Life happens and updating this blog gets pushed aside. So very close and yet still far enough away from the end of the year (2020). I am determined, though, to get this caught up before we head south again.
Yes, that time is rolling around way too fast. It appears the cool and wet weather has set the date back. The harvesters in Texas as STILL waiting to get rolling. Once the sun pops out and the wet stuff stops falling from the sky, I’m certain the combines will, once again, be going round and round – if they still do that. Thanks to GPS, it seems the round and round has been turned into back and forth, back and forth.
When September rolled around, we were done with cutting wheat. Remember…the last day of wheat harvest for us was on August 26th. Our typical routine after we finish in Montana is to take our time in cleaning everything up really well. The push to get to the next job is over and a better, more thorough job is possible and usually needed.
The trip back home is nearly 1,000 miles. And the Pete makes the trip four times. So, truck maintenance is also a must. By the time we finish what we do, it’s usually 10 days to two weeks past the final day of cutting before we make our way home with the first load.
Jamie and Curt are still here. They won’t actually leave until September 9. So, between doing what we have to do, we also tried to do some fun things with them while we were all together. Video, “Day 96”, gives a highlight of our time with the kids while they were in Jordan with us.
September 2 was one of the craziest days of the summer – and maybe one of the craziest of our lives.
The Jordan area was dry…very dry. And the winds were supposed to be extremely bad on this particular day. The morning of September 2, however, was fairly quiet. A fire was started by a rancher’s hired man north of town. And then the winds picked up. And then a spark led to what became a huge wildfire threatening the town of Jordan. The Huff Fire video is still the #1 viewed video of the 2020 wheat harvest with nearly 52,000 views.
We left Jordan with the first load headed home, home on September 10. (Video, “Day 99”)
In the following days, we arrived home (on September 12) and turned right around and headed back north again. We arrived back to Jordan on September 14. We spent the next day loading the combine and tying up some loose ends. On September 16, we left Jordan for the final time for the 2020 wheat harvest. This is NEVER easy to do. Never.
We arrived back home on September 18 and decided to park the trailer house at the Fairgrounds just until we could get back to “normal” again.
Colten & Taylor left Montana and headed for Yellowstone National Park. Jamie and Angie used to play together on this very same playground when the girls used to attend school here. The girls were lucky to get to attend school here while we were cutting wheat. They would usually go to school here for a couple of weeks to a month before we would head home.Now their kids play together on the same playground. 🙂Who could have ever guessed later this afternoon, we would be leaving our trailer houses not knowing if we’d be back again or not. I remember stepping out of the trailer and seeing the smoke thinking, “Boy, I sure hope that stays east of town!”This is beginning to look a little more intense. The fire was close enough to the equipment, we decided to move the combine further west of town. Do you see the fire-fighting plane?Jamie and I walked over to the Catholic Church and volunteered to make sandwiches for the firefighters. Jim drove The Beast in the Trump parade on September 4th. Gathering with friends after the parade for supper. Breakfast at Grandma and Grandpa’s. Still smoldering five days later. Answer to prayers! We received over an inch of rain today (September 7th). Gathering at Ryan and Randi’s house for a final night together before Jamie and Curt headed for Cody, Wyoming. Getting Frank and Pete ready to make the first load home. I was attempting to get a picture of the Broadus sign. Ha!Broadus Weigh Scale. We spent the first night on the road at the Belle Fourche Sale Barn. LOVE the sign on the top right!!!!!!!Before leaving Miles City and making our way back to Jordan, we stopped at the Airport Inn for lunch. All these years and I had never been here before. What a view from on top of this hill!Henry. Henry was purchased brand new by my grandpa. We purchased it from him when we were beginning this adventure. And, now, Henry is retiring in Montana. A different view of Jordan. New growth through the ashes. Taking the time for a visit just one more time. Headed south once again. The Belle Fourche Sales Barn. The smoke from the wildfires blocked the sun and created a big red ball in the sky.Still seeing the wildfire smoke in Nebraska. Second – and final night on the road for the 2020 harvest – was spent in O’Neill, Nebraska. The elevator on the horizon is home, home – Manley. We parked temporarily parked everything at the fairgrounds until we figured out what the heck we were doing first. Look who came for a visit!Callie came to the trailer house one day and hung out with me and Layne. All the views from home. Next…Fall Harvest.
The month of July was not the typical harvest month for Zeorian Harvesting.
The first day of July was also the last day we cut wheat for our farmer north of Chase, Kansas. This left us with a HUGE hole in what was next.
Our next job should have been Garden City. However, the crops in Chase and Garden basically ripened at the same time. The farmer we help in Garden has his own combine and had less acres this year than in past years. Tim was cutting wheat while we were cutting wheat. By the time we finished in Chase, he was nearly done with his crop and wouldn’t need the help of a second combine.
We had no direction to head except home, home.
Frank (our Freightliner truck) needed some work done on it. This was realized after we left home, of course. So, Jim decided this was the time we would take it and the trailer house back home and hang out until it was time to head for Jordan (Montana).
It was 103 degrees on the 2nd of July. This, of course, was clean-up day. Always.
On July 4th, we left The Beast sitting in the farmer’s yard and we headed home, home with the trailer house and Frank. We wanted to surprise the kids as they were gathering together at Jamie and Curt’s house to celebrate the holiday. When we pulled into the driveway later that day, they were surprised. But, not really. They sort of had an idea that maybe this is what we were going to do.
We haven’t celebrated the 4thof July with ALL of the girls since the summer of 2004.
We hung out at home until July 14.
The night before we left, Jim decided tomorrow was the day to head back to Kansas and catch-up with the rest of harvest again.
The morning we were preparing to leave, we received a telephone call from a fellow harvester wondering if we would want to help his crew near Hardin, Montana.
Absolutely!
Yay! We had a plan. Having a plan feels way better than not having a plan.
We made it back to Lyons the evening of the 14th and on the morning of the 15th, we headed north with our first trip. We returned to Lyons on the 18th and left again on the 19th with load #2. It was exactly one week from the point we left home that we arrived at our destination with all of our equipment. A very long week, indeed.
I have never seen so much wheat in one place! The farm was well over 10,000 acres – but not all wheat. You really should check out the YouTube channel just to see the sites on this farm!
When I re-read the previous post, it made me wonder why I don’t just remain a little more committed to writing. It’s always so much fun to go back and see what the heck we were up to at the time.
And feel the emotions all over again.
After the previous post was created, we made the second trip to Kansas. And the 2020 wheat harvest began.
Last summer, I wanted to keep a daily “diary” via video. Words are great but it’s always fun to WATCH and really relive as though you’re there all over again. For the most part, I did post something daily. And Jim and I have had a lot of fun re-watching our moments over the past winter months.
Speaking of past winter months…it was a bit difficult at times. But, we made it! And, here we are again looking at the beginning stages of yet another wheat harvest. This will mark our 39th year of owning a combine and making the harvest lifestyle our life.
Back to the daily videos. If you’re at all interested, you can view all past videos AND subscribe for the 2021 summer journey by visiting ourZeorian Harvesting & Trucking YouTube channel. I’ve had several followers of the channel already contact me and ask me whether or not I intend to share our daily adventures again for 2021. My answer is, ABSOLUTELY!
Why am I here now? Well, because I completely walked away from my blog since last June, I didn’t share any of my pictures. I print my blog every year and it just wouldn’t be right to have only six months of 2020 in the book. So, I’m going to do a condensed version of the last half of 2020 in pictures and very few words to be sure my book is complete.
So, here goes…
June 2020
We left the house with our second trip on June 10. The final hours and minutes of getting the house shut down, saying goodbyes and actually leaving the driveway is never easy.
Eli refused to be part of the picture this year. He got in trouble and was boycotting being involved in any way.Continue reading →
The past few days have felt like they’ve been both a year long and just an hour long. I don’t know if you can understand what I mean…but I bet you can.
The first load to Kansas went about as well as it could have. Except for the heat. And except for the lack of air conditioning. Frank doesn’t have air. We’ve tried to make it work but it just can’t hold the gas. We didn’t expect the car and the Pete to give us issues. But they did. However, I’m pleased to tell you Jim got both of them fixed and they’re cooling down quite nicely now. Thank goodness!
First load getting ready to head south. Pete and the “job” trailer waiting patiently.Home, homeThe header needed some warranty work done on it so we just left it at the dealership. We stopped and picked it up as we were headed south with the first load. Northern Kansas wheat. Ahhhhhh….the sweet, sweet smell of wheat country!Left Frank and the Pete at our farmer’s yard near Chase. The mosquitoes were HORRIBLE! Once we got everything parked for the night, we jumped in the car and headed for Great Bend for the night. The next morning we headed for Medicine Lodge.A memory. Grandma insisted I go through this house with her in 1974. I will be going through it again – if we have a rain day. I’m SURE I’ll appreciate it much more the second go-round!Main Street of Sharon, Kansas. Anyone know who in the entertainment industry grew up near Sharon?Pratt, Kansas water towersBack to the farmer’s yard. We parked the car, jumped in the Pete and headed northward. He said he needed just a little nap. So, I took over and drove for about an hour. (Don’t worry, we weren’t moving when I took these pictures.)The best part of a very hot 100 degree day – dusk.
We made it back home, home Saturday evening about 10:00. The next morning began more packing and getting things ready to be gone for the next several months.
When I say “things ready”, I mean like the yard mowed, tree limbs trimmed, a few weeds pulled (a dumb action, really), Cottage on Wheels packed, house cleaned, combine loaded, last minute items thrown in wherever they can go, etc. etc. It always feels like such an overwhelming amount of work that needs to be done. But, somehow it all manages to get done. And things start falling together as they should. And then it’s time to take off.
That’s where we are right now. It’s time to do those last minute things that need to be done and then the dreadful goodbyes said and down the highway we will head, once again.
All the while we have been working at getting to the point we are, Mother Nature decided to crank up the heat a little on all of us. We thought we could make it through the few days we had here without putting the window air in the house. Bad decision. The days and nights of no relief from the heat seemed to wear on us way more than we imagined. Maybe it has something to do with being one year older, too. Maybe?
Yes, another nap. This time he told me, “I just need a little nap and it’s cool down here on the floor”. We really should have put the air conditioner in the window! Yep, that’s his shoe he’s using for a pillow. It was a beautiful morning to load the combine!Taylor and Layne came over to hang out with me this afternoon. After I emptied the refrigerator, I left the doors open so it could defrost and be cleaned. Taylor sat there to cool off because, yes, it was that hot in the house!
We had a storm roll through this evening which dropped the temperature 25 degrees in about ten minutes. The cooler air never felt so good. The wind blew like crazy and the rain came down in sheets. We’ll be sleeping in the trailer house tonight as the bed in the house has been stripped and washed. And we’ll be taking our last “real” shower for quite some time.
The worst part of all of this is having to say our goodbyes.
It never gets any easier!
Ever.
Layne’s sure going to change a lot over the next several months!
Our world got a little bit scarier. This time, it’s not due to a virus or concern for a vaccine. Protests, violence, hatred, evil…nothing new to this world. It’s been around since the days of Adam and Eve. I don’t foresee it getting any better or any easier in the near future. If you believe what the Bible says, it won’t.
Everyone is drained from the craziness of this world. Everyone is mentally fatigued. Everyone just wants things to be “normal”. It sort of seems funny to think about the issues we were dealing with prior to March 12 and they all seem so much easier to bear. At the time, however, they did not.
We must persevere and continue to move forward – one baby step at a time.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5
As I mentioned in the last post, harvest stops for none of this craziness. We will continue to work towards the goal of getting our equipment to Kansas and set up camp by middle of next week. The first load is supposed to begin tomorrow (6/5).
Prior to right now, harvest has been something we talk about while our daily lives continue. Now, however, it’s about to get real.
Real, real.
I wish I could just take everyone with us again!
Jim’s dad served in the Pacific Theater (Philippines, New Guinea and the Occupation of Japan) during WWll. We have pictures and we have stories. But to have actually gotten him to talk about this time in his life…he was mostly mute. No fanfare or hoopla. That’s not the way he was. He did what he had to do because of his love for this country and his family. My favorite story is about him catching malaria while in the Philippines. He was so sick, the natives hauled him from the lines to wherever he could receive the care he needed. When the war ended, his rank was Army Tech Sergeant. We called him dad and grandpa. Today, Memorial Day, his great grandchildren went to say hello!Baby Wayne (aka Layne) is 6 months old! There’s a story behind this dress. It was purchased for my oldest niece, Jill. Jill is the daughter of Jim’s older sister, Maureen. Then, her sister, Holly, wore it when she was 6 months old. It was passed down to us and each of the girls wore it when they were 6 months old. The tradition continues with the next generation of girls. Both Nora and Layne have worn it. How fun is this? This is Taylor at 6 months. Do you see any similarities? Three generations of hands. Lots and lots of time spent at these iris gardens over the years! I was never lucky enough to have had a sister but found a friend who is the next best thing! Trish and I have A LOT of great memories together over the past 35 years!!I used to work with Trish in these iris gardens. We’d drag our kids along with us and they would just do whatever they could to get through the day. If you asked them now, they would tell you some of their favorite memories were created at those gardens! He was SO excited to share his four-leaf clover with me! First one ever found. The same view from a different standpoint. When I allow my brain to think way hard and deep, like it sometimes does, I think about all of life being like this. What we are used to viewing and observing takes on a whole different feel when it’s viewed from a different standpoint and a different perspective!The reason for the above pictures. I was on top of The Beast helping Jim replace that auger cover. There was a wear hole in it that had to be repaired. I’m sure glad there was no one around watching the two of us remove it and then put it back in place. 🙂The kids came over Tuesday afternoon. The summer heat has begun in Eastern Nebraska. We played and played in the pool, ate popsicles and did whatever we could to stay cool. We didn’t put the window air in because we will be leaving soon. Ben was a sticky, sticky mess but it didn’t matter when you could jump in the pool and it all disappeared!Roasted hotdogs and s’mores for supper! It was so sultry – the fire was just too hot. You can visibly see this on Nora’s face. Ben was holding down the picnic table while the others were cooking. Can’t you just hear the evening sounds and smell that wet, damp Eastern Nebraska air?I bought myself a new iphone 11 mostly for the updated camera. This is the moon, taken during the middle of the night outside the door of the tent. WOW! I can’t wait to take some evening harvest shots with this!After the other three left yesterday afternoon, Layne came over to play while her mama was taking senior pictures. She was so sweet and so good for me. This was also taken in the complete dark of our bedroom. The camera on this phone is AMAZING! What a sweet angel.
I’m certainly going to miss these days with the kids – all of them! The Cottage on Wheels is parked right outside my back door. The many trips back and forth are about to begin and I’m dreading it.
Our fourteen day quarantine is now going on 70+ days. Seventy some days ago, our lives changed. Although I don’t want to add the word “forever”, I’m afraid that’s what has happened.
I’m certain I’m not the only one who just gets ANGRY when you allow your brain to think about what we had and what we have to look forward to. I just don’t understand how we’ve allowed this virus to change every aspect of our lives. I just don’t.
Not much has changed in our world. We don’t spend much time in the city anyways – except church, groceries and other needed items. I’ve always been one to purchase enough groceries to get us through a week or two so I didn’t have to try to invent the wheel.
We, as a family, have been back and forth with the social distancing. When this “thing” was brand new, we attempted to keep our distance. And then we decided this was just stupid.
Here’s my thoughts as far as this “deadly” virus goes and how it pertains to me. I really don’t care if I get it or not. If I get it, I get it. If I get it and die…so be it. I’m going to die one day anyways. However, I don’t want to live my life in such a way that I seclude myself from my kids and grandkids. They wanted to “protect” us at the beginning and Jim and I put the kabosh on that! I cannot live my life to the fullest and be scared of dying. Period.
So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Fear. One of the enemy’s most popular weapons that he uses against us. Worry, anxiety, fear…can overwhelm us with a thick shadow of darkness, controlling our every move and decision.
I’m not going to let this virus change the way I live.
We’re currently getting ready to head south for the 2020 wheat harvest. Jim said his goal is to be ready to leave on June 1. However, I’ve been married to him long enough to know that when he sets a date, it will change (about four times). So, I’m going to guess we’ll be heading south with the final load about June 8th.
We have an opportunity to start a little farther south this year than we have in the past – thanks to some great harvest friends! If all goes as planned, our first job of the season will be around Medicine Lodge, Kansas. Funny…this is the same area my grandparents would have gone to so many years ago. It’ll be fun to be back in the same area which I would have been in the very first time I went on harvest in 1974.
I have a feeling things could look/be a whole lot more interesting on the road due to the guidelines set in place. I am so thankful I don’t have a crew of about 15 men to try to figure out how I’m going to feed when the stores have so many limitations in place. The job NEEDS to be done – harvest waits for no one.
While we’re still hanging out here at home, I’ll keep doing what life at home looks like. That would be hanging out with the kids and grandkids as much as I can. Watching my flowers grow. And sew.
Until next time…
Baby Wayne at 3 months (February)Four months old (March)Five months (April)April 5 – eating out takes on a whole new dynamic with Jimbo. Time for the quarantine haircuts!The kids came and spent the night with us. The next day was nearly hot but we had fun on a hike along the railroad tracks and climbing the “hills”. Eli wanted a mohawk for his birthday.While the weather was so great the first part of April, we decided to take the kids on a hike at the Platte River State Park. It was such a beautiful day to be out and about and letting the kids run!Happy 63rd birthday, Jim (aka Papa)!And the very next day, we celebrated Eli’s 7th birthday. He designed his own birthday shirt – and did a pretty darn good job at it!The afternoon was filled with a Zoom gathering with his classmates and then constant drive-by birthday wishes from friends. Nora said to me, “this is me”. I made this dress for Layne’s first Easter dress. Too bad we couldn’t celebrate the day.April 16One of the days Layne and Taylor came over to hang out with me.It happens. The fine line of playing and getting hurt was crossed. Ben hit his head on the frame of the couch and popped it open. A quick trip to the emergicare and some glue fixed him right up. And, it’s healed nicely!!Happy birthday, Jenna!! Later this day, we all gathered at Jamie’s house and surprised her with a birthday supper of pizza and gifts. It was the first time we were ALL together!Picture credit goes to Taylor (Taylor Josoff Photography)Callie and her roommates had their own college graduation ceremony in front of their house. May 8. We celebrated Callie’s college graduation with a quickly planned gathering in Mark and Candi’s shed. Watched the TV for Callie’s name and had a nice evening together. So proud of her!!! She worked so hard and did so well – 4.0 student. Sucks she couldn’t have enjoyed ending the past 4 years by walking across the stage and receiving her diploma. Happy College Graduation, Callie!Mother’s Day – from a distance.It was so good having them all around the table together – like old times. Happy Mother’s Day to me!!The day ended with supper at Imperial Palace – DINING IN!The colors of summer. Like this bow? Check out more of these at my “store” on Etsy. Maureen stopped by to dig up a few baby buckeye trees. She dug up the tree I have and brought it to me on Mother’s Day 1998. Now, she’s coming back to dig up babies to transplant in her new yard. The sunshine was so bright. While Taylor got her hair cut, Baby Wayne and I hung out in the van together. The rose-o-meter got a drastic cut back last fall. It may not have a single bloom on it this year. In the past, this had been the indicator of when we should be heading south. This would bloom just as we were usually pulling out of the driveway – back when the summer harvest used to be the same year after year. It hasn’t been that way for about the last 10 years. Helping Jim change out the concaves. My job was to run the winch while he manhandled the concaves in and out of the belly of the beast. Our “shed”. My traveling garden. The plants were given to me by the girls on Mother’s Day. Three generations of hands.
It was beautiful…sunny and 60 degrees. The wind was out of the northwest and a bit nippy but not so bad that we couldn’t just push our way through it.
It’s been ten days since I posted. The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on anything that was normal prior to March 12. Prior to the first positive result in our area.
I believe we have all stepped away from the initial shock of what we couldn’t do and are beginning to settle into what we can. We can’t go to school, but we can have online classes. We can’t go to a restaurant and sit down, but we can order take out. We can’t go to a movie theater, but we can order movies via apps. We can’t attend any conferences or meetings in person (unless it’s less than 10 people) but we can have a meeting via Zoom. Changes…they’re all over the place and happening more and more every day.
I couldn’t sleep this morning after Jim left the house.
He’s still working (unlike so many others right now). I’m guessing his job has always been considered self-isolation and social distancing. He hauls propane in the winter months. Besides maybe running into a homeowner once in awhile, I’m guessing he spends his days pretty much on his own.
While laying there in the dark, I heard what I thought was thunder. This foreign sound I thought I was hearing was interrupting the other sound I was soaking up. The birds were so happy this morning.
“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 118:6
I’ve been telling myself for quite some time I’ve got to get back to my blog and update since the pages of the calendar continue to turn. As you see, I haven’t been listening to that voice in my head…until now.
It started Wednesday evening with a text to our “The Whole Family” group…
“You guys watching TV?! Pres Trump just said no flights to Europe for 30 days.” – Jenna
Then…
“Tom Hanks and his wife have it. Also, no fans allowed at March Madness games.” – Jamie
“Did you hear about boys state b-ball? No fans allowed there either. How sad.” – Jenna
“And NBA just suspended the rest of the season.” – Callie
“Wyatt texted me and said a player on the Utah Jazz tested positive and has been playing for a while while sick.” – Callie
“I’m so sick of even talking about it.” – Jenna
“Agree. It’s madness.” – Jamie
And so it began. When we went to bed later that night, none of us had any idea what the next several days would mean to us, to our community, to our state, to our country.
Thursday, March 12…first text of the day.
“Well, my hectic week next week just got easier. Malcolm music contest cancelled.” – me
“UNL is officially online. All spring semester. I’m very sad. I’m sure UNO will follow. What a screwed up senior year.” – Callie
“Geeze. Maybe if things calm down, they’ll go back to normal.” – Jenna
“Yes, it will definitely be one that you’ll remember forever. I’m sure sorry this is how it’s ending for you!” – me
“UNO is cancelled.” – Callie
“Oh Cal, that sucks! Have they put a timeline on it at all?” – Taylor
“Nope, just the rest of the semester! Insane. And sad.” – Callie
“So you’ll be doing everything online, or did I miss something?” – Jamie
“Everything online, yeah.” – Callie
“What sucks is you haven’t even been given the chance to get used to the fact that you will no longer attend classes there. At least when it’s nearly over, you can sort of have your goodbyes. That’s just me. It’s been your life for four years.” – me
“Yes, I’m a little too nostalgic about stuff so I’m sad that it’s just…done. No more class w/my college friends. Like will I even see anyone other than my roommates? Maybe it’ll ease me into post-grad life.” – Callie
“No CWS (College World Series) either? IT DOESN’T END.” – Callie
“WHAT?” – Jamie
“WHAAAAAT?” – Taylor
“Just cancelled it. And cancelled March Madness. Talking about it in class right now – Omaha’s gonna be broke!” – Callie
“You actually HAVE to be kidding me. Ummm, the paper said like $8 million for March Madness alone. No CWS. No Stormchasers?!?! Bye. Moving to Jordan, MT where people have their wits about them.” – Jamie
“The thought has already crossed my mind, Jamie.” – Taylor
“I’m serious. What are they even doing?” – Jamie
“You would think that everything would be back to normal within two months. Haven’t the number of cases dropped in China? And it’s been about 2.5 months.” – Callie
“Keeping people away from each other. I just want to know what the heck they know that we don’t.” – me
“Curt thinks it will be very soon that schools close. Thoughts? I’m just saying…do you think we’ll even have school on Monday?” – Jamie
“No” – Callie
“Annndddd Millard cancels classes.” – Jamie
“Possible Cass County case.” – Taylor
“Yikes” – Callie
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
This is how our Thursday ended. There was a BEAUTIFUL sunset that night. I felt a little melancholy after taking the picture and decided to post it on the Zeorian Harvesting & Trucking Facebook page:
As the sun sets on one of the most unsettling days I’ve experienced since 9/11/01 for our country, I wonder what tomorrow will bring.
As on 9/11/01, I seemed to walk around the house in a sort of shocked state. How is this happening right now? Why is it happening? What will happen next?
My youngest daughter won’t be able to complete her college experience as she should. She probably won’t even be allowed to experience a college graduation ceremony.
HUGE sporting events cancelled. Concerts cancelled. Schools closed. The American economy taking a severe dive. Lives disrupted like we haven’t seen since 9/11.
We know we can get through it. We’ve been here before. The shock will wear off and life will become the new “normal”.
And we’ll wish we could go backwards – to the day when we didn’t have to think about the corona virus or terrorists. Our world continues to change and we MUST remember one thing…
God is STILL in control! He’s right here next to us.
Wake up tomorrow and continue taking one step in front of the other…and move. We must move forward and make the best of the situation as we can.
We can’t let it consume us.
Thursday evening sunset through my kitchen window.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
On Friday, President Trump declared a national emergency waiving laws so hospitals could operate like they need to. Everywhere you looked, there was information regarding how to determine if symptoms are related to COVID-19, more cancellations, more people testing positive with the virus. More reasons to cause anxious thoughts and wondering what the heck is happening.
Toilet paper is one of the most sought after commodity. Crazy! The grocery store shelves are bare. People are panicking. Events are being cancelled left and right. People are afraid to do anything – go anywhere. Those who can are being told to work from home. We are all supposed to practice “social distancing”. Words that I had never even heard of a week ago. This virus was something in different countries…not in our backyard.
It’s now in our backyard.
We received the recorded phone call from the superintendent of our school district last night letting us know school was, in fact, cancelled for the rest of the week. He said they will re-evaluate the situation on the 22nd to see if school would resume on the 23rd. I could sense a tone of defeat in his voice. I can’t imagine the inner turmoil people in leadership have put themselves through in TRYING to determine what the best plan of attack is.
I have a personal situation to deal with. I’ve been putting together a women’s retreat the last three years and the 2020 HarvestHER Wellness Retreat is scheduled for March 26-29. Do I cancel? Do I wait and see IF things will calm down first? After so much work and planning and all that goes into an event – of any size – it’s such a difficult call. I have a Plan B in place now. We’ll see what things look like on the 23rd and go from there. The gals coming from Canada don’t feel as though they can leave the security of their country’s border and I don’t blame them.
This just makes me angry. And very, very sad.
And a bit concerned. What if everything we’re looking at right now isn’t the worst of what’s yet to come? What if we do get really sick? But…what if it’s just like the H1N1 virus and won’t concern most of the population.
I guess it’s a day by day thing. In the meantime, we are all experiencing something we’ve never been through. Something that causes anxiety, confusion and panic. We’ve got to step back and remember that God is still in control! And have faith that whatever is ahead of us, He will be right there beside us.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
Eli and I had a date in February. He and I attended an event at Morrill Hall in Lincoln. He was learning about how plants use the rain water and recycle it.He wanted to take a picture of these Elk antlers to show his dad. I think it was a successful day! He was so excited to put his dinosaur puzzle together…he fell asleep studying the box on the way home. A beautiful, frosty sunrise. She loves her mama just a little bit. Processed with VSCO with a6 presetWe took the kids to the Shriner’s Circus. It was a BEAUTIFUL Sunday afternoon. A little too bright for Nora’s sensitive eyes (I get it).On our way to our seats, we let the kids pick out whatever light toy they wanted. Jamie sent this to show us how much she loved her new toy. I think we wore them out!Visiting Great-Grandma Barb (my mom). Layne helping me pick out which cake recipe I should make. An impromptu sleepover at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. They had nothing with them when they came over to visit. I needed to make a trip to Walmart anyways so I let them pick out some new jammies. Hope they remember days like this!3 months old
I can’t believe the last time I really wrote anything about what the heck was going on was in October. So much has happened since then.
Some not so big things…and some quite large.
And I struggle with the whole catch-up scenario. But, I must. I need to finish out 2019 so I can pull the entire year together and get printed.
So…let’s just get started. See where it goes and how it goes.
We got through the fall harvest. Jim and The Beast went one way and I went another. A local farmer/friend of ours hired me (again) to run their combine. So we were still in the world of harvest, just not together. Jim finished mid-November and I was only a few days behind him.
Nora was supposed to spend the day with me in the field. But we didn’t work, so she spent the day making me look beautiful instead. …and we went to the park to play. Colten and Taylor’s “diaper keg”. What a great evening!!When the sun went down, it got pretty chilly so we kept the fire good and hot!Putting the Cottage on Wheels in its winter home. Jim and The Beast in action. Thanks for the pictures, Joe!One of the final sunsets from the cab of the combine (for me).After the corn was finished, it was time to clean everything up and put away for another year. Backing the corn head into its winter home.
We had been invited by MacDon to attend their 70th anniversary dealer and staff meeting in Phoenix. We both wanted to go but knew there was no way if we were still in full harvest mode. The meeting was a week off and we were both done. So, we decided to rent a car and drive to Phoenix.
We saw beautiful sights and had a wonderful time. It was an awesome way to end the 2019 harvest season!
Making our way into The Arches National Park – Moab, UT.After this picture was taken, we got back in our car and headed for Monument Valley. I got online and rented a cabin for the night. It was pitch dark when we arrived. The next morning, I opened the blinds to this AMAZING sight! 👇The view from inside our cabin. “Our” cabin. Jim was thoroughly soaking up the beauty of the morning. From Monument Valley, we made our way to The Grand Canyon. 👇The Desert View Watchtower is a 70-foot-high stone building located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The view from the top of the tower. I told him to smile….Arrived in Phoenix after dark.The first day of the MacDon event included a tour of a gold mine. Of course he went around to the back of the buildings. What took him back there in the first place? Was it the propane tank or the dirt bike? 🤷♀️Making our way to the Dolly Steamboat for a lunch cruise. Sharing our table with friends – Jim and DeAnn Deibert. The MacDon equipment show. That’s a whole slug of Jims (and one that probably wishes he was). The evening meal took us to the Corona Ranch and included Mexican food and a rodeo. Waiting for the rodeo to start with Mark and Candi Rathe. Gene Fraser of MacDon. The second day began with a tour of T & K Red River Dairy in Stanfield, AZ.The day ended with our final meal together at Chase Field. And, of course, it included the infamous MacDon bagpipe players. Checked out of the hotel the next morning and began our trip back home again. Just one of many sights on Highway 66.
Taylor was due November 30 but knew she wasn’t going to be allowed to wait that long to deliver. Her doctor told her he felt she needed to be induced (due to her pregnancy being labeled high risk because of her blood pressure) on November 25th. We got back home from our Arizona adventure on the 23rd.
Layne Parker was born at 9:31 on November 27th. She weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and was 19.5″ long. When Colten let me know the baby had been born, he didn’t tell me if it was a girl or a boy. He said to find out, we had to go to the hospital to see them (this was after a very long labor and c-section). I told him Taylor needed to rest. So, we went up that evening. This was not a very nice thing to have done to an excited Grandma!
When we entered the room, we were greeted with a baby and a bow…it’s a girl!
Taken on Thanksgiving (in the hospital).Our little Gloworm. They’ve come a LONG ways since my babies were under lights for jaundice. Nora turned five on December 5 – her “golden” birthday. I got to go have lunch with her at school on her birthday. We inked her up for a Christmas ornament and for a page in her baby book. She was NOT happy with us!Nora’s 5th birthday party. Round two of many more elementary Christmas concerts. I helped at Eli’s kindergarten Christmas party. So much fun! ❤And later that day, we watched Nora’s preschool Christmas concert. One day while Taylor came over to hang out, I talked her into helping me wrap presents. Jamie’s 34th birthday. Still Jamie’s birthday but we made Christmas cookies to be decorated the next day at Gramma’s house. The traditional cookie decorating on the afternoon of Christmas Eve at Gramma’s house. It was so nice outside on Christmas, we walked to the park to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine. Christmas with the Rathe’s.Baby Wayne (as the kids call her because they can’t say their “L’s” very well) – one month old.
And, finally, this concludes the last few months of 2019. Thank you for following our journey. 2019 was one very long year filled with challenges, adventures and lots of love! See ya in 2020!!!
