Harvest Days

The farmers and their equipment have been putting in long hours this week. There are still several more days of harvesting to go and we're all thankful for a day of rest today. 

Friday evening we were excited to have Erica and Rylee come out to join in the fun.

When we got to the field Erica and Rylee were riding in the combine - which meant we had time to kill while we waited to eat supper. Levi was super excited to have Rylee around and had a hard time waiting to see her. First he threw stalks of wheat and some weeds at me,

then he laid down on the road to "sleep" for a while.

Thank goodness Rylee got off the combine not long after that so we could eat! My family does not have the tradition of stopping to eat a meal together at the field. My dad eats in the combine so he can continue harvesting and everyone else eats when they have time. So this time, the women and the children ate supper beside the field. Ben joined us when we were nearly finished.

PIck-up truck picnics are pretty fun!

Looks like he's actually driving doesn't it? He wasn't, I promise.

The tractor and grain cart are in this photo - you just can't really see them because of the dust.

Thankfully the fields that were cut that evening were on a quiet dirt road. The only traffic we dealt with were the trucks hauling the wheat away and the vehicles from our own family.

That allowed the kids to run around and have a great time playing.

The only trouble was the dust, lots and lots of dust.

The kiddos even played hide-and-seek in an alfalfa field. It made the adults itch just watching them!

Soon it was time to head back to the farm (and get out of the dust). Levi and Rylee might fight like crazy, but they also truly love each other.

The evening ended with the kids catching lightening bugs at the farm. Rylee  had never seen lightening bugs before and it was hilarious to watch her chase them down. The perfect evening to a busy harvest day.

After the storm

Thursday evening a cold front ran into the 102 degree air in Kansas and made for some interesting storms. At our house we got some wind and a little rain. Other places near us had hail and super-strong wind. The rain put an end to harvesting for the evening but that tiny bit of moisture and the cooler temperatures were welcomed by all. 

 After the storm passed and the sun was setting the sky lit up in a shade of orange. I was trying to get the boys to bed, but I was so distracted by the amazing light outside that I finally just went out with my camera and tried to capture it.

After the sun sunk lower in the sky the whole sky turned pumpkin orange. It was amazing. The perfect ending to an unusual summer evening.

Wheat Harvest

We're four days into wheat harvest 2013. 

Besides for feeding my three farmers, I don't have a job at harvest. I don't drive a truck, tractor or combine - nor do I really want to. Although I would if I had adequate time to practice ahead of time. Those big pieces of equipment scare me with their power and my lack of knowledge about them. But on Friday, I got to be helpful! I drove a pick-up from the field to the farm, filled a big tank full of fuel and went back to the field so the combine could fill up. That kind of job is right up my alley.

The boys can't get enough of the harvest action. They are hard to keep track of - riding in this truck, then that one, then the tractor, then the combine, repeat in any random order.

I took several meals out to the field over the weekend. Friday night Noah saw Ben, Levi and I in the tractor (Ben was driving grain cart) and came over from the combine, opened the door and said, "Family time!"  It was so funny. All four of us squished into the cab, chowing down. Saturday I made Southwest Breakfast Stromboli and they were awesome! Perfect for taking to the field and a nice change of pace, too.

This is our first harvest with this combine and so far so good. I rode along with dad for a while on Saturday and I nearly jumped every time the machine beeped. But, dad knew what each beep meant - thank goodness. I guess that's why he's the farmer and I'm not.

Our faithful stripper header continues to work its magic up and down each field, acre after acre. Shiny little teeth that move as a blur when it's turned on.

There are days of harvest and bean planting ahead of us. I maintain that harvest is one of the most exciting and terrifying times of year for this farmer's daughter, wife and mother. Prayers for safety keep going up and I won't fully exhale until it's complete.

Swather Action

The pasture, where the dairy cows used to roam is mostly brome now. We've been waiting for it to be swathed and that finally happened this weekend. 

The boys had really been looking forward to this "new" adventure. Levi was very eager to get a ride and thankfully the man operating the swather was kind and welcomed having a young passenger with him.

Noah waited for a while for his turn and then decided that being a part of the combine and truck work going on in the shed was more exciting.

It didn't take that swather long to make nice rows of brome where a whole field of chaotic grass had been. It smelled amazing - not like fresh mowed grass, not like freshly harvest wheat, but something right in between.

Around the garden

Gardening this spring and summer has felt challenging. Granted, for the most part, I don't know what I'm doing. This is only our second year gardening. We're still learning as we go - which is a lot of the fun of gardening - but that doesn't mean it's easy.

 The dill returned from last year, a lovely surprise.

 The cucumbers, after a couple re-plantings, are starting to hold on and grow up.

 The chickens continue to grow and explore the farm yard.

 The zinnia seeds I planted are about ready to bloom. Why their leaves are yellowish I don't know. When I planted them I had such high hopes, then they took so long to grow. They were trampled by cats and dogs and bugs but finally, most of them are about to pop open with flowers.

 I have one zucchini plant that is growing (and another one trying to decide if it'll grow or not), but at least twice a day I check it for squash bugs - having found at least 25 already - knowing they will take this plant down if I don't keep a close eye on it.

 Other flowers are starting come into their own. It's taken so long for them to start branching out.

 The onions in the garden sported some beautiful blooms this week. I hear I'm not supposed to let them bloom because it wastes energy that should be going into making big onions. That certainly makes sense, but I still think the bloom, with it's soft onion scent is lovely.

So far from the garden we've enjoyed basil, cilantro and a handful of onions are drying. I've replanted pumpkin seeds three of four times. I planted cantaloupe seeds two or three times before finally just buying a plant and sticking it in the ground. Finally after a couple seed attempts I have a couple watermelon plants growing. Like I said, a slow start but hopefully things will take off now and start growing and producing like I think they should.

Father's Day Race Day

For Father's Day our family went to 81 Speedway. It's a place my dad had never been to but had been curious about for years. So, as our gift to dad, we took him to the races. 

 Ben and I had last been to the races about ten years ago, so I had forgotten what we were getting in to. The kids and my parents had no clue. The boys were antsy for the races to start.

 I love this picture because of the look on my father's expression (not Noah's). He's having a good time, and that's what Father's Day is about.

 Speaking of fathers, I'm married to a guy who is a fantastic father. He out-shines me daily in the parenting department. Noah and Levi are blessed to have a dad like Ben.

 There were lots of smiles, giggles and looks of amazement when the first cars came out on the track with their engines screaming.

 But the screaming engines were LOUD!

 Reeeeaaaalllly loud!

 The engines were so loud, and the dust was flying in our eyes but we still had a great time. Next time, if there is a next time, we'll wear sunglasses to protect our eyes and bring ear plugs for...well, our ears.

Too bad it went so late we couldn't stay for the last race - maybe next time.