Today began with a trip to Fargo for fuel and then back to the farm where the combine and header spent the night. A quick fuel up, wiping of the windows and we were off on our 12 mile tour. The final acres we have to cut are on the outskirts of Arnett, OK. Once we arrived at the field, Jim thought the best thing to do was to put the header on the combine and test the wheat’s moisture.
Tag Archives: food
135 Acres Closer To Being Done
Pretty much a normal day with nothing much to report. We started and finished the field that we had to leave. It was PLENTY dry today! Test weights averaged 62/63 lbs, the protein was really low…7-8% and the average was 40/45 bushels per acre. The field was ROUGH with a lot of terraces. It took us the whole day to cut 135 acres. I like the variation the terraces bring to your day but if it’s time you’re trying to make, the flat fields are by far the best! We’ve got approximately 2 ½ days left of the acres we came to Shattuck for. Then what?? Will we move on or find something more to do around here?
They’re Heeeeeerrreee
We put in a pretty full day today. It was hot – no wind – and the wheat is plenty dry now. No more worries about green. We can just GO! The test weights remain in the 62 lb range. The field we’ve been working on for the past two days will probably average 50-55 bushels. Not too bad considering this area was suffering from drought this time last year!
Our Half Day Holiday
That’s what it sounds like when hail hits the side of a trailer house. It was right after we got in for the night that we heard the soft pitter patter of rain on the roof. Jim had me check the radar not more than 20 minutes earlier. There was NOTHING! So where did that come from? We couldn’t even hear each other talk.
What this did was allow us to sleep in this a.m. And I had the morning to get caught up on laundry and take care of some work I had been putting off on the computer. I have to take my computer to the Pizza Hut (which is basically in our front yard) and sit outside of the building to pick up signal. While I was sitting there, a couple of employees came to work. Apparently they’re not used to seeing someone sitting on the bench at their back door with a computer. They both were a little concerned why I was there. 🙂
“Something’s going on with the sun!”
We finished the job(s) we have been working on since late Monday afternoon. And, it was pretty much nonstop once we got rolling on Monday (today is Sunday). Believe me; I am ready for a break – even if that’s just a moving-day break!
The job we started yesterday ended early this evening – just as a storm wanted to move towards the field. The farmer asked us if we would cut a little more but Jim didn’t want to get caught starting a field, it starting to rain and we really need to get moved to job #2. So, we played a little less risk and decided to call the job complete. Burkburnett, Texas…it was fun but it’s time to move on.
The Final Round of Job #1
The wind blew today. It blew so hard, it blew the mud flaps right off Frank! I believe the southerly “breeze” was blowing as hard as 40-45 mph. I faced my truck towards the east most of the day so that when it was time to roll the tarp, it was rolling with the wind. If I had it facing west and tried rolling it, the wind would catch the tarp, blow it up and probably tear it right off the box. I DIDN’T need that to happen! Sometimes, if I had to face Frank in a different direction, the grain cart driver would block the wind so the tarp wasn’t in jeopardy. It was warm again – 92 – but with the wind, it made it more tolerable being in the truck.
Excuse me, can you tell me what that big building is?
Today seemed more like a typical harvest day. We were able to get started before 10:00. Moisture was 13.1% with my first load. Weather man said it was going to be a warmer day than we’ve been seeing. One thing I think we all forget about because the wheat’s ready to cut now is it is still only the middle of May – not the end. So, I wonder if the cooler temps at night and the not-so-brutal day temps are because of the day we see when we look at the calendar. Today WAS warmer, though – 98 degrees with a little breeze. It was definitely a drink-your-water-jug-dry kind of day!
A New View
The day began earlier than we were used to while on “vacation” (due to the rain break). This morning, we had to move the trailer house. What a pain! Everything had to be taken down, slid in, unplugged and removed just as if we were moving 250 miles. This little trip was taking us to another section of the park – with lower voltage electricity (no air) and no sewer hookup. Apparently the owner of the KOA had people coming in who had booked our space over a year ago. So, we have a new view when we look out our windows for the next three days. After those three days, it will mean tearing everything down again and moving back to a real RV space. I guess I could look at it as practice – how fast can the cottage on wheels go from stationary to road ready?
We cut wheat today!
The day started out with dew. So much dew, it looked like it had rained. It was decided that we’d go out after lunch and try a sample just to see where we were at.
Yes? No? Maybe? NO!
Nope…not today. We thought we might get to start later this afternoon but it just didn’t happen. And, it wasn’t because we weren’t ALL anxious to get started.
Jim and I are helping another harvester on this first job of ours. The other harvester is a longtime friend of ours (Delane and Travis Reimer) whom we’ve known for over 20 years. Our kids played together when we reached the Chappell, Nebraska area. There were always a whole slug of kids at that stop – Zeorian’s, Krumbach’s, Reimer’s, Trummel’s, Slattery’s and more. It was the stop the kids looked most forward to (except Jordan, MT) because there were friends to get together with. There were times when the kids were all together in one trailer and the old folks were in another. Rain days were most looked forward to in Chappell so we could gather together for a meal and friend time.