It has rained two more times since my last post, but we got a few good days in. They switched back to wheat so were able to go late into the night for a couple of nights. Our nephew and his friend are here this week so the guys decided to cut the place that is difficult to haul out of where the trucks have trouble keeping up since we had the extra help. That was a good plan! M and J figure they had a record day cutting 20,000 bushels of wheat in a day. M thinks it is the best crop he's ever cut with his average never going under 55 bushels to the acre all day. M's sister is here, too, and spent a day in the combine. She picked a good day to do that. Too bad the wheat is bleached to some degree and the elevators are severely discounting the price. Every rain affects the quality....and the general mood and morale of our crew.
We didn't want our visitors to get bored so we enlisted their help for a couple of projects. M bought a small Quonset-type storage building from a guy in Richland who was moving but has been pondering for a year how to get it moved here. They lifted it up and got it on a trailer and hauled it here and set it on railroad ties. M says there was a lot of luck involved in the process, but it's here now. It may be the home for the Jeep for the winter.
Yesterday we preg checked our heifers. We found out on Tuesday that the vet was going to be in the area, but M was afraid to commit at that time in case we could get back to harvest. There was really no drying on Wednesday and it was still muddy and cloudy yesterday morning so he called the vet right away to see if he could still do it in the afternoon. Then we scrambled to get ready. We had to round up the heifers which was a bit of an adventure. The pasture they were in is a bugger to gather from with bogs and coulees and trees to hide in. First thing, we had cross a bog on foot to chase some out. Hard to stay on the bumps, and I got wet feet right away. Felt lucky that I didn't break an ankle! Then they circled and hid in some trees and some were in another bog. To make a long story short, it took a lot longer than it really should have. Then once we got them out of the pasture we had to make a few jogs to try to keep them out of the wheat that hasn't been cut yet. That went pretty smoothly but took some time. K made us a great lunch and delivered it to the barn. Sawyer was happy to see the dogs and the cows, and we were happy to see her.
We had a hard frost overnight. I had covered my cukes, but they still don't look too good. The frost shouldn't bother the crops too much except for some late oats. We'll probably end up haying them, and no one is looking forward to hauling those bales home. M and R spent most of the day hauling the hailed out wheat bales and discovered that the fields are pretty soft, and just not drying out very fast. We had some sun and wind today, but we could really use some sustained heat. Too bad they can't send us some of that record heat they're having in California.
We keep plugging along, but this harvest is just unbelievable. We haven't cut an acre in the past four days, and we need to get back to it soon.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Harvest Update
And now for a quick harvest update. Harvest to-date can be summed up in one word--frustrating! August is supposed to be hot, dry and dusty, but that was not the case this year. We had 3.5" of rain in August--not normal.
The boys had most of the peas done by the time we got home from our vacation. The lentils weren't quite ready so M and R swathed some of the hailed-out wheat--ours and the neighbors. Then they baled the neighbors but combined ours. No one was a fan of that, but it got done. They had put off desiccating lentils because a big storm was in the forecast. Thankfully, we only got 2 inches (only!) as places not too far south had 5 to 9 inches. I can't even imagine that. But then, just as things would dry out, we'd cut a few hours and get rained on again. The lentils close to home are all cut except for the hailed ones. M made a pass through those and decided they weren't worth wasting our time on at the moment. We had a 360 acre piece that they finished cutting wheat on last night. If they had a really good day they could get it done in a day--they were there for three days because of rain showers. The days are kind of short because it's so dewy in the morning and gets so cool and damp once the sun starts to go down.
On the bright side, we haven't had rain for two days now, and they've gotten some good days in. There were showers in the area yesterday, and we didn't get wet. And, they were cutting on some of our poorer ground and the yield was really good, into the 40+ bushel/acre range. The trucks were sure on the move by my house yesterday.
We're making progress, but we've sure got a long way to go..........ugh!
The boys had most of the peas done by the time we got home from our vacation. The lentils weren't quite ready so M and R swathed some of the hailed-out wheat--ours and the neighbors. Then they baled the neighbors but combined ours. No one was a fan of that, but it got done. They had put off desiccating lentils because a big storm was in the forecast. Thankfully, we only got 2 inches (only!) as places not too far south had 5 to 9 inches. I can't even imagine that. But then, just as things would dry out, we'd cut a few hours and get rained on again. The lentils close to home are all cut except for the hailed ones. M made a pass through those and decided they weren't worth wasting our time on at the moment. We had a 360 acre piece that they finished cutting wheat on last night. If they had a really good day they could get it done in a day--they were there for three days because of rain showers. The days are kind of short because it's so dewy in the morning and gets so cool and damp once the sun starts to go down.
On the bright side, we haven't had rain for two days now, and they've gotten some good days in. There were showers in the area yesterday, and we didn't get wet. And, they were cutting on some of our poorer ground and the yield was really good, into the 40+ bushel/acre range. The trucks were sure on the move by my house yesterday.
We're making progress, but we've sure got a long way to go..........ugh!
Wedding/Family Reunion
I was home for three days after our vacation and then took off again to my brother's ranch in southwest Montana for my nephew's wedding. All my siblings were there, and it was the first time we had all been together since my dad died in 2004. Harvest be damned, there was NO WAY I was going to miss it!
Every time I go there I wonder to myself why I don't go more often. I love my brother and his wife, and I love their ranch. There's such a peacefulness there. I'm a bit envious of my other brothers and nephews who have been able to spend more time there.
One of my sisters had an appointment with a guy from the Montana State University Alumni Foundation to take a tour of the campus so I tagged along. I really hadn't spent any time at the campus since I graduated from there so I was excited to go. First we wandered around downtown Bozeman (and didn't see one strange person, unlike Missoula!) and then had lunch at the famous Pickle Barrel. Love their sandwiches! Then we met nice Joe from the alumni foundation and took our tour. There has been so much building and renovating since I was there. The big field between the dorms is now filled with buildings--weird. Funny, though, the Microbiology building that I spent a lot of time in has not changed one iota--even smells the same. We went through the girls' dorm that my sister and I both lived in and found our old rooms. The dorm has been redone, too, and is really nice. It always was the nicest dorm on campus. We enjoyed the tour so much and wish we could go back to college. Being college-age would be okay, too.
The next day we got into full wedding prep mode. The tents were up, lights strung, tables set up, cupcakes decorated, wedding mints made, cow pies flung (the wedding was in a pasture). Many hands made light work. The bride made us drawings of how the tables were to be decorated so we could do that the morning of the wedding. I was afraid she'd be walking down the aisle and thinking "who put that there? That's not right!, but she was confident that we would handle it just fine.
It was really a beautiful evening for a wedding although the wind had to blow just enough to mess up the tablecloths a bit. The flower girls were adorable, the guys were handsome, the bride was glowing.......and the groom arrived on his Harley. Probably the only time I'll ever see that in my life. His grandpa would have been proud.
There was oodles of great food and drink and a ton of family to dance and celebrate. I was so happy for the bride because she's wanted this for a long time. We love her and are very sure she'll make a great Redfield girl.
It was so wonderful to be with all my siblings again. It's been way too long since I've seen a couple of my sisters, and they're all so fun. They need to live closer to home--hint, hint!! I'm sure it was great for my mom to have us all in one place for a change, and she found a new cowboy friend!
I was so sad when I had to say goodbye and head home. Hopefully, we'll have another happy occasion to get together for soon.
Every time I go there I wonder to myself why I don't go more often. I love my brother and his wife, and I love their ranch. There's such a peacefulness there. I'm a bit envious of my other brothers and nephews who have been able to spend more time there.
One of my sisters had an appointment with a guy from the Montana State University Alumni Foundation to take a tour of the campus so I tagged along. I really hadn't spent any time at the campus since I graduated from there so I was excited to go. First we wandered around downtown Bozeman (and didn't see one strange person, unlike Missoula!) and then had lunch at the famous Pickle Barrel. Love their sandwiches! Then we met nice Joe from the alumni foundation and took our tour. There has been so much building and renovating since I was there. The big field between the dorms is now filled with buildings--weird. Funny, though, the Microbiology building that I spent a lot of time in has not changed one iota--even smells the same. We went through the girls' dorm that my sister and I both lived in and found our old rooms. The dorm has been redone, too, and is really nice. It always was the nicest dorm on campus. We enjoyed the tour so much and wish we could go back to college. Being college-age would be okay, too.
The next day we got into full wedding prep mode. The tents were up, lights strung, tables set up, cupcakes decorated, wedding mints made, cow pies flung (the wedding was in a pasture). Many hands made light work. The bride made us drawings of how the tables were to be decorated so we could do that the morning of the wedding. I was afraid she'd be walking down the aisle and thinking "who put that there? That's not right!, but she was confident that we would handle it just fine.
It was really a beautiful evening for a wedding although the wind had to blow just enough to mess up the tablecloths a bit. The flower girls were adorable, the guys were handsome, the bride was glowing.......and the groom arrived on his Harley. Probably the only time I'll ever see that in my life. His grandpa would have been proud.
There was oodles of great food and drink and a ton of family to dance and celebrate. I was so happy for the bride because she's wanted this for a long time. We love her and are very sure she'll make a great Redfield girl.
It was so wonderful to be with all my siblings again. It's been way too long since I've seen a couple of my sisters, and they're all so fun. They need to live closer to home--hint, hint!! I'm sure it was great for my mom to have us all in one place for a change, and she found a new cowboy friend!
I was so sad when I had to say goodbye and head home. Hopefully, we'll have another happy occasion to get together for soon.
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| Bride, groom and grandma--the best photo of the day! |
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| My mom and siblings |
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| Mom and some of her grandkids |
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