He’s got a little growing room yet but next year, he may not be able to stand in the cargo area of the trailer house.

Eli came to “Ga” & Papa’s house for a while before it got too crazy. He found a puddle and I decided mud can easily be washed off. 

The evening before we left was spent on last-minute loading and moving of the Yellow Beast. Before it could be moved closer to home, the banners, flags and window covering needed to be placed. It was a sound of pain coming out of his mouth when Jim realized the box holding all of these necessary items was UNDER the Beast – which was already loaded and chained down. Jim attempted to get them out of the two-inch opening but I knew I could probably work at it a bit easier than him. This was where all the years of untangling fishing line comes in handy. I think I have more patience for things like this than he does. So, I sent him to do something else while I worked at getting the items out of the box.

The next time I see this field of corn, harvest will be right around the corner.

We got out of the driveway in fairly good time (for us).

It’s always so difficult getting to that point where we feel we can leave and everything is where it should be for the next 100+ days. Everything in the house – everything in the garage – everything in the Cottage – everything in the service truck – everything in the back of Frank. The house is clean, the gas and water are shut off, the utilities have been called and the satellite TV is placed on vacation. The goodbye’s are said (which include a few tears) and we’re off.

The stress has now changed to road stress. When Jim decides it’s time to go, sometimes it’s tough to get him to remember a break is necessary once in a while. We got to Beloit, KS and the two-way blared out what I was hoping to hear. “Let’s take a 15-20 minute break”.  Woo Hoo!! As I step out of the cab of Frank, I can feel my back trying to adjust to being upright rather than in a sitting position. Funny…seems like it didn’t hurt quite this much last year. Hot?? OH YEAH! The hottest day of the summer had to be today.

The rest of the day went without a hitch. Nothing made us quit (a good thing). The day was long and when it was announced that we’d make Ellsworth our home for the evening, I was really ready. The Beast was happy to spend the evening amongst friends in the Ellsworth KanEquip lot. Thank you to the KanEquip guys for allowing us to pull in and just sort of take over a large portion of the lot. Finding areas large enough for one combine is sometimes really tough. I can’t imagine looking for something large enough for multiple machines and all the support equipment.

Because the night was so hot and sticky, we opted for a motel room and a shower. After arriving in Great Bend and checking multiple hotels/motels only to be told there was “no room in the inn”, I was beginning to think we were going to HAVE to camp in the heat and yuckiness. Finally, the last place had a nice large room with an air conditioner that worked perfectly. Much appreciated after getting through the hugely, long day we had just experienced.

Day 2 meant more sun and a bit more wind than the day before. I couldnt’ help but worry about the girls. Taylor had pulled the Cottage around a bit last summer. But, Callie was a rookie. She was the one I worried about the most. Especially with the people who take chances they shouldn’t be taking with long vehicles and on-coming traffic.

            Parked in Mullinville, KS for lunch.

We arrived in Shattuck just about 3:30 or so. The next thing on our list was getting the Cottage set up and the air conditioner started. Coming from the cool temps that we had been having at home to the heat and humidity Oklahoma had to offer, we all felt a bit sapped. We pushed through the “we just want to take a nap” feeling to get things in place and in order for our stay. Lucky us…there’s a shade tree just to the west of the Cottage. That oughta help with the afternoon sun! Almost feels like we’re vacationing rather than working – I said ALMOST.

The excitement of being in Oklahoma and the beginning of harvest was about to be changed to an anxious feeling as the clouds began to roll in. Rain was on the way. And such is typical for the summer of 2015. Although we didn’t make it to Texas and fight the mud like the rest, none of us wanted to be stopped before we even got started. But, that’s exactly what happened.

The weather radio started warning us of a storm headed directly for us with large hail and rain. We opted to jump in the pickups and head south – away from the storm. There’s no point getting the vehicles hailed on if we could get the heck out of Dodge. And it provided us with a bit of something different to think about.

                                       These are the events and nights that go down in memories…”remember that night we headed for Arnett and waited for the storm?”

That storm missed us. But later in the night, we got rain – heavy rain. And, the weather man is calling for much more before it’s over. The excitement of getting to the Oklahoma wheat fields will just have to wait for a few more days. Places had up to 3″ last night and they’re calling for up to 7″ before it’s over. This leads to a whole new and different level of stress for the harvester. A level that will turn pleasant men into bearcats. I have a feeling there are A LOT more bearcats than pleasant right now.

      Rain day events.

Oh…if only Eli were here to play in these mud puddles!