Tag Archives: agriculture

The final days of 2011 wheat harvest

by nebraskawheatie

It seems so weird to be sitting at my kitchen table typing this note!

Everyone asks me if it’s good to be home and I have to just flat out tell them that’s it’s good but it’s very overwhelming. They have no idea just how much work is involved with coming home. Preparing in the spring is hard but just so different. You have the anticipation of being on the road and involved with the harvest and all that goes with it. The stress of preparing the house to be locked up and the packing of the trailer house is nothing compared to coming home.

I find myself sort of walking in circles, trying to figure out what to do first. If I don’t mentally set a goal, I most likely will not get it accomplished because everywhere I look, I see work. I did get my house vacuumed and the dead bugs are now in the belly of the vacuum cleaner. Jim and I took advantage of the 90 degree weather yesterday and were able to get the outside of the trailer house cleaned of the road dirt and grime that had collected all summer. That’s a big job and one that I’m glad I can mark off my list of to do’s!

Tomorrow, I’m escaping the mess that looks at me every morning and we’re going to Husker Harvest Days with Jim, Mark, Candi, Jamie, Curt, and Jenna. The chaos will have to wait another day! Not only do I have the deluge of work continuing to pull me down, I have to try to keep up with the outside activities. Yesterday, I substituted for the morning and afternoon bus route. This afternoon, I got to go watch Callie play volleyball. I love to watch the girls participate so it was a welcome break to have to walk away from everything at 4:00. The next goal I have set is to get the trailer house unpacked. I’ll begin that chore on Thursday. It looks like colder and wetter weather is headed for us beginning tomorrow. The numerous steps and times of going between the house and the trailer house will be a little less sweaty with the cooler weather.

So a brief recall of the final days of the 2011 wheat harvest goes a little like this: As you’ll recall, we spent the night in the Garfield Motel. I had to get up the next morning for a 5:00 a.m. conference call. While I was involved with the call, Jim got up and headed for Fellman’s for “story time” with the locals. When he returned, we decided that we really needed to take a couple of hours and go visit some very dear friends before we left the country. So we did! It was well after noon by the time we got back to Jordan. One final meal at Rose’s cafe and we were headed for Miles City.  Since we got such a late start, we ended up spending the night in the truck lot of the station in Alzada, MT.

Have you ever tried sleeping on a twin size bed with another person? Thank goodness I’m used to sleeping on the side of the bed that puts me up against the wall of the truck sleeper! I’m afraid if “my side” of the bed was on the other side of the bed, I’d be falling out all night long! This first night was fairly chilly and the heavy blanket felt pretty darn good by morning!

The second full day on the road was pretty darn full of driving! We had to go a little different route than normal because of so many bridges being worked on in South Dakota. As we started coming into the town of Faith, SD, another harvest crew got ahead of us. I was so excited. Silly, I know, but here we go…it’s a part of the harvest world I was about to leave. It just gave me a good feeling being behind the combines and their trailers. We made a stop at 1880 Town and ate lunch in the Dining Car Cafe. It’s a real live dining car from a passenger train and a different era. It was something I’d never seen and loved being inside something that once was an important aspect of past travel.  We ate lunch, walked around a little and left an hour later than when we stopped. The second night on the road was spent in the Valentine truck stop, again.

Before we parked for the night, Jim pulled quite a ways away from the bar that had just a week prior been the reason we didn’t get a very good nights sleep. I was glad that he’d remembered and pulled as far away from there as he could. What we didn’t expect was a bull hauler full of cattle pull up right next to us. We got to listen to a truck load of stomping cattle all night. I felt sorry for the cattle, as I laid there listening to them, because they couldn’t relax. I bet they were glad when their trip was done!

We made it back to the farmer’s yard almost exactly the same time we had the week prior. This time, though, they were home and wanted to visit about the summer and how it played out for us. We made it “home home” again about 7:00. Mark and Candi had just pulled in from Park River, ND. They had driven all day and made it home just about the same time as we did. They loaded up the girls and we went to Runza for supper together. We’re all back home! And…one of these days, everything will be back to normal and the 2011 wheat harvest will feel like it only happened in pictures. We’ll be anxiously counting down our yearly events until it’s time to head south once again!

The combine’s loaded and waiting for the window cover to be added.

 That job’s done!

 The top picture was taken in Ed’s yard just before we left. The tractor shows the farmer’s determination and hope in a crop for next summer!

Goodbye Square Butte and Montana wheat fields. Sure hope to see you next year!

Crossing the Mussellshell River into Garfield County.

Sand Springs, MT. In 1983, we stayed here while cutting for Charlie Murnion.

The last picture taken in Jordan just before heading for Miles City.

The lot we spent the first night on the road in Alazada, MT. The town of Alzada is on the right.

Following another harvester into the town of Faith, SD.

Lunch and a break near 1880 Town along the South Dakota interstate between Phillip and Murdo.

Lunch in the Dining Car Cafe.

I don’t know a lot about the sunflower crop except there’s quite a few more acres seen than there used to be. Something that I find interesting is the sunflower head will actually follow the sun from east to west. Every sunflower head I saw must have completed it’s life cycle with the head facing east. Every field I saw, they had completed their final sun worship at exactly the same time. Another interesting tidbit I’ve often thought about when seeing the corn fields is just how identical the height of the plants are and that the ears are located exactly the same spot of the plant throughout the entire field. And somebody wants to try to tell me there is no God?

The final night of being on the road was spent at the truck stop in Valentine, NE.

The new Nebraska windmills.

The Platte River just south of Schuyler, NE.

2011 Summer Wheat Harvest…COMPLETE!

by nebraskawheatie

Just a brief note tonight with more story coming tomorrow. We made it back “home, home” about 5:00 this evening. So much to do and I haven’t a clue where to start! While you’re waiting for the details of the final trip home, please sit back and watch Callie sing her version of Taylor Swift’s “Story of Us”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYc9HqzjUAI&feature=email&email=comment_received

One more night in Jordan :)

by nebraskawheatie

We got started this morning in good time, after having McDonald’s coffee and a bite to eat. The truck lot we stayed in was right in their backyard so we just walked over.

The entire 1,000 miles back to Denton, I am a passenger. I did drive for a couple of hours yesterday but, all in all, Jim is the driver. I borrowed Jenna’s book, “Heaven is for Real” and finished it today. AWESOME book! For those of you who are believers, it’ll reinforce what you believe and give you an idea of what we have to look forward to. For those of you who are a little more of the “Doubting Thomas”, it’ll give you something to think about. One part of the book that most excited me was the part where Colton tells his mom and dad that he met his sister. He had no idea that his mom had miscarried the child she was pregnant with before he was born. This gives me the reassurance that one day I’ll meet the three babies I miscarried. I had two between Jenna and Taylor and one between Taylor and Callie. One thing is certain, there must be a good reason T and C are with us! I can’t imagine what our family would look like without them. I can guarantee one thing, had I carried the two babies to full term between Taylor and Jenna, there would be no Taylor and Callie.

The town of Jordan holds a pretty special place in my heart for another reason. I had the last miscarriage in 1996 while we were up here. Some of the townspeople brought food for my family and Dr. Dan made trailer house visits until I was back on my feet. Being 85 miles away from the nearest large hospital, I’m sure people have learned to take care of each other up here on a whole different level than back at home. I also learned one thing more, when someone is going through something like this, they don’t want to be told over and over that it probably happened for a good reason. I had fallen in love with that baby and all I really wanted to hear was, “I love you and I care about you”. Sometimes, even no words at all and just a hug will suffice.

Ok, enough of that. Back to the harvest story. We got to Denton about 2:30 mountain time. We each did the jobs we’re accustomed to doing and we were back on the road at 3:45. We arrived in Jordan at 7:15 p.m. Supper was next on the list since Mr. Slave Driver didn’t even stop for lunch. Thank you Rose (Edward’s Family Hilltop Cafe) for a lovely supper! Back to the Garfield Motel for the night.

Back in Ed’s yard

One of my jobs is to guide Jim on the trailer. He can do this himself, it just helps to watch that he stops where he needs to be. I also put on the window covering, the flags, the banners and help with whatever Jim needs help with. I guide him with hitching up but sometimes not so very good. 🙂

The “train” is ready to go one last time for the summer.

 Looks like Ed’s ready to start the 2012 seeding process!

Goodbye Square Butte and Central Montana. I hope to see you again one day!

 I’m driving the dually, pulling the car trailer with the service pickup on that.

Mission complete

by nebraskawheatie

Nebraska Countryside – green, green and more green!

We made it home about 5:00 this evening! The first load back was a success.

After a not so peaceful night of sleep, Jim woke me up at 7:30 to tell me we should probably get going.  The restaurant/bar next to the truck stop was blasting some sort of noise until after 2:00 a.m.. I honestly think I could become a rock star if that’s all the better I had to be. I wondered how anyone could make “music” like that and people listen to it – guess I’m just getting old!

At 4:30 a.m., it started to rain and the north wind began to blow. I reached for one of the blankets that I had folded up earlier in the evening. It went from hot and muggy to cool and rainy. The cold front just continued to follow us south.  So, when Jim woke me up by calling me (he sleeps in the cab of the Pete when we’re on the road – I in my bed in the trailer) to tell me he thought we should probably get going, I wasn’t a happy camper. “You look grouchy”, he says. “I AM grouchy!”, I say back.  On top of all the happenings during the night, my body’s used to it being 6:30 NOT 7:30 and all I wanted to do was stay in bed where it was warm. McDonald’s coffee sure tasted good this morning 🙂

We had one minor event during the day and that was all. When we stopped in Schuyler for fuel, Jim noticed one of the tires on the header trailer had very little tread left on it. So, he changed it before it could create more problems when it blew.

When we get home, it’s so overwhelming! The yard is in good shape – thanks Matt! The weeds did have a heyday, though. I may start pulling a few of the larger ones tomorrow…maybe. There’s more dead bugs in the house than ever before and the spiders and their webs are everywhere. Makes me wonder why I think it’s important to clean the house before we leave in the spring.

I guess we’ll spend the day tomorrow doing whatever we can.  On Monday, we’re going to take the family and go to the Nebraska State Fair for the day.  We haven’t been there in a lot of years because we’re usually still in Montana. On Tuesday, we’ll be headed back to Denton to get the combine and the two pickup trucks we left up there.

Now that we’re home, harvest and being away just doesn’t even feel like it happened. I was trying to remember all the events of the summer as I was driving home. One year, when Jamie was fairly little, she hated having to leave the trailer so bad, she decided she was just going to stay in it. She did for a couple of days but then moved back to the house. What’s wrong with us? I love summer, I love seeing friends along the route, I love being with my family, I love being on the road, I love my cottage on wheels – I just love harvest! Only 9 more months to go and we can do it all over again.

“Tracy, you got your camera handy?” “No, why?” “Here’s something you don’t see everyday – a mobile haystack.”

This is a park just south of O’Neill. We’ve tried stopping here nearly every year when we can. We used to try to make it specifically to this park while on the road because it has a decent shower house. It’s a very nice place to take a break!

Pete and my cottage on wheels.

Some happy Nebraska cows!

A Nebraska highway.

Nebraska crops - soybeans on top of the hill, corn at the bottom.

Looks like paint on his head, it’s blood. He hit his head on something while changing the tire on the header trailer.

Changing the tire.

Back in Husker land!

by nebraskawheatie

The above picture is of main street Valentine, Nebraska.

Just a brief note tonight. We left Broadus about 7:30 this a.m. and headed south. Stopped in Belle Fourche, SD for breakfast and then never stopped again til Valentine, NE. Another night of sleeping in a parking lot. This time in the truck lot at the station on the south edge of town. Walked to a restaurant for supper. Sitting in the McDonalds using their wifi. Should be home tomorrow. FYI – last night I had several extra blankets on the bed. Tonight … the extra blankets are being put away. What a difference in weather! Nice to still feel the warmth of summer but I have a feeling I’m NOT going to like being back to the humidity that home has to offer!

Bear Butte – Near Sturgis, SD

Me and my love of old buildings. This is an abandoned home along the highway somewhere in South Dakota.

The vast South Dakota scenery…NOTHINGNESS!

We go through several of these deep river basins. All of them had been flooded this spring.

I really debated on whether or not I should share this photo with the world. This is what being on the road, without a shower or even brushing your teeth for a couple of days will do to you 🙂

He was a magnificent looking cat – HUGE! I wanted to take him home with me.

And, by the way, remember me saying something about watching for loaded combines? There’s one in the lot tonight!! Makes me feel like we’re still on harvest.

Leaving Jordan…for the second time

by nebraskawheatie

This morning began on the chilly side. Jamie texted me early to tell me it was supposed to be 100 degrees at home today. It was 50 degrees when we woke up this morning in Jordan. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we spent the night in the Garfield Motel. Waking up to the smell of coffee brewing has got to be one of my favorite ways to wake up! The owner of the motel didn’t know that, but she sure made my day when I smelled it! Our room was on the upper floor – the coffee brewing was on the main floor directly below us.

I took  pictures of main street Jordan for my brothers and Dad. I thought they’d enjoy seeing what Jordan looks like 30 years later. Yep, it’s been 30 years, guys, since we came to Jordan the first time. It hasn’t changed much.

The laundromat – we used to spend a lot of time here, huh, girls!

The new swimming pool

Main Street looking West.

                  The North side of Main. The building with the blue top was Ewy’s Dept. Store. It’s now the hardware store. Next to it is the fire               station and then the pharmacy.

The Pioneer Garage

  The South side of Main…featuring the Rancher’s Bar, the Hell Creek Bar and Ryan’s Grocery.

The Post Office

This used to be the place to hang out…the Snack Shack. Lori Morgan even stopped here with her tour bus once.

We had several things that needed to be taken care of before we could finally hit the road and head this train south. One of the first things we did was pay a bill at the local auto repair shop and then settle up with our farmer. We headed out to Charlie’s house (the farmer) and kept him way longer than we should have. About 10:30, he told us he had given some thought to going to an auction that was near Billings this a.m. I asked him what time the auction was supposed to start – 10:00. Shoot! Well, I don’t know if he felt bad about not going or not but Jim and I sure enjoyed sitting there and talking to him! It’ll be a year before we’ll get to do that again. Thanks, Charlie, for giving us an excuse to come back to Jordan this year!! Sorry the weather didn’t cooperate for ya…NEXT YEAR!

Next scheduled “must do” was to go to the meat locker and pick up the hamburger and the few roasts we haul home with us every year. You may think we’re crazy for hauling meat 1,000 miles in coolers in the back of Frank. However, you WILL NOT find a better place to get meat than Jordan, MT! Ryan’s locker/grocery has the BEST selection of meat you’ll ever find. I’m not sure how or why it’s so much better than anywhere else but I do know this, when my hamburger supply runs out it’s tough finding anything to match the quality of Ryan’s meats!

Next, we headed back to the trailer court. Jim had to make some adjustments to the power box on the pole when we got to Jordan the first time. So, he had to go back and finish the job he started then. While we were there, I took a few pictures of our home while we stay in Jordan.

                                                                                                                 Notice the clothes line???

This is the only remaining stump of a line of Russian Olive trees that used to run east and west on the south end of the trailer court. Why is this so important? When Jamie and Jenna were little and we spent a lot of time here, those trees became the girls’ imaginary “homes”. They had a ball in those trees! I remember Jenna making bird houses out of boxes or milk cartons and hanging them in the trees. Those trees provided those two girls and their friends entertainment every year until they got too big to play in them.

Today, this stump and this empty trailer court left me feeling sentimental and longing for the days when it seemed like there was just too much to do! My goodness I was busy then and remember thinking how stressful it all was. Trying to make sure the guys were fed in the field, the kids were taken care of, the laundry was kept up, etc.  I walked around that court today remembering the little things. The girls getting ready for school and Jim taking them if the weather was bad. Most of the time, they’d either walk or ride their bikes. The mornings when after a rain, we’d be really looking forward to sleeping in and Tom would come pound on the door and get us out of bed for coffee. The girls’ friends stopping by the trailer constantly. Jordan being a pup and how many times she’d entertain other crews with her ability to catch frisbees or climb trees. Oh, my goodness – it was a day of going down memory lane, that’s for sure! The first time we parked in that trailer court was in 1981 – 30 years ago!

It was well past lunch time by then. We’d finished all our little extras, had a nice visit with Charlie and decided we’d head up to the Hilltop Cafe and get something to eat before heading out. Sat down, ordered and was just getting ready to eat when who should show up but Tom, Kenny and their hay hauling crew. We ended up sitting there longer than we ever expected visiting with them. It was nice feeling like we had time to do this now that the push of getting wheat cut and moving on up the road was over. No push to get home and no set schedule to meet today.

Finally, we are headed down the road! Jim radios me and says he guesses we’ll stop in Miles City and top off the trucks with diesel fuel. This should get us to Valentine, NE without having to stop for fuel again. So, we pulled into the gas station, fueled both the trucks up and went in to get our receipts. We ran into yet another friend who we hadn’t seen yet this season. We ended up standing in the aisle of the store for over an hour visiting with Larry. As Jim said, “this was a day of visiting”. Yep, it certainly was a day of visiting – something that we don’t take the time to do nearly enough!

Needless to say, we didn’t get down the road very far tonight. We’re parked in an empty lot across from the Broadus weigh station for the night. It’s chilly but it sure beats trying to sleep in this trailer when it’s really hot. I’m feeling the harvest “let down” again tonight. I wonder if this happens to anyone besides me? It’s really tough when you’re headed home and you still see other crews still out there in the fields or parked in trailer courts. I feel like I’m leaving my best friend behind. I’m sure once we get farther down the road and harvest is completely in the rearview mirror, it will get easier. From here on out, when I see a loaded combine, I’ll get excited because it’ll be a part of the world I’ve left behind…for a little while.

More Montana sunsets

The beginning of a long journey!

by nebraskawheatie

Well, Jim decided this morning today was the day we’d start south with the first load. We’ve got the trailer house and Frank pulling the header trailer. We had to make our first stop on this journey back in Jordan. We needed to finish loading Frank with the rest of Jim’s miscellaneous summer necessities and settle up with our farmer. We left Denton about 3:30 this afternoon. And, by the looks of the clouds in my rearview mirror – it was the perfect time! Those were some nasty looking dark clouds that followed us all the way to Jordan. They decided to take a turn towards the northeastern corner of Montana and missed Jordan all together.

We opted for a room at the Garfield Motel rather than hooking the trailer up to electricity and water for the night. The Garfield Motel is an experience! It’s an updated OLD motel. The rooms are quaint and clean. The owners have done a fabulous job of making you feel like you’ve stepped back in time with all the luxuries of today. If you’re ever in Jordan, make sure to plan at least one evening here. Then, go to the cafe on the south end of town  – The Hilltop – owned by Rose Edwards for breakfast!

Not sure what the next couple of nights will be for service. So, I may have several days to catch up on when we get home. Home….sounds so weird!

Mark’s story

by nebraskawheatie

God puts people into your paths at the most unusual and unsuspecting times!

When we began this harvesting adventure, Jim’s Dad went with us as the hired man for the first two years that we headed down the road. We loved having Grandpa with us and it was the BEST times and memories for Jamie and Jenna (all of us, really). Grandpa was there every day, watching the girls’ teeth being pulled, the first time riding a bike with no training wheels and there at the end of the day for a hug and a lap to sit in.

It was the third year of this adventure that we decided we’d make it a longer summer and maybe we should find someone to go with us rather than Grandpa. I remember Jim telling me, “I don’t know this kid personally but I know of him and I think he’d be good to take along-he likes equipment”. Mark was 16 when that conversation took place. I remember going to the store his mom owned to suggest the idea of Mark going along with us for the summer. Linda wasn’t real excited about the idea at first but after coming to our home and talking over the situation and what was to be expected, I think she was a little less concerned. Mark is the youngest of three boys so I can understand her hesitation of letting him take off at that age. Mark’s dad had passed away when he was 8 years old from a virus that attacked his heart. Before he could get a heart transplant, he passed away. Mark was the kind of kid that wasn’t afraid to try something and really wanted to go along with us. That probably helped with his mom’s decision.

268794_1891469731153_1373792497_31836574_7916650_nThe first summer he went with us, Grandpa also went. So, I had two men, a 16 year old boy and two young daughters to take care of. I didn’t mind the job, it was the rain that confined us for 30 days in Norton, KS that nearly drove me crazy. Seriously! I needed some adult female conversation and companionship in a bad way! Every day, there three men (almost) and two little girls sitting in my trailer just waiting for something to eat – nearly as soon as they had been fed one meal. I can laugh about it now but it wasn’t so funny at the time.

Mark became one of the family. He fought with Jamie and Jenna, just like an older brother. He was involved in our daily lives and fit in pretty well. There were times I think he and Jim probably felt like would like to kill each other but all in all, it worked out well. So, it wasn’t a surprise to us when he voiced his wanting to go on harvest with us the next summer. Grandpa didn’t go with us after the summer of ’92. Mark had finished his junior year of high school prior to that summer harvest. He had his own trailer house and probably felt like a big shot harvester by then. 🙂

080Mark had made the decision of going along with us again for the third summer in 1994. He was a senior in high school when on the morning of April 1, he got word from his school administration that he needed to go home. His mom had complained of a headache that morning before he left for school. He told her goodbye before she decided that she needed to go lay back down for a while. She never woke up. It was determined that she had had a brain aneurism. My heart broke for him and his brothers! I can remember telling Jim that Mark needed to come live with us. When Mark’s dad passed away, Linda had appointed some friends of the family as guardians of any minor children in the event something happened to her. So, Mark had a family to live with and call home.

That summer was a tough one on Mark. We sat on the tailgate of the pickup many nights just talking and crying. Someone else claimed guardianship but Mark had become a part of our family two summers prior to that horrible event. God knew the plan that was being laid out for Mark and the Zeorian’s that very first summer!

Mark bought his own combine in 1995 and went on harvest as a partner with one of our friends for several summers. Until he met Candi and they were married. After they got married, Mark and Candi bought the local convenient store and made that work for quite some time. Three years ago, however, he sold the store and went to work for the local New Holland dealer. His heart really desired to remain involved with agriculture. As with Jim, Mark is a farmer at heart with no farm to farm. He also suffers from the same harvesting addiction that so many of us do.

img_01181As soon as he started selling the yellow combines, Mark tried convincing Jim to change colors and give the yellow one a try. Well, you can see he eventually won out because of the color change we made this spring. Mark and his family just spent their second year working for the New Holland Harvest Support team. Now, he and his family follow the harvest trail from TX to ND with the ripening wheat offering help to those of us New Holland combine owners. He’s following his own harvest adventure and I’m so very proud of him and all that he’s accomplished! Mark is still one to make things happen. He doesn’t know the word “no” or “impossible”. His level of persistence can sometimes get aggravating but it’s what has made him who he is and I wouldn’t want him any other way! I love ya, Mark!

Mark and Candi have two little girls, Brooklyn and Jillian, who call me Grandma and that’s just ok with me! They are the cutest darn girls in the whole world and loved whole heartedly by all of the Zeorian family. They were even flower girls in Jamie and Curt’s wedding in April.

img_6239 (2)Harvest can sometimes be more than just the adventure of heading down the highways from state to state – it can be a life changing event. I honestly believe people are put into our lives for a reason. What could be a better way to be involved in someone’s life than with harvest? Harvest is working together every day, working towards the same goal, and promoting team work. One job is not more important than the other. Harvest has put a variety of people in our lives and we’re blessed because of the experiences. I’m so thankful God put Mark and his family into our lives!

img_3487 (1)All the girls – left to right – Brook, Taylor, Jamie, Jillian, Jenna & Callie

img_01052 (1)Breakfast in Deerfield, KS with the NH Harvest Support guys.

198Disney World – Orlando, FL

The Happiest Place on Earth!

img_01171

  • img_01091
  • img_01001Taylor, Brook & Jillian horsing around inside the trailer house.
  • 263429_1891460050911_1373792497_31836525_504397_nMark and his girls!

My family’s favorite meatball recipe and other ramblings

by nebraskawheatie

I have nothing fun and/or exciting to share with you tonight. I decided that while Jim was doing more combine clean up work, I would start working on the trailer house since I had hot water and a sewer drain. When we get home, I generally unload everything and then clean the trailer house from ceiling to floor. You would be amazed at how dirty this can get with road dirt and cooking. So, I try to thoroughly clean it before it gets put away for the winter. Last year, I put the trailer on a RV site thinking maybe I could sell it. I’ve had a couple of bites on it this summer so maybe if I get it cleaned and someone really wants to look at it, it’ll be in good shape. After it’s completely unloaded and cleaned, we’ll winterize it and put it in a shed we rent for the winter. If there was any one thing I wish Jim had it would be his own shed – with cement floor and heat. He can’t do anything with the equipment in the spring until it warms up and quits raining so he can work in the yard.

I guess the ideal time to have built a shed would have been when we started this business. At one time, our dream was to have 10 acres in the country with a shed and a newer home. At the time, we couldn’t afford 10 acres and then life just happened and the dream didn’t materialize. Now, we’re both older and getting older every day. I sort of think the shed idea probably won’t happen. So, we’ll just continue to rent one and hope that lasts a few years longer.

The house we live in is the one we moved into while I was pregnant with Jamie twenty six years ago. At the time, we thought it really seemed like a lot of house since we were moving from a one bedroom apartment. Then, Jamie came and Jenna shortly after. Taylor and Callie, too. So, at one time there was six of us living in a three bedroom house with just barely 1,000 square ft. But, as the sign in my entryway says, “Love grows in little houses” and it certainly did. Our little beginner home will probably be our finisher home. That’s ok, though, because unless we built a home on the acre we have, I would really HATE leaving my yard. Everything in my yard has been done with my hands except for a couple of nice oak trees that are in the yard. And Jordan is under one of those oaks. I wouldn’t want to leave her.

I made my family’s favorite meatballs for supper tonight. It was a little weird not making the amount I usually do. Even the pan I did make will take Jim forever to eat. Lots of meatball sandwiches 🙂 A funny story to tell you about meatball sandwiches. One of our hired guys came from around home. He was a good kid and would eat just about anything you put in front of him. He also went along with us for two summers. Anyways, it wasn’t until years after he was with us I learned that all the meatball sandwiches I fed him (using leftover meatballs) were eaten but hated. Poor guy! I wish he would have told me how much he disliked them! Sorry Homer!!

MEATBALLS (this recipe can be cut in half for a smaller batch)

3 lbs. ground beef                                          1 – 13 oz. can evaporated milk

2 eggs                                                                             SAUCE

2 cups oatmeal                                               2 cups catsup

1 cup chopped onion                                     1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder                                   1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt                                                          1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. pepper                                                    1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. chili powder                                          1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

Mix all ingredients together and form into balls. Place in 9 x 13 pan.  For sauce, combine all ingredients. Pour sauce over meatballs. For small meatballs, bake uncovered for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. For large meatballs, bake covered for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Small meatballs are great as an appetizer.

Jim was disappointed that I didn’t use the picture of him with his head down by the food with a huge smile on his face. The pictures of the flowers were taken this spring before we left home.

Gettin ‘er ready for the road leading home.

by nebraskawheatie

We got started on the big job of cleaning the combine today. We waited for the latter part of the day simply because it was fairly warm here today and there was no breeze. When we decided to start, the air was cooler and there were a few clouds in the sky. That certainly helps when you’re subjected to the elements and the tiny, little wheat chaff and dirt clings to anything it can. Jim said he was glad that big job was done – cleaning the header. I told him I didn’t think it was that bad. He said I would if I had to do it all myself. Yeah, I suppose you’re right! I tried picking and pulling as much of the straw out of the areas that I could while he used the air hose and blew out as much as he could.

Today, I felt like I was a caretaker of the lawn. Because we’re parked right in the middle of what feels like a park, I felt like I should water the patches of the grass that were beginning to need a drink. I moved the sprinkler around most of the day. When I finally moved it for the last time and came in the trailer, I told Jim I felt like a homeowner with a real yard to water. I haven’t moved a sprinkler around like that probably since I was a kid. My dad took great pains in taking care of our yard when we were growing up. We had a beautiful lawn! We learned that the spot of dirt under the tree was NOT there for Barbie or GI Joe to be having a campout in…or for the toy dirt haulers!! So, I just expected that everyone had a nice yard like that. I was wrong! Jim is not one to keep a perfect lawn. I also learned 20+ years ago, that you better just like the dandelions that are growing. I finally convinced him one spring to spray the dandelions – the flowers died too. So, I’ve learned to endure the dandelions because that means I still have my flowers to admire.

When I leave in May, my yard is beautiful! The flowers are all in bloom, the yard is green (including the dandelions) and there are no weeds. Now, when I get home, it will be a different story. The weeds will  have won the battle over the summer months. If having dandelions isn’t bad enough for our neighbors! I do have to give a huge thank you to Jamie, Jenna and my brother, Matt, for mowing the acre of yard that we have. If it weren’t for them, the neighbors would REALLY hate us. Thanks, guys!!!

Even though Jim’s got the feederhouse safety block down (the red thing under the feederhouse), I still get a little concerned while we’re working under the header. I personally knew someone 30 years ago that had only been married 6 months. Her husband was a farmer and used the shade of the header for eating his lunch. The header fell on top of him and killed him. I think of that every time we’re working under the head.

The time of day when the long shadows begin to take place. Can you make out what the shadow is?

Tracy, “Jim, why didn’t you tell me to wear my boots tonight?” Jim, “You hate it when I tell you to do something!” Geez, I really dislike having the wheat beards and cheat grass get between my socks and my feet! Seems like I’m picking that stuff out of my socks several times a day because it starts working into my skin and it hurts!