It’s been a slow start to Harvest 2015.

We sampled on Tuesday afternoon – late Tuesday afternoon – and the sample came back at 14%. The elevator in Shattuck said they would take one truck load. Hardly worth the effort so we just decided to shut ‘er down til the next day. Disappointment.

Wednesday rolled around but began with heavy, heavy dew and clouds. Not a very good drying day. We tried again. This time we cut two truckloads but the elevator closed before we could take them in. Thursday morning – again, heavy dew and not much strength to the sun. Lots of humidity on top of everything else. The trucks were taken to the elevator and the moisture came in at 15.2% – worse than the previous day. But, we kept moving along. I think we actually cut four truckloads that day. Friday – FINALLY a good sunny day! And that’s when I could feel the feeling begin to swell up inside of me.

I need an attitude adjustment!

I dearly love being in the cab of the combine. It’s one of my very most favorite things to do. I had to just accept the fact that it wasn’t going to be me behind the wheel of the Beast. You see, the machine is new to us this summer and there’s mud. So, Cap’n Combine will be behind the controls while we are in Shattuck. Maybe even in Garden City (depending on the conditions of the rain saturated ground).  If there’s mud to be found, it’s best if he’s the one that messes something up. In the meantime, I have to deal with the feeling that continues to well up deep in my soul. It’s like going to the fair and being told you can’t have any cotton candy OR homemade lemonade. UGH!

 Friday was a picture perfect day!

We recruited help while here in Oklahoma. Jim’s concerned about the timeframe between this job and the next in Garden City. We’ll be losing our drivers next week. Taylor and Callie will be heading home so Callie can attend the National FBLA convention in Chicago. This means we’ll probably have to make two trips with equipment. Having Anthony (Adams Harvesting from Hooker, OK) with us will speed things up a bit. And the conditions of the fields and the weather wreaking havoc is slowing us down quite alittle. Besides all that – it’s nice to have company in the field!

Our first meal in the field – thanks Taylor and Callie!

Things were rolling along fairly well yesterday. The wheat isn’t the best. The test weight is anywhere from 47 – 53. I asked Jim if he had ever seen anything this light before and he said he has not. Frank can be filled clear to the brim and not be overweight. A sad state for the farmer!  As I was saying, things were rolling along fairly well until Jim says, “looks like Anthony may be stuck”. Just as he got that out of his mouth, Anthony’s voice came over the 2-way and said he was stuck pretty deep. Lucky for us, the farmer and his son were in the field. They went after the big blue tractor and hooked it up. As you will see, it looked fairly easy coming out. The most damage to the combine was the bent ladder and half of the rotor filled with mud.

This is how you empty the grain tank of the combine that’s stuck when you don’t have a grain cart. It’s best to eliminate as much weight as possible when a combine needs to be pulled out of a mud hole. Yes…we still do it the “old-fashioned” way. And, hey, it worked – that’s all that matters!

Unfortunately, Anthony found another mud hole today. I didn’t get pictures of that one but he says it bent his ladder even more. I bet there will be a large run on combine ladders by the time this summer is over. Hey…thanks for taking one (or two) for the team, Anthony!

Hey, ya know, being the truck driver isn’t all that bad. At least the guys at the Shattuck elevator have treats as an incentive to keep me coming back. That’s more than the combine driver gets. 🙂

After a hot day in the field, this is my most favorite time of the day. The heat of the sun has finally given way to the evening. It’s just about this time of day that makes me think about the evenings in the field so many, many moons ago. When it gets to be this time of the day, the feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming. It was a good day!

Credit for this picture is to Anthony. Thanks, A-Man!