Tag Archives: Oklahoma

taking advantage of another rain day

by Nebraska Wheatie

IMG_8306Our anticipation and excitement of being on the road and FINALLY joining up with the rest of the “wheaties” soon came to an abrupt end. The rains we got the first night after we arrived, continued off and on for the next several days. That was Thursday – today is Wednesday. Almost an entire week has already disappeared.

Before we left, I planted my travelling flower garden. I try to do this every year mostly because it gives me a bit of a normal summer-type activity. Sometimes the busy-ness of the job and the heat of the summer take a toll on my garden. Right now, though, they are thriving.

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adios, oklahoma

by nebraskawheatie

Leaving a place that has become “home” tends to make a person think about certain things. The one thing that I’ve thought about a lot this year is the fact that I take for granted way too many things!  I found myself looking at my surroundings a little more intense this year. I sort of figured out that I don’t have a guarantee that I’ll be back next summer.  So, I soaked in the lush green countryside, the smell of the wheat chaff, the beautiful water-colored sunsets (especially after a brief thunderstorm), the intense oven-like temps of the south winds (or Oklahoma gales) and the birds. I tried to take as many pictures of the countryside and the wheat field as I dared. The hot winds and birds are a different story.

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Blow on Oklahoma Wind!!

by nebraskawheatie

Yeah, the wind is blowing HARD today. But it’s just what we needed to get back in the field. We tried it late yesterday afternoon and was up against this the whole time –

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Z Crew is Gonna Hire Out as Rain Makers!

by nebraskawheatie

Last night, the conversation went sort of like this:

“Dad, will you cut wheat tomorrow?” – Taylor

“We should be able to, if it doesn’t rain tonight”. – Jim

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Father’s Day & Rain

by Nebraska Wheatie

Happy Father’s Day!!

What did the Z Crew do to celebrate? NOTHING! This just about drove Taylor and Callie completely bonkers. I, however, LOVED it. I needed this day to get caught up on book work and get a few things better organized.

It rained early this morning. There’s nothing better than rain on the roof of the trailer house. I know it’s early in the season and we’re already behind on acres but I needed a good down day. A day that meant nothing more would get done than what I allowed. It started at 9:30 am. Yep…I slept til then and it felt great! I’m not going to apologize for one second of it.

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Father’s Day & Rain

by nebraskawheatie

Happy Father’s Day!!

What did the Z Crew do to celebrate? NOTHING! This just about drove Taylor and Callie completely bonkers. I, however, LOVED it. I needed this day to get caught up on book work and get a few things better organized.

It rained early this morning. There’s nothing better than rain on the roof of the trailer house. I know it’s early in the season and we’re already behind on acres but I needed a good down day. A day that meant nothing more would get done than what I allowed. It started at 9:30 am. Yep…I slept til then and it felt great! I’m not going to apologize for one second of it.

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On Your Mark, Get Set…GO!

by nebraskawheatie

The transition from “home, home” to the harvest world has always been a hard one for me. It takes everything I have to push through it year after year after year. This time, though, it was the worst!

When we began this way of life as a family in 1990, we had a young family. I was young, Jim was young and we only had two of our four daughters at that time. Jamie would have been 4 and Jenna only 2. Taylor and Callie came along way after this lifelong adventure began for us. Funny how at the time my children were growing up (and I was getting older), I never really thought about them growing up – and not being with us.

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Rain

by nebraskawheatie

This morning while I was lying In bed listening to the rain and thunder it made me think about how rain is either a good thing or a bad thing – depending on one’s circumstances.

For me, at that very moment, it was a good thing. It was a pull-the-covers-to-my-chin sort of feeling. I could lay there and not feel bad that we were getting more rain which would extend our stay in Shattuck because the wheat wasn’t getting cut. I knew that before we left the field last night – only ½ hour before the storm hit – the final acre had been cut, the trucks had been dumped, and the combine had most of the field dirt blown off. When I realized there was no reason to feel bad for the rain, I enjoyed it.

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Arnett, OK

by nebraskawheatie

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.

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135 Acres Closer To Being Done

by nebraskawheatie

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?

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