and beat it with a large hammer. The idea is to get smaller chunks of ice.
Have fun!
The Real last push day
Sunny, 78 degrees
Humidity 49%
Dew Point 58 degrees
Wind S @ 15-20 mph
Forecast: Hot, highs 107
8am and Bruce and John just left for the field. We cut last night until just after midnight. Missed the rain. From about 7pm on John and I watched the weather build in the South. After dark we saw a beautiful lightning show.
Was going on until we went home.
With a little luck we might get finished today. Soooo tomorrow we’ll have some more time to put up some stories….especially by Michelle.
Wheat harvested
Sunny, 108 degrees
Humidity 16%
Dew Point 52 degrees
Wind S @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Hot
The wheat is harvested!
Last load went onto the semi at 4:52 pm.
Tomorrow will be a day of regrouping and organizing blog entries. I’ve been using very reliable 19th century tools while in the field (pencil & paper) and need to convert them to electronic. Michelle already has some blogs ready to go so we’ll get them up later today.
Also plan to get going on the photos.
Remember we’re having Grandma Elfriede’s birthday bash on the 23rd of July.
Come if you can.
We will be getting some photos and video.
Decembrists
Sunny, 84 degrees
Humidity 43%
Dew Point 46 degrees
Wind SSW @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Sunny
The first day in the grain cart I didn’t have the radio on, or my iPod. Just wanted to hear the ‘normal’ sounds of the tractor. All machines, cars, computers, food processors, tractors have a series of ‘normal’ sounds and I wanted to get used to the sounds of ‘my’ tractor.
Day two is a bit different. OK way different. The tractor has a good radio with John Deere Surround Sound….i had it cranked; rock, country, talk and, of course, my iPod with several days worth of music and podcasts.
About mid-afternoon as I’m moving slowly up the field to get a better view of the combine, the tractor develops a strange sound. Low continuous droning. I pulled one of my ear-buds out to listen better.
I throttle all the way back.
The sound is still there.
Stop the tractor.
The sound is still there.
Take the tractor out of gear.
The sound is still there.
Put the tractor into gear. The sound is still there. Rev the engine. The sound is still there.
Stop the tractor, put it in park and turn it off.
The sound is still there….
a low, sonorous, melodic drone. Beautiful. Really beautiful and a really beautiful view.
So put my ear-bud back in, crank the volume and listen to the rest of Nate Query’s awesome bass intro to the Decemberists’ “Hazard of Love” CD.
Friday 6.24.11 by Micelle
“Nothing to do, nothing to do,” It was after lunch and I was getting bored. I had been reading a bit but then Austin and Hilary brought up the idea of going on a walk. So, we all went – Elianna, Austin, Hilary, and me.
We walked in the cornfield – well it was actually a dead cornfield. Some of Bruce’s cows were in the field. Two or three of the cows were drinking from the water whole and some were just grazing.
We walked and walked; the dead corn stalks were very scratchy and annoying. After a while we came to the end of the field. There were posts here, and Austin started to throw dead corn stalks at a post. He then came up with the idea that we couldn’t leave until we hit the post.
++++++
We had walked back to where the cows had been. We then decided to drink from the tube that put water in the water hole. Austin, then Hilary. So when I was taking a drink I was struggling to reach the water and I suddenly slipped. I had just fallen in to the water hole. I got out and Elianna was right there and was going to go around me to try to drink but I accidentally pushed her back and she stepped in a bunch of cow manure. Ah, well that’s the story. 🙂
New radiator
Sunny, 80 degrees
Humidity 26%
Dew Point 50 degrees
Wind SE @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, hot
8:30 am and Bruce & I are on the way back home. We took the service truck with the new radiator on it out to field and parked it next to the combine. It’s a clear day and the dust from an approaching pick-up is easy to see over the rise in the road so we pull off to one side and wait. Sure enough it is Cole. He stops. We talk and then turn around and follow him back to the combine and help him lift the radiator up onto the deck where it will go.
We go ahead and head home for breakfast and catch up on other maintenance.
Later in the morning Clayton Andrew heads to the field and works on the other equipment. Bruce heads out after milking with Hilary, Cole has the radiator in but spends some time working on the belts; one still seems to be slipping. It is almost 2pm before we begin cutting.
7 pm Carolyn, Joyce, Jessica & Kyler bring dinner. We’ve finished cutting this field. After dinner we will move a little North & West.
Wobble-box
Sunny, 88 degrees
Humidity 43%
Dew Point 49 degrees
Wind E @ 10-20 mph
Forecast: Increasing clouds
8:15 pm we’ve moved North a couple of miles & West a half mile. Bruce is stopped again and he is not checking the wheat. Every so often Bruce will check behind the combine, where he has cut, to make sure that there is no wheat spilled on the ground and the heads of the wheat stalk are empty. Just checking to make sure the combine is set right and doing what its supposed to do.
Come to find out the serpentine belt on the end of the header (that makes every thing turn) has slipped off. On closer inspection Clayton & Bruce find that it has slipped off because the ‘wobble-box’ is loose.
Way loose.
The five bolts that hold it to the header have been sheared off.
The wobble-box connects to the sickle bar. The sickle bar has triangular shaped teeth. As the bar moves back & forth it cuts the wheat. The end of the sickle bar that attaches to the wobble-box is also broken. Nothing to do but take it off and head for home.
On the way home Bruce calls the dealership to make sure the parts are available. Since it is almost 8 pm we’ll have to go get the parts in the morning. Bruce plans to be there at 8 am.
12:30 am (6.25.11) Hilary & Austin are not in from milking. As soon as I open the back door I hear steel stinking steel. Hilary & Austin are into chemical experiments (another story….or two) but not forging. The lights are on in the Quonset and they are helping Bruce to remove the sheared off bolts from the wobble-box. They have an acetylene torch, several ballpeen hammers, drills, bolt pullers and anything else that might help spread around the bed of the service truck where a hot wobble-box sits.
They have four bolts out but the fifth holds it’s own. At 1:30 am we admit defeat and head for be.
7:30 am (6.25.11) Bruce & Austin are at the John Deere dealership (30 miles South) and watch as nut is MIG welded to the bold and is easily unscrewed. Colby saves the day. They get the rest of the parts and head home.
Money for metal
Sunny, 90 degrees
Humidity 20%
Dew Point 52 degrees
Wind SSW @ 7 mph
Forecast: clear, high clouds
So far Michelle has earned $9.15 on ‘metal patrol’. She walks around the drive and yards with a cow magnet on a piece of bailing twine collecting pieces of metal, nails, bolts, screws, etc. Most so rusted and old it is hard to tell how they began life. But each scrap of metal, regardless of size or shape, is worth a nickel.
The area Michelle is patrolling, from the mailboxes to Bruce & Joyce’s house, past Grandma’s house, around the Quonset, shed & barn, covers about 10,000 square feet. If you throw in the yards around the houses we’re talking several acres.
Last Summer the kids made over $50 in the scrap metal business. Although we can fix most tire puncture wounds here, it takes a lot of time and energy that is far better spent in the field.
Michelle has just added a large round magnet Bruce uses on the workbench in the Quonset to her cow magnet rig. This set up promises to be a real money maker.
Saturday 6.25.11 by Michelle
We had just had lunch after milking the cows and deciding to go swimming. Uncle Bruce, Uncle Bob, and Cousin Clayton had gone to the field with the wheat and boiling hot sun. Elianna, Hilary, Jessica, Kyler, Rheta, Colby and I had decided to go to the pool.
We soon were on the road and ready for the pool, but we first had to pick up some thing at the store.
+++++++++
“Ahh, this feels great!” Our crew of swimmers were finally in the cool blue water. SWISH, SPLISH, SLASH!!! After a while I went and played with Colby. We slid down the little slide and bounced up and down in the water.
+++++++++
“No, I don’t want to leave!” I said in my head, but we had to.
We soon got home and then Austin, Hilary and I started to read. Right before dinner I feel asleep with the bales, reading. Then I realized that we were going to have burgers for dinner so I got up went to dinner.
Cleanup
Sunny, 88 degrees
Humidity 17%
Dew Point 44 degrees
Wind S @ 5 mph
Forecast: Sunny, high 98 chance of rain tonight
Made a run to the Daylight Donut shop in town. The shop is a small family business that has been there since long before I came to work at the farm.
Like the Golden Corral, a donut shop run is also a harvest tradition….but you have to get there early. The shop opens at 6 am and closes at 11 am and if you want the ‘best selection’, including cinnamon rolls, you just got to get there early. I was there at 7:15.
There were eight cars parked in front.
I panicked.
Fortunately seven of the cars belonged to folks who were sitting, talking and drinking coffee. A few had a donut. There was still a very good selection. So with two dozen ‘mixed’ donuts later I’m back at the kitchen table talking with Bruce and Pam.
Pam is going to Hays this morning. Bruce is milking then fieldwork. I’m going to make a run to the landfill. The kids….well actually they are all still in bed so we’re not sure what they are doing, but there was some talk of getting fireworks and working on the electroplating project (something Austin & Hilary are doing). Grandma is up and watching the weather channel. Until I started helping with harvest I never understood her fascination with the weather….but during harvest it all revolves around the wheat and the wheat revolves around the weather. I now have The Weather Channel app on my phone. Go figure.
Catching up
Sunny, 105 degrees
Humidity 14%
Dew Point 46 degrees
Wind S @ 7 mph
Forecast: Hot
Clear, 94 degrees and its 10:15 pm
Well we not so concerned about the weather now that the wheat is in….but it has sure been hot today. High in town was 106.
The wind feels hot….it does not ‘cool’. Strange.
Bruce is going to keep our 10:30 am & 10:30 pm ‘harvest’ milking schedule (normally it is 5 am & 5 pm) just because it is easier on the cows if they don’t have to milk in 105 degree heat.
The kids were at the pool in town today. From about 2 to 5. We went to the Golden Corral in Hays. This is an ‘end of harvest’ tradition. Met Rheta & Colby. Clayton Michael is still cutting with his family. With a little luck they will be finished tonight.
Everyone we’ve talked to say they are getting about 35-40 bushels to an acre. This is good. Real good is 50-60. Bragging rights is 60-70. Lying is 80-90. LOL
We’re going to try getting caught up with things we’ve written and photos we’ve taken but just haven’t had time to post. They will be listed by dates (like we’ve been doing).
Milking & farm work
Partially cloudy, 82 degrees
Humidity 65%
Dew Point 64 degrees
Wind NNE @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Cloudy, 40% chance of rain
Pancakes for lunch.
It is a tradition to have pancakes or waffles on Saturday morning. But with ‘the harvest milking schedule’ folks have been staying up late, getting up late (except Bruce who just does not sleep). So Pam is working on pancakes for lunch.
Yesterday afternoon the kids went in to the pool….back at 6 pm. Bruce finished working (plowing up the weeds) on the field up North then moved across the road from the house. I took over made afternoon and spent a few hours back in ‘my tractor’.
Great dinner. A salad. A huge salad. Strictly vegetarian. And for the carnivores chicken chunks to sprinkle on.
Really great.
Bruce finished working the ground across the road. We’ll move back West tomorrow (Saturday). After milking we got some video of an Austin & Hilary chemistry experiment. Used phosphorescent glow sticks so the experiment was also quite a light ‘show’. Of course being at night I was having trouble getting the exposure right, so we’ll shoot it again today. Keep thinking that next year we’re going to talk Muriel into coming out with a video crew. We have many parents & grandparents to help with the new baby (Muriel & Steve are expecting later this Summer)….we need professionals.
We have a few new pictures up on the Harvest 2011 link (on the lower right).
Several folks have asked for an explanation of the dating/naming of the blog entries. The Blogs that are done today/for today do not have a ‘date’ in there title. The blogs that were done in the past and just not uploaded (‘the wheat comes first’) have their date on them; the first line of the blog along with the weather. And yes we’ll put the ‘official’ weather stats (temp, humidity, dew point, wind & forecast back up). One of the things about farming is that it IS all about the weather. The weather makes or breaks a harvest.
Pam is going to make cinnamon rolls with Grandma today! We’ll get pictures. The recipe….well we’re working on getting that nailed down, but currently it is still Grandma’s secret.
Last year Jessica spent the day making cinnamon rolls with Grandma. She took notes. She took pictures. She put it all together in a book. This is probably the ‘best’ attempt we have, but the rumor persist that Jessica (like Hilary, Pam, Carolyn, Joyce, Jan and all the others who have made cinnamon rolls with Grandma) are keeping ‘something’ secret. They, of course, all deny this. However, I have noticed that Granma’s Cinnamon Roll recipe has never been included in any church cookbooks!The ‘Grandma’s Cinnamon Rolls Conspiracy
What day is this?
Sunny, 88 degrees
Humidity 32%
Dew Point 60 degrees
Wind NNE @ 15 mph
Forecast: Sunny
We spend about an hour & a half putting the wobble-box back on the header. Twice Bruce or Clayton Andrew run over to a farm about ¾ of a mile from where we are cutting, first to use the table vice (need to add one the service truck) and secondly to find some other bolts.
On the second occasion, while Bruce is gone, Clayton Andrew & I are putting some of the tools away, I suddenly realize I don’t know what day it is. I ask Clayton Andrew.
‘The 25th’.
‘No,’ says Bob, ‘what day of the week is it?’
‘Saturday’
Clayton Andrew remarks as he goes to get me some water. He figures I’ve been out in the Sun a little too long.
But the truth is I really did not know the day. I could have figured it out. Usually I don’t even have to think about it; I just ‘know’ what day it is. But the rhythm of wheat harvest has me totally in its grip. All that matters is the temperature, dew point, humidity, the wind, the equipment….the wheat.
Can we cut wheat or not?
The day, the time, just don’t matter. Well time matters for Bruce, since he has to be home at 9:30 pm for milking, but driving the grain cart the only thing that matters is the wheat.
It’s harvest.
It’s all about the wheat.
Church
Partly cloudy 91 degrees
Humidity 41%
Dew Point 65 degrees
Wind NW 10-15
Forecast: Clear, warming.
Rain last night. 20 hundredths in the rain-gauge North of the house. Cleaned the air, settled the air so I went for a bike ride.
Grandma, Pam, the Kids and I went church this morning. Bruce is changing the cows over to the ‘normal’ schedule for milking and by the time he was finished services were just about over. He & Joyce met us for lunch at the Jade Garden in town.
I will get some shots of the church. It is the ‘church on the plains’. Norman Rockwell could do better. The church has been around for a little over a hundred years and has seen a lot. As we’ve been looking through family photo albums for pictures to scan for Grandma’s 90th celebration, the church keeps showing up. Of course the photos we all tend to save are the milestones of our lives and out here on the plains many of our milestones happen at the church; baptisms, weddings, Christmas programs, confirmations, funerals. If it were possible to visit all the homes in a plains community and look through their photo albums, at least a third of all the pictures would be taken at church. Sure this will hold for all Protestants & Catholics. Not as sure about other religions/denominations but it would be fun to find out….need some grant money.
After services, and the mandatory 10 minutes talking out in front of the church, we went into town to eat. For Lutheran’s (on the plains or East coast) this time spent communing after church are a very important part of the service. Although not listed in the worship bulletin, the service is ‘just not over’ until folks have had a little time to talk.
The Jade Garden is ‘the place’ to eat after church. It has a great buffet full of traditional Chinese fare and fried chicken, Jell-O, iceberg lettuce. The place was full. After eating and more catching up Bruce & Joyce went to get ice; there is ice cream in our future. Pam & Grandma headed home. The kids & I headed to the fair grounds. The Boy Scouts are selling fireworks….it took a little discussion but we came home with a bunch of stuff.
Generally the afternoon was spent in goofing off, chemistry experiments, laundry, Wii and naps.
Pinochle
Partly cloudy 83 degrees
Humidity 46%
Dew Point 58 degrees
Wind N 5-10
Forecast: Clear.
After milking we had a light dinner (everyone pretty well pigged-out at the Jade Garden) and, of course, we needed to leave room for Trego Center Dairy ice cream. Joyce is working this evening but there is enough left over that she can get some tomorrow….if she gets here early enough.
We had a round of 7-handed pinochle with accompanying laughter which was just short of the time Carolyn looked at Bob’s ‘meld’ (I laid down a ‘double marriage’ and did not bid) and proclaimed, ‘You idiot’! This comment and the resulting uncontrolled laughter may well live on into the next generation of pinochle players at Grandma’s house.
Pinochle is taken very seriously here, except when it’s not. Seven-handed is a bit weird. But once the rules are established we live by them. Of course it is always OK to check with Grandma about how to play a hand. Somehow last night Bruce got involved as an official kibitzer, it may have been stretching the rules only slightly, when he was examining & commenting on everyone’s hand at his end of the table. The ‘unusualness’ of the rules may have culminated when Bruce looked at his hand then looked up at me; I was at the other end of the dining room table.
‘You got anything?’ Bruce asked.
‘Nope’, I said.
‘Here then’ and slid his cards across to me.
Not to be out card-cooled I slid mine across to him without a second thought. Bad decision….he really did have nothing.
We began our 4th celebration at 9:30 pm. Austin & Hilary did most of the pyrotechnics with Elianna & Michelle helping to choose the order of events. I established the area, made sure the hose was within reach, metal trash barrel was set up for spent fireworks….usual ‘father’ stuff. Most of the fireworks were pretty good. A few were Whoa! Finished about 10:15.
Everyone has orders to get to bed early; Pam & the kids head home tomorrow.
I got to bed early but woke up thinking about the stars. With star chart in hand I went outside and spent about an hour.
Fourth of July
Sunny 100 degrees
Humidity 19%
Dew Point 53 degrees
Wind SSE 10
Forecast: Clear, few clouds
Happy Fourth of July.
This is, of course, a national holiday. Except for milking the cows, working in the field, moving some equipment and fixing dinner we’ve been goofing off. Actually i did have a meeting with #326 who says the herd would like overtime pay (more food) for today. She also reports this is to include the cows who are not actually being milked right now. We may well regret getting them Facebook accounts.
Pam & the kids left a little after noon.
Hilary spent a big part of the afternoon cooking. After a short run to town she has created a breakfast concoction for the morning.
Sheila is here to measure and take samples of the milk. She comes once a month; measures the amount of milk given by each cow ‘in the line’ and takes a sample, that is analyzed for its content, butter fat, etc. She will stay for dinner but even with her it will be quiet; only five of us. Joyce is working. Ten days ago we had two housefuls.
Have some more pictures in the harvest & farm folders.
Happy Fourth from #326 and all the folks & family at the Trego Center Dairy.
Big storm
Sunny, 105 degrees
Humidity 23%
Dew Point 58 degrees
Wind NW @ 5 mph
Forecast: Sunny, thunderstorms late this evening
Seems quiet around here.
Hilary was working on a sore throat last night. Gargled, Tylenoled, Nyquiled and slept in a bit, but by midday she’s going strong. Seems like whenever the family has a ‘major’ get together some ‘bug’ makes the rounds. Guess its all the germs from all over the nation brought together under one roof. I’ve seen studies about how respiratory infections are spread when strangers are brought together in enclosed places (airplanes, busses, trains, etc) but never anything about family getting together. Maybe we can find some more grant money.
I went for a bike ride late in the morning just to see if I could hurt myself. My hand is almost completely healed, the cut on my leg from the dump is well scabbed over so I needed something new to demonstrate my clumsiness. It was by Greenville standards not a long ride; eight miles. Straight East three miles. North one mile. West three miles. South one mile. By mile five I was hurting. Got off and walked for a while. Felt like lying down and going to sleep. Absolutely no energy. Cut back South a mile early, so I would go by Carroll’s farm…just in case. Ended up walking again. Called Hilary who came over and picked me up. Still have ‘typical father’ mixed feelings about her driving (pride & worry) but I was sure glad to see her drive up. Actually Hillary is an awesome driver; car, four-wheeler, John Deere 8330. After we threw the bike in the back and she figured out that I wasn’t ‘really hurt’ she mentioned something about the weather and gave me a look that was slightly hard to read. It was almost 100 with a fair amount of dust blowing. At least she didn’t call me an idiot. LOL
Bruce spent the day working in one of the fields back West. I took over at 2 pm. Stayed out until 6 pm.
We played a little Pinochle. Bruce & Hilary against Grandma & me. Joyce was at home working. Bruce & Hilary won, but not by much. As always Grandma kept making ‘awesome’ plays and always done with a straight face….’well let me try this.’ Bruce & I then spent about an hour and a half ‘buttoning-up’ the place. Bruce climbed the grain bins and made sure the openings at the top (for adding wheat) were secure, took the header off the combine, put it all in the shed. Moved the cars into the shed or Quonset….generally got ready the big storm that is coming from Nebraska. We need the rain, but not the hail.Did leave one pick-up and a trailer out in the weather….just to help ensure the rain comes. Modern agriculture is a lot science, skill, knowledge and just a little superstition. But hey, we need the rain.
Town run
Sunny, 105 degrees
Humidity 23%
Dew Point 58 degrees
Wind NW @ 5 mph
Forecast: Sunny, thunderstorms late this evening
Missed the rain….so far.
Clayton Michael just got here, had dessert, got coffee and headed to the field, to plow up weeds.
Clayton Michael is married with Rheta; Colby’s dad, Bruce & Joyce’s son-in-law, Clayton Andrew’s brother-in-law and he is here at the farm a lot. Good with the cows, awesome with the tractor GPS. During harvest he has been at his family’s farm about 45 miles East of here. And just like us, living in the field.
Bruce, Hilary & I spent a few hours in Hays. Turned in the chainsaw to get its carbide chain sharpened. Got a new weed-eater so we can make the place look really good for Grandma’s party. Got some more oxygen for the cutting torch. Got food. Got lunch. Got coffee. Got home.
Hilary worked in the kitchen all afternoon. Cleaned and reorganized the refrigerator. Then made ‘soon to be your favorite spaghetti’ for dinner.
Clayton Michael got back to the house about 6 pm. He finished all the field work. Whether it gets worked again depends on the rain. More rain, more work. Spent the next few hours working on equipment with Bruce. Thought they were going into town for dinner but just kept working. Stopped by to say hi to Grandma and discuss the day. Clayton Michael headed home and Bruce stayed for Hilary’s walnut shortcake with caramelized apples dessert.
We’re leaving all the cars, pick-ups, tractors, etc out of the shed & Quonset to try and induce the rain in Nebraska to move South. LOL
No rain, no field work….and no corn.
iPhone envy
Sunny, 85 degrees
Humidity 50%
Dew Point 50 degrees
Wind NE @ 10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, increasing temperature
We got rain! About 90/100ths (of an inch) at the house. Just need to order some more for the end of next week.
I made a run to Hays to get my Blackberry Storm 2 checked. Seems this version of the Storm has had….some….issues. The current issue is that the battery is dying unusually fast. From full to nothing in 4 minutes if I’m talking or downloading anything.
Hilary’s iPhone is doing OK….well actually very well….well actually awesome. Great service (we are on the same Verizon account), fast downloads, long batter life. Great aps. iPhone envy is an ugly thing.
But just wait until next harvest!
Stopped by the Cargill elevator on the way home to get a shot of the great big pile of wheat. There was so much coming into the elevator that it just wouldn’t fit, so it gets stored on the ground. Actually they say it can stay like that for quite a while (months) before there will be significant damage. Go figure. However It will probably be gone by this weekend. The trains come, the wheat gets loaded and off it goes to become bread.
Just as I was heading South from WaKeeney I got a call from Bruce. He was going to the John Deere dealership to get a new oil filter for ‘my’ tractor. Hilary & Grandma went along, at least as far as five miles North of Ness City. That’s where Grandma’s car died. The car doesn’t get driven much, so just before Grandma gets home everyone at the farm takes it out to make sure it is working well. There was something weird in the electoral system. Charge the battery, run it for a while and then the car dies. Got fixed a month ago but apparently the glitch is still there. Of course, if it was an iPhone-car this probably would not happen.
Taking the car into town tonight. Grandma wants to go out to eat and Hilary says her Indian potato casserole will hold until tomorrow.
Fishing
Cloudy, 78 degrees
Humidity 50%
Dew Point 50 degrees
Wind NE @ 10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, increasing temperatures
A day for doing odds and ends.
Hilary helped with both milking’s, 5 am & 5 pm.
I got up at 4 am, coughing. Got up worked on some photos and started the coffee when I heard Hilary’s alarm.
She took coffee out to the barn for Bruce and I went to bed. No coughing. Got some work done. Feeling good about going back to sleep.
Hilary walked in….’you ought to see the Sunrise’….’OK’. So with camera in hand I spent about 30 minutes riding around on the 4-wheeler. She was right. Got some good shots. Check out the new sunsets folder
We’ve had some upper respiratory things going around all through harvest and still lingers. Since the morning was overcast, cool with a good breeze we opened all the windows, put the AC on fan and let the germs flow out. Didn’t close up until about 2 pm.
I fired up our new weed-eater and went to work on the area around Grandma’s. Bruce moved equipment and bales around. The combine is now in the shed with the header on its trailer parked right next to it. I parked it right next to it. I backed up the header. Backing is not one an inherent skill. My sister Deborah can back up a four-horse trailer up six miles of West Virginia dirt road and not break a sweat. The bales Bruce is moving from around Grandma’s house. We’ve got some new wheat straw, on the field right next to the farm that will be bailed. it’s time to rotate.
Hilary spent time working on reading a book that is part of her ‘Summer reading list’.
At lunch it is decided that we will go fishing right after the afternoon milking. Bruce & Hilary went to the Dam Store to get bait.
Right after a great dinner by Hilary we went to the lake. ‘The’ lake (Cedar Bluff is about 10 miles from the farm….a little East, a little South. A little choppy. Wind out of the East. We set a ‘trot’ line and if we had a movie we’d be getting serious hits on YouTube.
On the road again
Rain, 74 degrees
Humidity 66%
Dew Point 61 degrees
Wind: SE 5-10
Forecast: rain
First off sorry for the lack of updates. I’d like to say it is because things have been so laid back. Not so.
It’s been way busy.
I did a road trip to Memphis for my Uncle Johnny’s funeral. He died on July 4th. Cousin Jen (his daughter) & Garry (her husband) had a service in Chattanooga (where Johnny had been living for the last year or so) then a service on Monday in Memphis (where he lived for about 40 years).
While i was gone Hilary helped Bruce deliver a calf by forceps (chains actually). We (she) will chronicle the experience soon.
The field work is done. The cows across the road were moved back to the farm.
Bruce has gotten the wheat straw baled. Funny the wheat straw has to be slightly damp in order to bale, just the opposite of ‘cutting’ wheat.
I still haven’t been on the winning team in pinochle.
Here is another Elfriede inspired poem.
Belinda’s Bible
‘Just after the war Belinda got diphtheria and
darn near died,’ Hazel sighs.
‘It was right at the start of harvest and
there was no one to go take care of her….so
off i went.
I’d just got laid off from building B-29s
at the Boeing plant. The Army now had more than
enough to win the war.
When i got to Belinda’s
Ol’ Doc Baker had me boil everything in the house and
everything i couldn’t boil i had to burn.
I boilet all the dishes and clothes and sheets and
i burnt all of Belinda’s hats and furs and papers and
letters from her fiancé who was killed in France
but
Belinda just plain refused to let me
burn her bible.
So,
i put it in the oven and
baked it all day at a real low temperature.
I baked it with
a post card from her fiancé.
Belinda finally got over the diphtheria and
lived to be 96 and
she never did get married nor
never missed a day of readin’ that bible and
markin’ her place with that postcard.’
Harry Potter
Partly Cloudy, 64 degrees
Humidity 64%
Dew Point 52 degrees
Wind WSW 5-10
Forecast: decreasing dementors
Just got back from the opening of Harry Potter.
Never been to a movie opening….a couple of theater openings….never a cinema. Go figure.
We had 10 in our group. Three adults the rest ‘kids’.
Life in the big city.
When we left the farm Clayton Michael was there to spend the day in the fields.
Steers
Sunny, 94 degrees
Humidity 32%
Dew Point 60 degrees
Wind ENE @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: partly cloudy, clearing overnight
About 6:30 pm Bruce gets a call that some of the steers are out. He & Clayton Michael have a double handful of steers they are growing to sell.
So Clayton Andrew takes over the combine and Bruce heads to the pasture where the steers are….or at lest where the steers are supposed to be.
On the way over he calls back home to round up some help.
Carolyn & Joyce bring dinner (hamburgers, potato salad, etc) to the field, leave it all in the black semi and then head to over to help Bruce. Rheta was also at home when Bruce called so she headed directly to the field where the steers were supposed to be.
It takes about two hours to get the steers rounded up and fixed the fence where they escaped. Having steers escape, having any of the cows decided it’s a good day for walking down the road is an immediate concern. Just can’t make money if the animals walk off. Having the cows get into someone else’s field can lead to a serious outlay of money, if they eat the crops, tear up the field, or just generally ‘vex’ the owner of the field.
One of the big problems with growing steers is knowing when to sell them. Bruce & Clayton Michael buy them when they are young, fatten them up, then sell them. The difference in the weight is where the profit is made. Of course if the price of beef goes down; here goes the profit.
If a steer dies; there goes the profit.
If a steer escapes, and doesn’t come back; there goes the profit.
If the steers don’t gain weight because there is not enough grass; there goes the profit. Usually when there is not enough grass it is because there has not been enough rain…..and this is what Bruce & Clayton Michael are facing right now.
We’re in a drought.
The wheat was ‘OK’….but nothing to ‘brag’ about.
The corn Bruce has may not even be cut, at least not cut to produce ‘corn’. It may end up being cut and baled, stocks and all, for cow food.
Just not enough rain.
Rascal
Sunny, 84 degrees
Humidity 23%
Dew Point 52 degrees
Wind W @ 15-25 mph
Forecast: Clear, hot
One of the strangest things about cutting wheat, at least for a city boy, are the animals. The animals on the ground….not the folks running the equipment, but after a few days harvesting the ‘folks’ can start to slip from ‘human’ to ‘animal’. This year we have had discussions of putting a hot tub on one of the small trailers and brining it to the field, we’ll see.
As the combine goes through the field it scares up a world of critters. Today’s field has been flushing out pheasants. Lots of pheasants; roosters & hens.
Last night at the edge of a field a very young coyote ran out of the wheat, ran along the fence line then cut back into the uncut wheat, maybe looking for rabbits. Rabbits. The combine scares up rabbits by the busload, which brings us to Rascal.
Rascal is a Welsh Corgi.
Comes from a royal distaff Pembroke Welsh line. But even so he is a very down to earth dog….could be his short legs.
He has been at the farm for years and is a little set in his ways. But a 13-year-old farm dog does have some rights, and one of these is to ride in the combine. Actually, any air-conditioned vehicle is acceptable but the combine is best.
It is cool.
The view is tremendous.
The front windshield goes all the way to the floor, so the view is magnificent. A dog can just sit and watch all the ‘wildlife’ go by. From his perch on the floor he can keep track of the rabbits and, if necessary, bark at any who threaten the combine. About the only time Rascal wants out is to go chase rabbits, and this is getting less and less frequent as the years pile up. In his youth, however, Rascal would run in front or at the side of the combine chasing rabbits by the hour. Now five or ten minutes a day is enough to demonstrate his ancestry. An ancestry that is unchallenged by anyone here at the Farm. And Rascal has a man in a machine to ‘flush game’ for him.
Cow tipping
Sunny, 98 degrees
Humidity 34%
Dew Point 58 degrees
Wind SW @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Sunny, hot
Several folks have asked about cow tipping and cow floating.
I got a cow tipping tee-shirt at the Kansas City Airport (and a triple-shot venti latte for the ride back to the farm) and went out that evening to tip a few sleeping cows. The folk story is that cows are so slow-witted that when they are sleeping they can actually be pushed over (tipped) before they know something is going on.
Well it is harder than it sounds.
First off cows don’t sleep standing up, they lie down and trying to move a cow that is lying down is incredibly hard. This Summer’s heat wave was particularly hard on one of the cows and on several days Bruce (and whoever else was handy) had to get her back on her feet. Moving a 1300-pound cow that does not want to move takes a bit of patience and effort.
Second, cows standing up may be ‘dozing’ or just thinking about life, but they really are aware that they are cows and don’t like to be pushed. If they are dozing and wake up suddenly they tend to take up a lot of room. I’ve known people who wake-up with arms & legs flailing. Cows may not have arms but they can certainly get their legs and tail moving. A funny thing about herd animals is that if one begins to move they all begin to move and they may have no idea why they are moving.
During my attempt at cow tipping I could actually see the look of surprise on the faces of the other cows. Most of these cows actually were asleep not just dozing. Lying quietly, dreaming of the grass on the other side of the fence. All of a sudden they were up and in a hurry but didn’t know why. Standing in the middle of a startled mass of moving cows can be very interesting and lead to another, though slightly more obscure, myth; running on the backs of cows.
Below is a diagram on the force needed to tip a non-resisting cow (i.e. frozen in place) by Dr Margo Lillie (a zoologist at the University of British Columbia) and one of her graduate students who studied the physics of cow tipping.
Rain….again…at last
Cloudy, 82 degrees
Humidity 66%
Dew Point 70 degrees
Wind WSW @ 10-20 mph
Forecast: Cloudy, 80% chance of rain
Well it has finally rained, and with a vengeance. During afternoon milking 2” fell on the farm. The front yard for the cows (where the feed bunk is located) turned into a pond. Fortunately the cows can swim and we do have designated ‘life-guards’. The feed bunk (a long ‘trough’) is high and dry and this probably means the most to the cows.
Bruce says the Fall corn crop is still in dire straits.
Too much, too late.
Guess this is why it is called ‘farming’ and not ‘gathering’.
Water for critters
Sunny, 98 degrees
Humidity 34%
Dew Point 58 degrees
Wind SW @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Sunny, hot
Bruce has several ‘guzzlers.’
Not cows, although some do seem to ‘guzzle’ their water a bit. These guzzlers are small open sided ‘lean-tos’ that collect rainwater for small animals and birds.
A fellow in WaKeeney makes them.
The design is incredibly simple and incredibly efficient. Basically corrugated tin, 2X4s, gutter and downspout.
The piece of corrugated tin is set up at a slight angle, one side higher than the other; the front side about two feet off the ground and the back side about one foot. Running along the backside is a gutter, just like the one on the house. In the center of the gutter is a downspout that goes underneath the tin and empties into a small (3 foot by 2 foot and 18 inches high) reinforced plastic box, open on the top. There is a small ramp that runs over the edge of the box into it and another ramp in the box running out. This way small animals can get in and out of the water.
Today it is 104 degrees in the shade and there is about eight inches of water in the box.
Just another way to help keep the land alive.
Cutting back home
Sunny, 97 degrees
Humidity 40%
Dew Point 62 degrees
Wind SW @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Sunny, hot
We’re back home!
This field is right next to the farmyard and is the ‘Cadillac’ of wheat cutting. I can stop and get fresh coffee, a bite to eat, go to the bathroom (in a bathroom) or just say ‘hi’ to folks. Sometimes cutting wheat can be a total disconnect with what is going on at the house, like when we were cutting back West….10, 11, 12 hours in the field. Came home one night and found that the kids had been in swimming, Grandma had her hair done, Hilary & Austin had begun an electroplating experiment, to go with their high-speed contained chemical reaction (blowing up plastic bottles) experiments, several people had been to the farm to say hi and Carolyn spent the afternoon at Liz’s (they grew up together….Liz & Rich farm about six miles from Bruce’s). I spent the day driving out to the combine then driving to the semi, driving out to the combine then driving to the semi, driving to the combine then……
Being out in the field during harvest can be real ‘self contained’. All that I think about is the wheat.
But cutting wheat back home I can see cars come and go. Occasionally see kids in the yard. See the cows going in to be milked. Shadow (the dog) will run out into the field just to check on what is going on.
This year cutting back home is a bit slower than what we have been doing because the terraces were rebuilt last year and are still a bit steep right now. It takes a while for them to settle and develop a nice smooth, rounded appearance.
The terraces are raised areas (mounds) in the field that follow the contour of the land; they help to keep the water from running off. In this part of Kansas almost all of the fields are terraced. The ‘classic’ pictures of 4 or 5 combines side by side cutting wheat are pretty much from Nebraska or Canada. Around I’ve seen two combines working the same field but they are working from two different sides of the field.
All of this wheat back home is ‘seed’ wheat for next year. It will all be stored at the farm (not sold in town). Fill the semi; drive it over to one of the granaries, then off load. On our second day of working this field Bruce set up the black semi next to the granary. The auger is in place under the semi to off load wheat straight up into the granary. This way I can off load the grain cart straight into the semi which in turn off loads into the granary. Pretty cool.
So with the new terraces causing the cutting to go a bit slower and the short drive to the farm granaries, the grain cart driver has more time to ‘socialize’.
In fact I’m going to see if I can get my contract for next year to say that I only work on fields that border the farmyard!
Hunters
Cloudy, 88 degrees
Humidity 50%
Dew Point 54 degrees
Wind NE @ 10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, increasing temperatures
A long time ago, when John, Bruce Carolyn & Pam were real young, some fellows came to the farm and asked Al if they could hunt pheasant on the farmland. Al liked the look of the guys and a deal was soon reached. The hunters (Jack Garren & Gene Peavey) liked the hunting and came back the next year.
As Jack Christy, one of the hunters (who joined the group the next year) tells the story the hunting was excellent, the Mai family made them feel at home, and Elfriede’s breakfasts were unbelievably good. Jack says Elfriede would be up before dawn fixing eggs, sausage, bacon and, of course cinnamon rolls.
The hunters would sleep in the basement rooms, displacing a few kids who adopted a ‘sleep-over’ attitude in their ‘own’ home. Often several of the kids would come down stairs, instruments in hand, and play music for the hunters.
The hunters cam back.
Year after year.
They became family.
Over the years the hunters’ kids came to the farm.
The Mai family was welcomed into the hunters’ homes.
The hunters attended every Mai wedding.
They helped carry Al’s coffin.
What started as a couple of guys just looking for a place to hunt pheasants for a day or two ended up as family.
Kinfolk
Partially cloudy, 78 degrees
Humidity 53%
Dew Point 60 degrees
Wind NE @ 10 mph
Forecast: Sunny
We put the word out about Grandma’s party everywhere we could think of putting it. Some mail, emails, phone calls, in the church bulletin, on this site and Facebook. Seems Facebook did the best. Go figure.
One of the people Facebook roped in was Jay Brustad.
Jay is a cousin; his mother was a first cousin of Bill’s ….no it was Arthur’s oldest brother’s wife’s….no actually he is a second cousin of Al’s….no Jay’s mother was a niece of….ah heck, Jay’s a cousin.
Which kind of brings up the Mai family. They’re big. Even the young nieces and nephews are all over 6 foot, most coming in at 6’ 4”+. And they are a big family; there is a lot of them.
When I was first dating Carolyn I used to keep two 3X5 cards in my back pocket with names. I quickly filled up the first side and wrote a lot smaller on the second side. By the time of Pam & Don’s wedding I had added the second card with even smaller writing. Pam & Don’s wedding was the first time I was around all of the ‘immediate’ family. By now the cards were covered with names and enhanced with arrows between names, circles & boxes around names.
Then I was introduced to the ‘hunters’. I panicked. When Gene Peavey, one of the hunters and a former Marine, found out I’d been in the Corps, he took me under wing. With his help and four different highlighters I actually got my ‘cards’ (and the family) all figured out. I was feeling pretty good about it all when i noticed Bruce talking to a group of people. I asked Gene who they were. ‘Well’ said Gene ‘those are some of the Sharon Springs Mai’s’. I fell apart. With his arm around my shoulder Gene gently lead me back to the punch & Champaign. Semper-Fi.
Jay is one of the Albuquerque Mai’s. Jay stands about 6’ 8” (his kin) and has a very quick smile. His family moved South (New Mexico) when he was young. They didn’t come back up to Kansas to visit much, so he kind of lost track of the goings on at the farm and we kind of lost track of him.
He found about Grandma’s Celebration on Facebook.
Found the blog and posted one of the first comments (6.8.11).
Jay & his wife Donna changed their vacation plans so they could come to the farm and Grandma’s celebration. As often happens out here at Da’ Farm they were soon laughing and joking and telling stories like they had been gone for a few days instead of a few years, they even ended up down in the parlor milking cows.
Bruce & John drove Jay & Donna all over this part of Kansas pointing out old family farmsteads. Especially Uncle August’s place (Jay’s grandpa’s brother).Just found out that Jay has been digging into the family history and is putting together a family record!
I’ll be the first in line to buy a copy.
Records
Sunny, 93 degrees
Humidity 53%
Dew Point 74 degrees
Wind SW @ 20 mph
Forecast: Sunny, hot
Yesterday, Tuesday June 26th, we were cutting back West; John in the combine, Clayton Michael running semis to town. I was on the edge of the field listening to the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) radio station. The big tractor (the one that pulls the grain cart) has a preset on the radio for the local NOAA station….pretty cool, now if we can just get a weather map down load on the GPS display. LOL Anyway yesterday was a record-breaking day for our part of Kansas.
108 in Garden City
110 in Dodge City
111 in Medicine Lodge
Today its 110 in Greenberg (where the tornado hit in 2005) and 118 in Ashland.
All south of us but still in Kansas. Not Oklahoma or West Texas but Kansas.
Of course ‘old timers’ still talk about frying eggs on the sidewalk or the tractor hood.
Next Summer I’ve got to try that.
Weather Note: Joyce stopped by on afternoon of 7.28.11 to say we are in line to set another record….not for wheat, but for temperature. We have had 32 days in a row with the high temperature over 100. 33 days would put us even with 2002. As it worked out it rained on the 29th and the high was only in the mid 90s.
Oh well, maybe next year.
A Word from Loris (#362)
Sunny, 100 degrees
Humidity 28%
Dew Point 66 degrees
Wind S @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, hot
Cow-tipping is, of course, nonsense. But heat is serious. Throws off milk production and can lead to heat stroke. Pretty rare on our farm, but you do hear stories up at the feed trough.
I’m Lois. Bruce calls me #362, the other folks in the herd call me Lois. And my secret name is, well, secret. Mr Eliot once said that cats have three names, which is true, but actually all animals do, except dogs. Dogs only have one name. You can call me Lois.
The heat has been terrible this year. And it’s not so much the actually temperature as it is the South wind. Usually the wind will help. It keeps the files away and helps give that feeling of coolness. Especially facing into the wind. But this year it seems like the hottest days have also brought South winds and South winds are hot. It’s just like standing in front of the big tractor when its idling in the yard.
Most of our herd are slick-haired Holstein. Black and whites. We’re the most photographed dairy cow. We not only have good lines but we also look good against a green field, or red barn. We look good even when its hot.
We do have some sweat glands in our skin, but they don’t really work well and the only way we lose heat by sweating is on our nose. We have a fair number of sweat glands on our noses. We lose most of heat by breathing. Not exactly like the dogs, thank goodness, but if you measure our breath you can see that it is moister and hotter and we breathe faster on the hot days. The folks at the vet college at Kansas State have measured all this.
Bruce built us shelter, a Quonset hut, which is open at both ends. It faces NE to SW so there is usually a good breeze. Just outside of the South end is a Ritchie style-watering trough set in concrete. Easy to drink from and very durable which is good because some of the heifers in our herd can be a bit clumsy.
Judy (#2449a) had a bad time with the heat this year. She’s a Holstein/Jersey mix, but I’m sure there is nothing in that, both of those breeds tolerate the heat well. She was down about several days in a row. Just couldn’t get up. Bruce can usually get any cow ‘up’ just by talking. Sometimes he threatens to use the front-end loader. More a threat than anything else, I think, because I’ve never actually seen him do it. But it is an attention getter. Judy kept getting up and is doing fine now. There was some talk around the herd that she had milk fever. Personally I think the weather was just too hot after having a calf. Heck it could happen to anyone.
Midnight Potter
High clouds, 78 degrees
Humidity 46%
Dew Point 56 degrees
Wind W @ 5 mph
Forecast: Sunny, 80% chance of rain in evening
So Hilary and I got to Denver in the early afternoon. We’re staying with the Ceurvorst-Gibbs. Hilary and Maddie are about three months apart in age. And they have become friends despite time and distance. We moved to Chinle when Hilary was three. From there we moved to Greenville when Hilary was five. And yet if Hilary and Maddie are in the same room they act like they’ve been living next to each other all along. And just like next-door neighbors they have been making plans.
I guess it was a foregone conclusion that we would go to the opening of the new Harry Potter movie at midnight. I guess that is the reason that July 15th was marked ‘Potter/Denver’ on our calendars for months. Michelle (the mom) is awesome at logistics and the tickets were well in hand before we ever got to Denver. So our party of 10 moved out a little after 10pm.
Hilary brought along a ‘Gryffindor’ cape she has had for years. ‘Are you sure you want to wear this?’ said Dad. ‘I mean you are 16.’
‘It will be OK’ she smiled.
It was.
We got to our seats at about 10:45pm. By 11:15 there were few seats to be had. And sure enough Hilary’s cape was not in the least ‘over-the-top’. In fact it was not even 1/3 up the mountain.
In front of us was Severus Snape (done almost as well as Alan Rickman and by 1:20am maybe better). There were numerous other characters and folks with a wand or cape or hat or…..actually the ‘adults’ in our party seems to be very under-dressed.
The people at the show were all very well versed in Potter lore. Throughout we all sighed, groaned, laughed and applauded as one.
We all know the story.
We know the story pretty darn well.
The big slide
Sunny, 92 degrees
Humidity 46%
Dew Point 70 degrees
Wind SW @ 5 mph
Forecast: Sunny, 80% chance of rain in evening
(there’s always a chance of rain in the evening in Denver)
Slept in until almost 9. Would have missed milking at the Farm.
Bruce (the dad) is the tough one. He not only made it through the midnight Potter party (drove to and from) but also was up at his usual time for work today.
Hilary, Maddie and Allie and I are going to Water World.
Michelle, of course, has lunches, drinks and tickets ready to go.
The first thing to do at Water World is find a place to put the picnic basket, drinks and towels. We found a picnic table under an awning. Right next to the ‘small’ (bazillion gallon) wave pool.
After applying sunscreen the girls went out to take on the ‘big’ rides. I spent an hour reading Caves of Steel by Asimov. I’ve spent the Summer rereading Asimov, Hesse, Machiavelli and Galileo. I remembered Machiavelli and Galileo as being masters at kissing-up to their patrons. Since I’ve risen as high as I can rise in academics on my qualifications, I thought maybe a little….Asimov.
Asimov has no peers at the pool.
After an hour or so I went in search of the girls, just to fulfill my ‘parental’ duties. Its fun hanging with well-adjusted teenaged girls who are awesome swimmers and have a desire to have an old guy around to guard the food and have a little ready cash.
Of course I was searching for three teenage girls in a park filled with a thousand teenage girls, at least 750 teenage boys, 1,500 younger kids and about 750 parents. After walking for ten minutes I realized I was not going to find them and my best bet was to go back to the food and Asimov.
‘Hey Bob.’
I stopped dead in my tracks. Maddie and Allie were sitting on the edge of a small wall by one of the rides. A water slide. I like water slides but this one required the riders to carry oxygen and a reserve parachute.
‘Where’s Hilary?’
‘She should be coming down soon. We just saw her turn the corner on the ladder.’
I got my camera out just in time.
Not sure where Hilary gets this daredevil attitude.
Not from my side.
I’ll have to ask some of the kin at Grandma’s celebration.
Butter yellow
Sunny, 90 degrees
Humidity 45%
Dew Point 56 degrees
Wind NW @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Partly cloudy
Several folks back East have asked about Grandma’s cinnamon rolls. Did she make any this year at the farm.
Yes & no. She did the directing of several batches of rolls, but the daughters and granddaughters are taking over the roll business.
Grandma still insists on Watkins vanilla as being essential. She’s been using it since before she was born….her mother & grandmother used it.
Often when she’s sitting in the kitchen Grandma will tell stories.
Often I’d be making them poetry.
They were already half way there.
Butter Yellow
‘We’d take the cows off the wheat at least an hour
or two
before we’d milk.
That gets that strong flavor out the milk. Of course, wheat
dose make the butter look nice n’ yellow.
Early Spring, we take the cows off the wheat altogether.
Give it a chance to grow.
So, mom would add colorin’ to the butter cream.
Butter Yellow it’s called.
You can’t taste it.
Really the only way you’d know it was in there was by the time of the year.
Knowing that it’s that time of year when the cows
aren’t allowed to be grazin’ on the wheat’.
Back from LA
Cloudy, 95degrees
Humidity 19%
Dew Point 70 degrees
Wind WSW @ 10-20 mph
Forecast: Sunny
On the way back from LaLa Land. Carolyn had a conference in Disneyland so Hilary & I tagged along. We ended up conferring with Chip & Dale for breakfast, then the rides at Disney California Adventure Park.
We stayed at the Grand California (which could certainly become my lifestyle) and from there we could walk into California Adventure Park or Disneyland
Hilary loves roller-coasters. She’s all about the biggest, fastest rides around….not sure where that comes from. Being a good dad I’m there for her; standing in line to get ‘fast passes’, holding stuff and waving as she gets on and rides past. Stop one, therefore, was a fast pass for California Screaming then off to Toy Story Mania for a sedate ride and target practice….i won.
We eventually got back to The Big roller-coaster. Hilary loved it. I loved waving at her….from the ground. She finally talked/shamed me into riding a roller coaster….Goofy’s Sky School. I didn’t even scream once.
Carolyn spent the afternoon and evening with us. Great food. Great fun. She even did a few rides just under the Screamer, but way over Goofy.
That night our niece Megan got to the hotel. She spent the next day with us. Megan is pretty much as crazy about wild rides as Hilary. They headed out early to have breakfast with Goofy (not sure if Hilary mentioned my adventure at sky school) then spent the rest of the morning trying to be scared. Carolyn spent the morning at the conference. I spent the morning indulging in the life-style I really think i could get used to; sitting at a large desk on the third floor overlooking the hotel foyer, coffee in my hand, computer in my lap.
We all met for lunch, then spent the afternoon in Disneyland. I could have spent the day sitting in one of the coffee shops watching America go by. 40,000 people a day. I could identify a dozen languages and there were at least two dozen more I couldn’t.
After dinner and conversation Megan went home, she’s an office manager for a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.
Next morning we were up early and on the way. Up 15 past the great Mojave desert, through Los Vegas, on to Utah. Which brings us to one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.
There’s a long stretch of interstate 15 in Southern Utah that is posted (experimentally) as 80 miles an hour. I remember in the days of my youth seeing ‘Speed Limit: Reasonable & Prudent’ in Montana, but that is now gone. So to see 80 mph speed limit sigh was an attention getter….and Carolyn was driving.
But that’s another story.
This i believe
Sunny, 82 degrees
Humidity 27%
Dew Point 44 degrees
Wind E @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, high 70’s
The Time Between the Sun
Hilary Green
I believe in a place where the essence of time is crafted by the natural flow of the earth, where the sunrise and sunset are the rhythm of life. I believe in milking cows. On our family farm, my Uncle Bruce and I gather all 52 cows in the milking herd, twice a day, every day. Just before the Kansas sun rises and again just before it sets, we meet in the milking parlor.
At the beginning of every milking my uncle brings the cows in the parlor in two sets, four on each side. I stand in a pit between the two lines of cows. As soon as the cows are in the parlor I go down each line sanitizing all of the cows. At this point Uncle Bruce is also down in the pit and as I make another round to dry the cows, he closely follows, putting on the “milkers.” The process involved in milking is a lot like the sunrise and sunset, there is a repetitive natural flow. But this flow is not without change. Just as the earth moves varying the time and place of the sun’s rise and set, our system of milking can be altered if a cow kicks off her “milkers” or if someone joins us in the pit. But, despite any inconsistencies, the cows are milked. Once the cows have given us their milk, Bruce removes the “milkers” and I sanitize them again. The cows then go on their way, until their return just before sunset.
On a dairy farm, time isn’t defined by a day of the week, the movement of hands on a clock, or a due date for a school paper. Farm time is defined by the natural flow of light; sunrise and sunset. On the farm, my life’s time flows with the sun and the cows, I don’t have to worry about anything else. Milking cows has taught me to accept and appreciate life’s basic simplicity, instead of being overwhelmed by an artificial time that creates the stress and anxiousness of school. Milking gives my life a change of pace; a sense of freedom and rest from my usual world.
However, the farm doesn’t ignore the modern world’s demands; there’s just enough time to get cleaned up from the morning milking to get to church. Neither the farm nor I are caught in the past. Cows are milked by machine and the tractors have GPS auto-steering.
When I wake up I am splashed with darkness.
Then, the sun, miles away on the horizon, streaks the earth with light. I make my way to the milking parlor, accepting the flow of nature. The meaning of time on our dairy farm is to live with the earth in the present moment and the present moment always asks; where is the sun and where are the cows? I believe in the essence of time as a continual process; not monotonous or static, but evolving. I believe that time moves with a natural flow. I believe in milking cows.
Planting wheat
Cloudy, 80 degrees
Humidity 56%
Dew Point 50 degrees
Wind NNW @ 5 mph
Forecast: Rain 80%
Planting wheat!
Planting hard red winter wheat.
It is what we mostly grow and cut in the Summer. So if we cut it in the Summer why is it called Winter wheat? Because it is planted in the Fall, usually by mid September, in our neck of the woods….well actually our neck of the pasture. The wheat sprouts before the ground freezes then is dormant until Spring when it finally grows like a bandit.
Winter wheats tend to be higher in protein than most other wheats. They are generally used for bread flour.
Like everything at the farm weather drives most of the work. Usually next year’s wheat is in the ground by now, but this Fall has been too wet. For several weeks now Bruce has been saying that he’s not worried. Says he can recall a number of years when drilling (planting) has been well into October. Still it’s nice to have the seed in the ground. And now it’s getting there.
Bruce is in the field today drilling wheat; putting the seed in the ground. He is using is a John Deere (of course, everything on the farm is Green) 1820 hoe drill & air cart. Pretty fancy stuff. Pulled, of course, by ‘Bob’s Summer Office’ (JD 8330).
So now….
it is up to the weather.
News Bulletin: Bruce sent a text….the 2012 wheat crop is in the ground!
Now its all up to the weather.
Oh ya’….heard that before.
Tossing feed
Sunny, 93 degrees
Humidity 24%
Dew Point 70 degrees
Wind W @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, high 90s
Every now and then we have to clean out the feed bunk….the long cement trough where the cows eat. Bruce has a special food mix for the cows. It varies some depending on the time of year (how much grass is available), the temperature, amount of rain, etc. It always has some silage, some hay, some minerals and some corn. This is all measured out by weight and put into the ‘mill’ and mixed up. After the mill finishes mixing (about the length of time for a tall cup of coffee) the feed is taken to the cows and put in their feed bunk.
Twice a day.
Every day.
Cows love to eat.
When Bruce shows up with a tractor pulling the mill, the cows line up. They can only get to the bunk from one side, but there is enough room so there is only a little pushing.
Cows are a bit messy when they eat. They like to put their noses in the trough then toss the feed into the air. This is one of the weird things about cows. Even the dogs don’t understand why anyone would toss their food into the air unless they were showing off the deer leg they just caught. One of the side effects of food tossing is that some of the feed lands on the ground….which brings us back to cleaning the bunk.
After years of watching, years of study we still haven’t figured out why cows toss their feed. But there is a lot about cows that nobody seems to understand, not even the dogs.
Philosophy of life
Sunny, 85 degrees
Humidity 46%
Dew Point 58 degrees
Wind S @ 5 mph
Forecast: Clear, a little cooler
Philosophy of Life
From the cab of a John Deere 8330
Life is simpler when you don’t plow the barbed wire.
Always drink upstream from the cows.
If you think you’re a person of influence, try changing the weather.
Most of the stuff people worry about happening never happens.
Don’t judge people by the color of their combine; judge ‘em on how they use it.
You don’t have to be very big to carry a big chip on your shoulder.
It rains when it rains.
Meanness don’t just happen overnight.
Silence is sometimes the best answer.
Treating someone ‘like dirt’ is actually a pretty high compliment.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.
Slow is often a good gear, especially on terraces.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of ‘experience’ comes from bad judgment.
Cows are hard to push into doing what you want ‘em to do. People are even harder.
Waiting for harvest
Sunny, 24 degrees
Humidity 72%
Dew Point 24 degrees
Wind NW @ 12-15 mph
Forecast: Sunny, high 50
Still six months before harvest 2012.
For those of us not at the farm this begins the long dreary time when wheat harvest seems a forever time away.
For those at the farm this begins the long dreary time when wheat harvest seems a forever away.
For those of us who show up for wheat harvest time is full of waiting.
For Bruce & Joyce, Rheta & Clayton Michael the time us full of field work and
cows and
repair and
Winter is coming up. Working outside with big machinery & big animals gets a lot harder when the temperature goes down and the wind goes up.
Time hangs heavy this time of year….
and there is never enough of it.
The proper way to eat
Clear, 88 degrees
Humidity 62%
Dew Point 65 degrees
Wind E @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, Hot
A little while ago there was some discussion about how we ‘toss’ our food before eating it. As often happens the bipeds tend to see things as ‘either/or’ and ‘tossing’ food is far more.
When Bruce puts our feed in the bunk there is a warmth and richness in the air that is second to none. I’ve heard some of the bipeds talk about drinking a 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. About how the glass should only be 1/3 full so that the aroma, ‘coffee, earth, tobacco, truffle, cedar’, coming off the wine can fill the rest of the glass. Of course a good pond has all of those aromas and there is no chance of breaking the glass. But they have it about right; it’s all about the aroma and fresh well-mixed feed has an aroma second to none.
Bruce is good about not filling the bunk too full. About 1/3.
When we put our heads into the bunk the whole world becomes one of smell.
Eyes closed.
Nose wide open.
As more folks begin to eat the air is charged and recharged with a warm, earthy, molasses and hay aroma. Tossing the feed into the air a little stirs the aroma. A little is lost over the outside of the bunk, but eating is, after all, a multi-sensory thing.
A better bouquet is worth a little lost food.
Hunters (again)
Sunny, 56 degrees
Humidity 19%
Dew Point 17 degrees
Wind NNW @ 5-10 mph
Forecast: Sunny, highs 60
Days are shorter. Temperatures are lower. The Farm is full of people again. Not quite Thanksgiving; pheasant season.
Wheat and corn stubble are a great place to build a home; at least if you’re a pheasant. During harvest we kept scaring up a hen along the South edge of the field back West. When we’d drive by with the combine or tractor she’d run, maybe glide 10 or 12 yards. Next pass we’d make she’d run or glide 10 or 12 yards back. Spent at least an hour watching her.
Out in the big open fields we’d scare up two or three pheasant at a time.
According to the Kansas Wildlife Department: “The ring-necked pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus) may be the most popular game bird in the state of Kansas, with between 110,000 and 150,000 hunters pursuing the species each season. Estimated annual harvests have ranged from a low of 425,000 to a high of 824,000 cocks since 1990, typically placing Kansas in the top 3 or 4 pheasant hunting states in the U.S.”
Jack Christi, one of the ‘original’ hunters was at Elfriede’s 90th celebration.
This year none of the originals were out to hunt but there were some kin.
All in all about a dozen hunters came out for the opening of pheasant season.
Day one, Saturday 11.12.11, the hunters brought home 12. Awesome opening day by anyone’s standards. And that was the beginning….and unfortunately it was also the highlight. Several days went by with not a single pheasant seen let alone shot. When the week was done it was a bust. This will surly go down as one of the worst pheasant seasons in memory, unless, of course, one is a pheasant.
Snow for Christmas
Cloudy, 24 degrees
Humidity 56%
Dew Point 18 degrees
Wind WNW @ 10-20 mph
Forecast: Cloudy, clearing 20% chance of snow
Well it has finally quit snowing.
There has been snow for the last 48 hours. Definitely will be snow (at least on the ground) for Christmas.
Last year we (the North Carolina folks) went to the farm for Christmas. It is the first time Hilary has been there for Christmas eve/day. In the days of her youth we would go to the farm ‘around’ Christmas but not actually ‘on’ Christmas. She wanted to experience a ‘farm Christmas’ and, of course, milk some cows during the Winter. There was also the draw that it ‘always’ snows around Christmas, at the farm.
Christmas 2010….no snow….cold (7 to 9 degrees) in the morning….cows….cold cows….milkshake cold cows. No snow. The day after we left to head back East….snow. But there was one of the biggest snows in the last 10 years back in Greenville, North Carolina….some of Hilary’s friends sent pictures. Go figure.
Christmas 2011 in G-ville it is running 65 to 70 degrees in the afternoon. 40 to 50 in the early morning. No snow.
Back at the farm….snow. Bruce says that this afternoon there are 12 inches on the flat and drifts up to 4 feet. Just like last year it is cold.
The Kearby’s are going to the farm for a few days right after Christmas. At lest some of the grandkids will get to go sledding and send those of us back East some pictures.
We can sit on the front porch steps drinking iced lemonade and look at the pictures.
Zion
Sunny, 31 degrees
Humidity 65%
Dew Point 70 degrees
Wind W @ 10-15 mph
Forecast: Mostly sunny, high mid 40s
Somehow Zion came up in conversation. I immediately put forth that it is the last ‘human’ city (see the movie Matrix). After some discussion I was willing to admit that the reference to the city of Jerusalem, or at least the name of the fortress/mountain that David concurred in Second Samuel, came before the movie Matrix. Without even a blink, Grandma said, “Zion is my church back home.” A lot more tangible reference than a distant or virtual city….although the idea of milking virtual cows still intrigues me.
We held Grandma’s 90th celebration last Summer at Zion (the church). The church, as it now stands, was dedicated on June 13, 1920. It replaced a structure that was dedicated on May 3rd, 1908. The congregation itself was founded in May of 1905 by ‘immigrants that settled in Trego County from the Berg or Weisenseite (the meadow side) of the Volga River’, according the official centennial church history published in 2005.
The ‘centennial history’ also has stories and letters by current and former church members. One is about Tassel, Pastor William Zahlis’s pet goat. Pastor Bill served the congregation from 1939 through 1948. Sometime in the mid 1940s, while World War II was still in progress, Bible School was slightly disrupted. Generally it takes a lot to disrupt a county Bible school, but Tassel did it when he went after one of the boys. Tassel had horns and demonstrated their advantage over hands by ripping the young man’s ‘brand new’ jeans from ‘ankle to hip’. In Tassel’s defense it should be noted that some of the older boys had given Tassel some Red Man chewing tobacco and egged him on in his nicotine induced frenzy.
Grandma’s 90th celebration was in the basement of the church (see our blog entry for 7.25.11 and the photo link ‘Elfriede’s 90th’ on the right). Although the kids ate and immediately left to go outside for more entertaining adventures, we never heard any Tassel like stories….of course these may have to simmer for a few years; the story of Tassel’s Red Man adventures took almost 60 years before it saw print.
tregocenterdairy 