a new field in a new location

Cleaning equipment after finishing at Shattuck, OK and getting ready for the move to Garden City, KS

Zeorian Harvesting moved from Shattuck, OK to Garden City, KS in record time! We really did. We’ve never been able to move everything in one trip. It has always taken two trips to move our equipment which sometimes means valuable time in the field is given up for road time.

Before we could leave, though, we needed to get the straw and weeds pulled from all the nooks and crannies of the combine and header. Taylor and Callie had come out to the field earlier in the afternoon for another reason and were “roped” into sticking around to help. It was good having them with us and the time it took to clean up was cut by a lot! We had one mishap which involved a heavy piece of iron which dropped on Callie’s bare foot (I’m not sure how it happened). When they came to the field, they didn’t come out to stay so they weren’t prepared to do the job that was asked of them. Callie had on flip-flops so when that heavy piece of iron fell, it fell right on top of her bare foot. Callie isn’t much of a cry-er (unlike her mother) so when I saw the tears in her eyes, I knew she was a hurting unit. I quickly went to my lunch box and dug out what little ice was left and put in a sandwich baggie for her. I could tell it really hurt but she never went on and on about the pain. My little trooper!

So, this all took place after we finished cutting late Monday afternoon. It was hot, humid and very windy – thank goodness! By the time we finished loading Frank (thank you to Anthony & Amanda Adams and their boys for their help), it was 8:30.  We took the time after that was done to get a bite to eat at our favorite little diner in Arnett.

It did my heart good seeing our family working together and turning around to watch Anthony and his family pulling together too. They got their combine cleaned and loaded in record time!  This is the picture of what harvest is all about to me…family and pulling together to reach a common goal.

Callie helping Jim go through the grain tickets and add them up for the necessary information needed to settle up with our farmer. Notice the purple rag and bag of ice on her foot?

Taylor and Jim got up plenty early on Tuesday morning and loaded the combine. We really wanted to get out as soon as we could but the van had different plans for us. One of the front tires had gone flat and needed to be replaced. We had to wait for that tire to arrive by truck and get put on the van before we could depart. We prepared the Cottage for the road and were completely ready to leave as soon as the van was done. We opted for another sit-down meal at Ed’s Cafe in Shattuck (over Sonic because of the heat). By the time we finished with the meal, the van was ready and we hit the road. That was 3ish.

We arrived at our destination, hooked up the water and electricity to the Cottage, turned on the air conditioner and left again. We needed to get the combine to the farm before the sun went down. We made it…barely.

Once the sun started to set, the temperature became tolerable to be outside. We unloaded Frank and even got the combine off the trailer. By now, it was late and we still hadn’t had anything to eat. Made a quick trip to Garden and Taco Bell. Who, besides us, would be eating at Taco Bell at 11:00 at night? Apparently that’s where you go after ballgames in Garden City.

Getting the combine backed off the trailer is not what I would ever want to do – especially in the dark. But…Cap’n Combine could probably do it blindfolded.

Jim and I were up early to begin the day in the wheat field. Jim made his usual trip to the gas station while I made lunches. Taylor was up early, too. She made a trip to Walmart for groceries. She was told to prepare her parents with plenty of food for at least five days before she and Callie headed home. Callie will be heading for Chicago on Sunday with the group of Elmwood/Murdock FBLA National qualifiers, as well as others from the state of Nebraska (on a bus). The girls will be joining us again after July 6th. I had to leave harvest the summers I was a junior and senior for FBLA National Convention. I had such a great time on those trips! Still some of my favorite life memories so I know Callie will enjoy it too. But…I’ll be glad when they walk through the door of the Cottage again! I really miss them.

We were cutting by 10:00 am.

Picked up as though we never left. Another field – just a different state.

The wheat has turned into a surprise for us. We were expecting low yields according to the dry spring we had heard this country had. However, some timely rains came at just the RIGHT time and this is what we’re looking at…60+ bushel dry land wheat with 63/64 test weight. What a beautiful stand of wheat. There are times the yield monitor registers 90-100 bushels. Miracle wheat! The Yellow Beast doesn’t know how to handle such wonderful wheat. The bigger machine is an amazing piece of equipment! It can handle a large amount of grain and push forward at an impressive speed.

                                Tennis Elevator – north of Garden City (south of Scott City).

We thought the rains weren’t going to get us. But it did. The weather radio and storm warnings started about 1:00 am. By the time it felt like I could go to sleep and not worry about having to escape the Cottage, it was well after 2. For the most part, storms don’t really scare me when we ride them out in the Cottage. This storm this was a bit concerning. To watch the wind push the slide-out inward did make thoughts of leaving enter my head. I was glad the girls weren’t here. We got 1/2″ of rain out of it and a day to get caught up on a few things. One of them being laundry – again.

If we would have had this clothesline while the girls were little, they would have been thrilled. 🙂