Tag Archives: family

The walls of this old house

by nebraskawheatie

I’ve spent the past week gathering details for the upcoming wedding reception for Jamie and Curt and baking cakes. Jamie had asked me if I’d make the layered cakes that I’ve made for graduations and birthdays for her party. At the time, I thought, “aw, what’s 10 cakes?” I had forgotten that each cake needs four layers, or 2/9 x 13’s. It’s been a challenge to get them all baked, cut and in the freezer but I did it. Starting Monday, I will start my creations with the goal of being done with them on Thursday. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

This past week has also been a time to reflect on the past 26 years of living in this house. I woke up one night and stood at the kitchen sink with only the street light providing the glow I needed to see what I was doing. I stood there looking out the window, as I have done so many times, thinking if only these walls could talk. I thought of all the times they’ve seen the quietness of a night interrupted. Interrupted by me while pregnant having to get up and go to the bathroom, with the cry of hungry babies needing fed, with screams from nightmares that needed comforted, with kids needing to crawl into bed with mom and dad, with coughs that needed attention and now with us older folks needing to get up for a random drink of water or use of the bathroom.  It’s always been that street light and its warm glow coming through the window that has helped guide the ones getting up to tend to the interruptions of the night.

Have you ever wished you could go back in time? I don’t know if it’s my age, or the changing season, or too much time on my hands. I’ve thought about how wonderful it would be if when we were born, we were given at least a week of random days that we could go back and hold those babies again, or visit grandparents, or go to a favorite place or smell a comforting smell. Would a week be long enough?

The leaves are falling and a new season is upon us – one that I don’t like so very well. I don’t like the winter and its bleakness and most of all the cold. The only good thing about winter is its necessary to appreciate the spring – the season of new life and hope. I think our lives are a little like seasons. I’m seeing a new season just around the corner. One that I’m not so sure that I’m going to like so very well. That winterish season will show its colors when the last of our four girls graduate and leave the house. The walls will not see the usual activity and chaos that has been here and a part of most of my life. The winter is necessary to appreciate the spring – the colors, the smells, the beauty and the new life. I think it’s the realization that my kids are growing up and moving on that has started these thoughts. I get so caught up with the activities of life and what must happen that I sometimes wonder if I’m enjoying and appreciating each and every day to its fullest. Today will one day be one that I’ll wish I could go back to. Today I feel so much older but one day in the future I’ll think about this day and realize just how young I was. Does this make any sense? I think I probably should get busy and stop thinking about things so hard!

One week from today, friends and family will be starting to come to celebrate and rejoice in Curt and Jamie’s marriage – the beginning of their new life together. A new season is about to come in full view for the two of them – one that they’ll look back on one day and wish they could revisit. Life happens in the blink of an eye and I can only hope that theirs is lived to the fullest! The walls in their house have so much to look forward to!

P.S. the camera caught the typical Jamie I-don’t-know-why-she’s-crying facial expression. Jamie was always whooping on her little sister. But, Jenna took it well and now they’re the best of buddies!

When can I breathe?

by nebraskawheatie

We’ve been home from Montana just a little more than three weeks. Wow…seriously? Seems like it’s been three months!

Every single day has been a day full of something to do or somewhere to go. I feel like I’ve been running a race going about 100 mph with not a lot of time to stop and rest. It started with the cleaning of the dead bugs and spiders from the house, to unloading the trailer house, to cleaning the yard of ginormous weeds, back to the trailer house and completely unloading and cleaning it (because it was moving to Oklahoma with a new family), to more cleaning of the gardens, and now to reception planning and doing (as well as volleyball games and driving bus for activities and routes).

Some days, I seriously don’t hardly have enough time to stop and take a breath before the next thing on my daily schedule starts. Oh, how I miss the kick-back-way-of-life summer wheat harvest has to offer! This busy schedule that I’m trying to stay on top of is beginning to wear me down and I feel like I’m not accomplishing anything. One week from tonight, I will have baked 20 cakes (which will eventually be turned into 10 layered cakes), food prepared and my house ready to welcome guests. Want to make any bets on whether or not I get it done? I continually try to work it all together in my head reassuring myself it’ll all get done. There will be late nights and early mornings but it’ll get done.

Once the reception is over,  it will be back to the field with my truck trying to keep the household and the kids’ schedules running as smoothly as they can with my limited amount of time. It’s times like this that I really have to remember “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13.   There is absolutely NO WAY I could do all that needs to get done if I didn’t have my faith and my God to look to. I sometimes have to just throw my hands up in the air and scream out, “I can’t do this on my own anymore!” Once I do that, I can feel the wheel being taken from my hands and watch it move on its own. Things begin to fall into place and I begin to meet my schedules and goals a whole lot easier when I step back and remember I don’t control ANYTHING. I’d like to think I have it all in control but I can guarantee you that I don’t.  Everything that’s on my plate attempts to bring me down; however, once I remember, “when God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it” it all starts to fall into place. And…if my house isn’t clean, so be it! I think my friends will understand.

One of these days, I will stop and catch my breath – when the snow flies!

Saying goodbye to a “friend”

by nebraskawheatie

My goodness – it’s been a LONG time since I posted on here. The days have just flown by due to the busyness of this time of year. This is EXACTLY the reason I hate fall harvest! Too many irons in the fire and not enough day to get it all accomplished. Unlike wheat harvest and there’s ONE thing we have to focus on.

For those of you who know me, this won’t come as a surprise to you when I try to explain my feelings regarding this subject. For those of you who don’t know me, this may help you understand me a little better. I’m a little weird with getting rid of or doing something different from what I’m used to or comfortable with. Yesterday, I watched my trailer house leave the yard behind someone else’s pickup and I felt sad. I truly felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend – one that I had gotten comfortable with and had become a part of the family.

You may remember in a previous posting while we were in Montana that I said I had put the trailer up for sale online – last year. The only people I heard from were other selling sites wanting me to advertise with them because their site was the one that would take it off my hands. When I answered the phone late last week, and the voice on the other end asked if the trailer was still for sale, I answered with my cautious question of, “is this a private individual or someone wanting me to advertise on your site”? When the woman’s voice answered that it was a private buyer, I sort of had mixed feelings – excitement that someone was interested and also deep down hoping that it wasn’t what she was looking for. Well, the longer we chatted, the more excited she became because she had a young family and was anxious to move into something that would fit their growing family and their way-of-life. Their job required them to live in a trailer year round.

I had sold a trailer through this website before only it didn’t happen nearly as fast as this one did. Before I knew it, on Thursday I was told this lovely family was coming to Manley to look at the trailer with intentions of buying. They’d be here Saturday (today). The trailer was full of our “stuff”. This meant I was going to have to box everything up and Taylor was going to have to get her belongings out. (Taylor’s in the process of painting her room so everything she owned was being stored temporarily in the trailer house.)

I had been cleaning off the flower gardens but guessed I should change course and start emptying the trailer – just in case they liked it well enough to buy it. I had two full days to get the job done. My mom called Thursday morning and volunteered to come help me. Thank goodness she did! As we were emptying, I received a phone call that plans had changed and this lovely family was leaving southern Oklahoma yet that night and would be here Friday afternoon. My life has been at a full run since we got home so I thought I HAVE got to get this job done today (Thursday) because Friday was full. Mom and I emptied and started cleaning knowing that I was going to have to leave at 2:30 to drive the school bus for a sports activity. Yikes! I got home about 9:00 and immediately went out to the trailer and worked until 2:30 a.m. Needless to say, when I came in from the trailer I felt satisfied that it would be in good enough shape to send with them – should they decide to buy.

Yesterday (Friday) went on as it had to – with no breathing room to spare! The lovely family from southern Oklahoma showed up about 3:30 and decided at 5:30 they were going to take my little cottage on wheels home with them. It was so much fun to watch the two little girls go through it and whisper back and forth to each other about where their stuff was going to go. The oldest of the three was a boy of 13 and he was going to have a room of his own for the first time. They were all smiling from ear to ear. I knew my “friend” was going home with the RIGHT family! I honestly believe the circumstances that led up to them driving out of the driveway with it was a God thing! Had to be. Not only did it go home with the RIGHT family, I feel like I’ve got new friends that I will definitely stay in contact with! I’m still feeling the ache of missing it, though, when I look out the door and it’s gone. On the plus side…I get to look for a new friend!

Today (Saturday), started very early this a.m. I drove the bus to the school about 5:45 a.m. to pick up half of the band and head to Grand Island for the Harvest of Harmony parade. I learned today this is the 3rd largest parade in the nation featuring marching bands – the Macy’s parade and the Rose Bowl parade lead the way. It’s also  the largest parade  featuring marching bands in the state of Nebraska. This year marks their 70th year.Taylor is one of six girls on the flagline. Unfortunately when I’m bus driver, I don’t get to watch the parade or the band but I get to hang out with the kids. We bus drivers stay in or very close to the bus at all times until the band has been picked up at the end of the parade. Harvest of Harmony organizers have got this process down to a “T”! They are a well oiled machine when it comes to keeping over 100 bands and their busses in order! The band placed 4 out of 30 Class C bands. They were disappointed because last year they walked away with the top trophy. However, not many bands can say they have placed in the top 4 bands for the past six years. I’m proud of the Elmwood/Murdock marching band!! They are a great bunch of kids being led by a WONDERFUL band director!

Two weeks from tonight, we will be celebrating Curt and Jamie’s marriage with a long-awaited wedding reception. They were married in Florida on April 1 and decided it would be best to wait until after the summer wheat harvest to celebrate. It’ll sure be good to see so many family and friends all together in one place! I know Jamie will be glad, once again, when the planning is complete and the party is a success. For those of you coming, I can’t wait to see you!

The band marching towards the bus – from my point of view.

Looks like they’re being told what to do next.

 The flagline. Taylor is on the far left.

Nice job, Tate!

The Elmwood/Murdock marching band. You’re ALL winners in my book!

A sweet result of the Nebraska City trip

by nebraskawheatie

One of the reasons for stopping at the Union Orchard on our way home was to buy the girls a caramel apple. Once I was there, though, I really thought an apple pie sounded good. So, I went to the frozen section of the store and decided that spending $13 for a frozen pie was a little outrageous. Sometimes convenience is a good thing but not this time. Instead, I bought some of their #2 grade apples (with slight damage) at $.69 lb. I had a box of ready-made pie crust in the freezer and opted to put my own apple pie together.

I used to make my pie dough from scratch but after going to all the work of making a pie from scratch and then making the next one with the convenient crust and hearing Jim say he liked the second one better I thought, “well, hey, why go to all the work of making dough when he likes the ready-made one better”. So, I’ve been buying the cheap pie crusts from the dairy freezer ever since. One box equals one pie (top and bottom crusts) and I buy the cheap brand.

A couple more tips: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the apple. It works so much better than a knife and saves the fruit from being thrown away.

When putting the top and bottom crusts together, dampen the edge of the bottom crust before putting the top crust on. After the top is in place, work your way around the pie and pinch the two together before crimping the edge. My grandma gave me that tip.

Here’s my apple pie recipe – simple and GREAT!

6 cups sliced apples                                                  1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup white sugar                                                  1 Tablespoon margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg

1 Tablespoon cornstarch (maybe just a little more than a tablespoon)

Mix dry ingredients and toss with fruit. Add lemon juice and dot with margarine.  Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes.

 

 

Whew!

by nebraskawheatie

Wow, is it really only Wednesday?

This has been one crazy week and it’s only midway through. It feels like my world is on a roller coaster…maybe a Farris wheel? Hmm…maybe more like the Fun House! I sort of feel like I’m running and not exactly sure where I’m headed. I’d like to think all of this will come together soon and my life will be a little more of an unchaotic state.

You know. I’ve mentioned before how I really don’t like the coming home stage of harvest. Well, it seems to be working double time on me this year. Is it because I’m getting older and slower or is it because I try to do too much at one time? I just want to get my trailer house emptied, cleaned and be done with that job. Nope…just can’t happen. I think I’m doing pretty good to get about three laundry baskets of items removed and put away in the house. Then, it’s either a phone call that I need to take, a bus route that needs driven, or volleyball game to be watched.  Tonight, it was a trip to church to be with some really awesome kids!

I really didn’t want to go to church tonight because I just want to get something accomplished. However, tonight was JUST what I needed.  I was included in the kids’ “chat” about what was going on in their lives, their stresses and concerns. I certainly felt the touch of Jesus tonight and it felt awesome! It was the most relaxed I have been in a great while! I honestly didn’t want it to end. Funny how Satan almost kept me from enjoying it.  Those stressed out kids were just what I needed!

Speaking of kids, I need to tell you about the day I had this past Saturday. Callie had a volleyball tournament so had to be in Murdock at 7:00 a.m. (Probably one of the earliest mornings I’ve had in quite a while) Once I got her there, I turned around and came back to Manley and had a cup of coffee with my brother and then the two of us headed to town to watch Callie play. After being there for a little while, Mark and Candi brought Brooklyn and Jillian to the school for me to babysit as they were headed to a Nebraska football game. After watching Callie play her second game, we made a mad dash to the car and headed for Nebraska City to watch Taylor march in the Apple Jack parade.

Saturday was not a nice day to be standing outside. It was wet and cold. I had on my Carhart coat, gloves and a stocking hat and still felt the cold. Those two little girls didn’t have a clue it was cold. Maybe one reason was they were too concerned about catching the candy being thrown from the parade floats. We had a great afternoon watching the parade and FINALLY the band we came to watch made its way down the road. I think they were like second to last. Nice job, by the way, Elmwood/Murdock marching band! They took second place.

After the parade had marched its last band and floated its last float, we made our way down to the end of main street to view the Missouri River. All summer long I had been hearing about the flooding and wanted to see what it looked like for myself. It was still extremely high and over Highway 2 but it had dropped a good 10 – 12 feet lower than the highest point. I was impressed by what I saw and wished that I would have been able to see it at its peak height.

Matt and I decided to see what we could see at the Lewis and Clark overlook. It was such a drizzly day and so much fog, we just couldn’t see the flooded valley as I had hoped we would. We walked around the area for a little while and the girls decided they really would like to take a few pictures. I have to share these pictures with you simply because it’s fun to see what they feel is worthy of a picture.  From the Lewis and Clark overlook, I took the kids to an apple orchard for a caramel apple and some apples to take home.

You know, I sort of see a pattern here – spending time with kids is just what I needed this week! And it’s only Wednesday.

 These were all taken at the Lewis and Clark Overlook.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, photos taken courtesy of Brooklyn and Jillian. Click on the picture to view them in a larger version:

Back home with Callie being silly (Brooklyn) and Jillian grinding coffee beans – one of her favorite things to do at our house!

And I wonder why it takes me so long to get back in the groove!

by nebraskawheatie

The week’s recap:

“Home, home” on Saturday night.

Spent the entire day on Sunday reclaiming my house from the spiders and vacuuming up dead bugs.

Monday a.m., I’m on the school bus picking up kids and taking them to school. The afternoon was spent washing the outside of the trailer house. It was FILTHY from the road grime that had collected all summer. Thank goodness it was early enough in the “getting home” process that I was able to talk Jim into helping me. I’ve done that job by myself way too many times and appreciate the help when he can give it! Later that afternoon, I was back in the bus delivering kids to their homes. And the rest of the day was finishing the chore of washing the trailer house.

Tuesday was spent getting book work completed and important issues taken care of. Geesh…it’s amazing how much time that takes! You should have seen the box of mail I had to go through. Most of it was garbage and it wasn’t able to clutter the kitchen table very long. Late Tuesday afternoon, I headed to Elmwood to watch Callie play volleyball. She’s a pretty doggone good little player and didn’t even get to participate in any of the summer “camps”. It’s really too bad the coaches put such an emphasis on the summer time participation! Our high school coach told me when Jenna was in high school that her playing time would depend on her summer time. “Well”, I said, “She’s not going to be able to participate because she’ll be with us NOT because she doesn’t want to be there”. He stuck to his statement. However, Jenna LOVED the sport and continued to work hard even though she didn’t get to play very often. She stuck with it her entire high school career. By the time she was a senior, though, the parents from the stands were yelling, “put Jenna in”. I was so proud of her for not quitting – I probably would have! I hope it’s not like that for Callie, but it probably will be. Do these coaches REALLY think every kid on their team is going to go on to college as recruits??? Let the kids play and have fun!

We got up bright and early on Wednesday morning and loaded in Mark’s truck. Everyone went except Candi (she got sick the night before), Taylor and Callie. We spent the entire day walking the Husker Harvest Days’ grounds and it literally takes ALL DAY! Saw some familiar faces and enjoyed being together. Actually, it seemed like we were on the phone most of the day trying to find Jim (he likes to talk). However, they did have to look for me once. I stopped to chat with someone, turned around and everyone was gone. Then, I went the wrong way looking for them and ended up getting farther away. If you haven’t been, you should go! There’s something for everyone. That evening, we were invited to a supper put on by New Holland. It happened to be in the same place our USCHI convention was last March and will be again next March. It was fun standing in the same place we had previously been in and remembering the good times. “Chances R” (York, NE restaurant) served the food and it was OUTSTANDING!! Thank you New Holland!

Thursday was spent doing more paperwork items in the morning and a few things did get put away. Then, it was back on the bus driving the cross country team to an event. I got home shortly after 9:00 last night.  Another wasted day!

Jim left early this a.m. to head from some town on the Iowa/Illinois border to pick up a corn head. Maybe I can get something started with the unpacking process today – or at least get our bed made in the house. It’s chilly today so I won’t have to worry about sweating too much 🙂

Pictures are from Husker Harvest Days:

Entering the grounds.

 

Showing off their New Holland clothing. Jamie had on a shirt like Jenna’s but was too cold to show it off.

Jenna meeting a couple of the guys she had interviews with this summer for The High Plains Journal.

I took this picture for Callie. The prior owner of this bus was Justin Bieber.

One more picture of the grounds before we left.

Before leaving Grand Island, Mark had to make a quick visit to the New Holland Support truck.

Jenna found a picture of our combine hanging up inside the truck.

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.

One more day

by nebraskawheatie

I sort of got real busy with trying to clean the dead bugs and spiders out of my house here at “home, home” and I didn’t get my story put together yet. I will, though, just give me another day or so 🙂 In the meantime, I’m going to share Callie’s song one more night because my post last night didn’t get transferred to my Facebook page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYc9HqzjUAI

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.