Tag Archives: Life

the past six weeks in a nutshell – part 2

by Nebraska Wheatie

The next days of being home meant unloading the Cottage. You have to remember that when we left in June, I had basically loaded everything I would need from our house into the Cottage. The house was closed up to everyone and everything EXCEPT the spiders. They apparently went to work overtime this summer in making our home their home. The first thing I needed to do was recapture my home and send those nasty little devils on a hike (thanks to the vacuum cleaner)! Cleaning the Cottage is so much easier!

On Saturday morning, we were up early with a destination of Boone, IA – we being Curt, Jamie, Eli, Jim and me. Earlier in the summer, Jamie and I had purchased tickets to ride the train knowing how obsessed Eli is with trains. It was going to be Eli’s day of “go go’s”. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction once we got to the depot and he would see the trains. The day was gorgeous! A bit of a summery heat but it was better than too chilly!

IMG_6853

 

Continue reading →

how quickly things can change

by Nebraska Wheatie

I was reminded today just how fast something can change.

This morning, we noticed Bub (the cat) was out of the dog pen. We figured he was small enough to go through the fence but he hadn’t figured that out – until this morning. I had done all I could to plug each gaping hole along the sides of the pen with anything that would work. I was told the dog could be locked in the pen but how fair was that? We were the visitors. Why should he have to do something out of the ordinary?

So, I quickly scooped him up before the dog saw him, took him back to the pen and closed up any hole that looked like may have been big enough for him to get through. And then I saw it – he went right through the fence. Well, this was a problem. How in the world would I keep him in now? My only hope was that he would kick into survival mode if that dog spotted him and began the chase.

We had just poured some coffee and was “fixing” to have a cinnamon roll when I heard it – Bub’s cry. I went outside to see what was going on only to witness him in the dog’s mouth. I rescued him but it was too late. It’s been a rough day! If you haven’t been following my blog for long, you may not know about Bub. He was rescued by a neighbor and brought to my house when he was about 2 weeks old. I bottle fed him and fell in love with him. There’s a picture of him in my last post, “just tinkering”.

Continue reading →

campfires, s’mores and more

by Nebraska Wheatie

Our weekend wasn’t spent on the road or in a wheat field. Instead, it was spent doing things most people who don’t leave home or their family probably do and take for granted. This doesn’t mean, though, that thoughts of being on the road or in a wheat field weren’t on my mind. The images of loaded combines which I see via Facebook make me wish Frank and I were part of that journey. But we’re not and I need to just remain faithful that that’s not where we’re supposed to be right now. Instead…this is where we are meant to be.

On Thursday evening, I received a text from Dan (Misener Family Harvesters), “So are you busy tomorrow”?  “Just workin…you headed this way”?, was my reply. The Misener’s had been in South Dakota for a funeral. As you may or may not know, the farmers we “wheaties” cut for generally become more than just a customer. And, this is proof of that statement. The Misener’s have cut for Dave and his dad for quite some time. Unfortunately, Dave’s dad passed away which meant a road trip. OF COURSE they would go to South Dakota from Oklahoma for a funeral. That’s what we “wheaties” do. In December 1996, we gathered the kids and headed to a funeral in Jordan, Montana. It was the coldest funeral we’ve ever attended.  There was no way we were going to miss it and I’m certain that’s exactly how the Misener’s felt. The way I see it, we’ve got family scattered from Texas to Montana!

Continue reading →

a mama’s hurting heart

by nebraskawheatie

I woke up this morning with the realization that things would never be the same again around this household…Taylor has officially moved out. For the longest time, I denied the fact. I knew that when Jenna bought a house, Taylor’s intentions were to move in with her. The house was bought and updates have been in the process ever since. I just kept denying the fact that eventually Taylor would be leaving the nest.  It happened – yesterday. Maybe it was a good thing it happened yesterday. I was gone ALL DAY with a bus activity for the high school. I left home at 6:00 a.m. and returned at 8:30 p.m. The first clue that things would be different when I got home was the text I received from Taylor:

“All moved in! I just need somewhere to sleep now ha ha” and this picture

IMG_9736 Continue reading →

more than just addresses

by nebraskawheatie

I reached for my address book this afternoon and thought, “You know, I should share this with my friends”. I wish I knew what year I started filling this with family and friend’s addresses. If I were to guess, I would say 25 years ago. This little book is full of  history!

IMG_3237Last year, while at the NAFB convention, John Deere was handing out green duct tape. I thought it added some nice color to a book that was needing a little TLC.

Continue reading →

use moisturizer every day…and don’t forget your neck

by nebraskawheatie

IMG_3206The view from my window today on a dreary, wet Autumn day.

The last month has yielded a few new experiences for me. One of them being asked to participate in the Housewives of Rural America blog which ultimately landed me on the “Freshly Pressed” page of WordPress.com (an exciting moment!). Being involved with this awesome group of gals has also brought back memories of who I was 30 some years ago. You see, I view myself as the “older, wiser woman” in this group. I’m not so sure that I like the hard reality that I’m not as young as my mind has me believing that I am. Jim’s dad once said something  that I now understand a whole lot better, “Sometimes I have to stop and remember that I am 80 years old”. I can honestly say, I understand! My mind wants to trick me into thinking that I’m this 30-year-old person rather than nearly 52. Does this make sense? I honestly don’t feel as old as I am (until there’s a little pain here or there).

Continue reading →

the sound of rain

by nebraskawheatie

A weird sort of feeling just swept through me.

I’m sitting here listening to the rain  hit the window next to my “desk” in the living room.  If this were six weeks ago, we’d be enjoying a day off. And, believe me, there’s nothing better than waking up during the middle of the night hearing that sweet sound of rain pinging on the cottage roof.  No lunches would need to be packed and I would be able to sleep just as long as my body would let me. Unless, it meant ANOTHER day of sitting.

Tonight, it’s just rain.  Our lives aren’t controlled with weather as much anymore. Well, it still is for Jim. He’s still harvesting but the rest of us are involved in the “real” world again. Speaking of Jim, he finished with the soybeans last night and was going to start with corn today. Not so much now. I talked to harvesters today from North Dakota to Kansas and everyone is sitting now due to rain.  It’s a harvester’s holiday!

Continue reading →

nebraska, corn and eli

by nebraskawheatie

IMG_4748 Today was Eli’s 6 month birthday. And how did he celebrate? He went to the soybean field with his mama to ride in the Yellow Beast with his grandpa.

Continue reading →

Wordless Wednesday – Sweet Sixteen

by nebraskawheatie

Callie turned 16 yesterday. Hmmm…she was just a baby yesterday – my last baby.  Someone told me a long time ago how fast the years go. I had no clue til they were gone.

IMG_3129The night before, Taylor and I decorated the kitchen (a birthday tradition) and her car.

Continue reading →

nebraska to montana – montana to nebraska

by nebraskawheatie

In my previous post, scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure parts 3 & 4 (cont.), I left you with the arrival at “home, home”.  This gets a little confusing with referring back to posts but if you need to be reminded where we are from this point with the pictures I posted, you can refer back to scenes from j & t’s excellent adventure parts 3 & 4. 

After we got home, we TRIED to turn on the water, went through mail and whatnot. The next morning, we packed for a week and headed to Grand Island for Husker Harvest Days. We ran into all kinds of people we knew – including the Miseners.

IMG_4600Entering Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, NE.

Continue reading →