Wrapping up wheat harvest is always bitter sweet for me. Harvest is exhausting - I don't even know how people survived harvesting way back in the day - but it's also a lot of fun. It's exciting and while the hope is that it moves along without any surprises there's always something out-of-the-ordinary that happens. Thankfully for us, this year that something was only a tractor break down. We're very thankful that our other equipment worked well, that the danger of fire stayed away from us and that nobody was hurt. Man, harvest is humbling!
But in the moment of cutting the last field there was a tangible sense of relief - almost done that turned into we're done.
I rode along with dad, so these pictures are fuzzy thanks to the dust on the glass of the cab and the dust in the air. No shortage of dust during harvest, that's for sure!
The boys thought they were pretty tough sitting on the semi while grandpa and I approached in the combine to unload into it.
When the reality of the dust became apparent to Noah, he moved away (this dust has been pretty bad for his allergies and asthma), but Levi stayed put.
He even started dancing!
And then, just like that, it was done. Wheat unloaded from the combine, semi tarp pulled tight, header disconnected.
The old stripper header is starting to look a bit worn, but she still does good work.
Noah was excited to show me this ball they found in the creek bed next to the field. That ball plus a fallen branch made for an impromptu baseball game for Ben, Austin and the boys while dad and I combined.
The whole business of putting a header on a header trailer seems very intimidating to me. Just think what could happen if it was done wrong? Good thing the farmers know what they're doing.
Speaking of farmers, there goes Ben with the last load of wheat.
My dad and my boys are ready to head back to the farm.
And I (FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER) pulled the header home. Going 20 mph gives a person a chance to snap a photo or two (don't judge me). When I wasn't holding a camera - I only snapped three photos - I had both hands on the wheel. 10 and 2. Holding on for dear life, just waiting for the header to bounce off the trailer while I drove over the never ending washboardy roads. So. Stressful.
But then there was this sunset, that helped to reduce the stress a little....until I hit another patch of endless washboard!
Safely back at the farm...a few heads in the header and
a pile of dust on the back of the combine was all that was left to see of this harvest.
That is one intimidating machine, no? So big and powerful.
I finally was able to fully exhale and relax. There is a sense of urgency, importance, being on your toes, and danger that goes with harvest. Especially when my boys are so interested in just about every aspect of it. I love the big equipment and what it does, but I have a borderline unhealthy fear of it too. I'm fearful that someone I love will get hurt by it, or that it will break and cause a lot of stress and hardship for the farmers. I'm thankful for harvest, the family time it brings and the sense of community that bubbles up, but I'm also thankful to see it quietly and safely come to an end.
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