COWch Dog?

The puppy has been trying my patience lately.  His newest thing is jumping on the couch and snuggling in and getting comfy.  He's not supposed to be on the couch so I told M that maybe he misunderstood and thinks he's a "couch" dog instead of a "cow" dog.  He hasn't shown too much interest in the cows to this point, but he's been getting a little braver.  I have tried to explain to him that he owns those cows and will be the boss of them someday.

But I'm comfy here.....

Our harvest was delayed by rain again so M decided we needed to move the heifers.  R was busy hauling grain so it was just M and I and Junior.  The heifers are kind of like pets since they were bucket fed all winter.  They were all in a bunch so there wasn't much rounding up to do, and they are a bit hard to chase because they are like pets.  We let Junior out and once he figured out that he could bark and make them move he thought it was kind of fun.  His herding instincts were evident, but we need to work on his listening skills!  M has been a bit afraid that he wasn't going to have any interest, but I kept telling him that it's too early to expect much and dangerous to get him into a situation he can't handle.  He's feeling a bit better now, though, that maybe there's some hope.

Junior has been showing his "puppy-ness" lately.  First, he and Kobe (R's puppy, a border collie/lab mix) got into a mud hole.  I'm sure Kobe pushed him in since he's a bully and Junior definitely got the worst of it.  I couldn't see any white on him at all and then had to figure out how I was going to get him home like that.  Thank goodness they then found a clean waterhole to wash themselves off a bit.  I still had to give two puppies baths when I got them home.

A Muddy Mess!!

A few days later M and R were putting a new propane tank at our house and Kobe and Junior were outside playing and found the sewer outlet.  Again, Junior got the worst of it.  Bath #2 for the week.  Today I was so happy that he was playing well by himself outside.....until he came to the house after finding the sewer outlet again.  Bath #3 for the week. 

Kobe and Junior........trouble times two

We need harvest to be over so he can start going with M and doing fun things outside.  It'll be good for him.....and good for me!

Harvest Update

I was pressed into service on the grain cart  last week.  We were at as place we call the hell hole because it's a long, rough trail for the trucks.  Its also some of our best land so there's usualy a lot of wheat to haul out of there.  We had three trucks and three drivers and just barely kept up.to the combines.  There was rain in the forecast for the weekend so the goal was to get finished and moved out of there on Friday, and we achieved our goal and moved about 4:00.  They cut a field near our house and then made a couple of short moves in the dark and cut late to get as much done as possible before the rain.

And rain it did!  We woke up rain Saturday morning and had two inches in two hours with a total through the weekend of 2.5 inches.  North of here there was up to 5 inches.  The coulee to our west looked like a river and our neighbor's yard looked like a lake.  The rain came so fast that there was water over roads.  We were so glad we got out of the hell hole.

We had four days off from cutting and started back up yesterday afternoon.  In the downtime the guys hauled a lot of grain to the elevator to make room in the air bins.  The aeration allows us to cut grain that is a little wetter.

Today seemed to be a day of bad decisions.  This morning M said that they'd be finishing up around Richland and moving up to our neighbor's.  I asked why he'd do that since it is hail damaged and not a good crop.  When I took lunch out everyone thought it was a bad plan to go cut that when we have good wheat still standing that we should cut first.  M had his mind made up so off we went up the hill.  I was giving C a ride back to get another truck when he got the call that J was stuck.  He made the bad decision to try to cross a coulee.  That didn't take long!  We went to get a tow rope while R unhooked the tractor from the grain cart.  After several unsuccessful attempts to pull the combine out from several different angles, J decided to go get the big tractor and another tow rope.  On the first try  all 12 tires on the tractor were spinning.  Ugly sight.  R moved over and tried again and finally had success.  There are quite the craters left behind.  By that time M had made a round with the other combine and determined it was too green, and we were moving out again.  That met with frustrated groans from the crew.  We only wasted a couple of hours and now are headed west again.  Hopefully, M and J will make better decisions from here on out.

Holy Lentils!

The guys finished up the lentils Friday afternoon (except for a wet patch that won't be ready for quite awhile) and we made the big move back home.  There's always a bit of a sigh of relief when they switch over to wheat since it's easier to cut, but M was wishing they had another thousand acres of lentils to cut the way they were running.  They averaged over 40 bushels/acre across the board.  The cool, damp July was just what they needed.

I hate to say very loudly that I have had a pretty easy harvest so far.  They must have been listening when I said I was retiring from my grain cart duties because I haven't been called into service yet.  Thank goodness R is back and taking over there.  There's a new tractor hooked up to the gran cart, and they keep tellimg me how nice it is.  I'm hard to impress, though, and would have to learn how to run it.  J had made a deal with a friend over the winter (I think there was a snowmobile involved) to help so we've had him in a truck this week. He has a lot of irons in the fire, though, so he might not be consistent help.  M woke up with the stomach flu on Friday so I was prepared to take my turn on the grain cart so R could run the combine.  M threw up and felt better so we headed to the field.  R got his 20 minutes in the combine, but that was it.  He told his girlfriend that his dad would rather poop himself in the combine than let someone else run it. He also said lentils aren't that fun to cut, so he wasn't too disappointed.

 I haven't even had to do lunches for the past four days.  My mother-in-law has been out staying in the camper and making lunch.  She wants to be involved which is great.  I missed the big move west since I was at my job that day.  K was wishing she had a picture of the pickup on the way home with five adults, one baby and three dogs.  The baby is 3 months old already and has had her first ride in the combine.  Never too young to start, I guess.  She's going to have to get used to it if she ever wants to see her daddy!

I'm not really feeling too guilty about my lack of participation so far.  I gave birth to and raised the work force so I think that should give me a pass for life.

And We're Off.....Sort of

Our harvest began about ten days ago (time flies), but it's been a bit hit and miss.  The pea harvest took about a day since most of our peas are rolled up in bales or pulverized from the hail.  So then they waited for some lentils to be ready cutting a hundred acres every couple of days.  Not good for the bottom line when we have a rental combine sitting idle.  On the bright side, the lentils are thick and tall (for lentils which don't get tall) and running well.  We've had so much rain and higher humidity than we're used to that there is some mold on the plants. Yesterday we finally got a good day of cutting in so maybe we'll be on a run from here.

I've been on lunch duty except for the day I was at work when K took over.  She and the baby have moved to their camper so they can see J once in awhile and he won't have to drive those extra miles home.  I'm excited that I can see the baby every day.  I had to laugh when I was helping her unload the pickup into the camper because her camper is better stocked than my house has ever been.  I think the guys were pretty excited to have her do lunch.  They know I'm not into it.  I can't even plan, I don't have the gene.

Yesterday she and the baby rode out to the field with me when I was taking lunch out.  She got to go home, but I had to stay to help them make a move down the road.  I was happy to get some reading time in.  I was riding back to town with C in a truck.  There's this monstrous hill to climb to get to the highway.  C has spun out on it before, and I think it makes him nervous.  It makes me nervous!  We made it up the hill fine and had just turned onto the highway when there was a funny noise and then an alarm that the engine had no oil pressure.  He turned it off right away and went out to investigate.  There was no oil leaking anywhere, and ultimately I think they determined it was the oil pump.  Not good since the engine had just been overhauled.

Anyway, C called J who was going to get another truck to pull the disabled one into Richland and get the load off.  In the meantime, we're sitting on the highway and C decided to see if it will coast so we can get it to a better spot.  He took the brakes off to see if it would roll.  At first it didn't seem like it was going to, but then it slowly started inching forward, and we were off....one mile, up a little rise, two miles, down a hill, three miles, then a hill and a curve.  We didn't think we'd make it up the last small hill, but we did, made the curve and had Richland in our sights.  He finally had to use the brakes to make the turn into Richland, with no power steering, and we finally came to a stop about a block from where our bins are, close to five miles from where we started.  About that time J called to see where the heck we were.

Never a dull moment here...and, now, if anyone asks, I can assure them that it's all downhill from Glentana to Richland.

My Legacy

As I mentioned in my last post, we lost a neighbor and friend last week and M's aunt the week before that.  Two funerals in ten days kind of gets a person thinking about their own mortality.  It does me, anyway.  Maybe that's part of why I hate funerals.  Like most people, I don't want to think about that stuff.  And my husband REALLY doesn't want to think about that stuff.  We're both pretty lucky that longevity runs in our genes.

Our neighbor had had a bout with cancer a few years ago and some other health issues at times so he and his wife had discussed what kind of funeral they wanted.  I always tell M that if he's having a funeral I'm not going, and I'm afraid no one would come to mine!  We are very private (borderline antisocial?) people and the thought of a big to-do just freaks us out.  After the last funeral I told M that I just couldn't imagine myself in my friend's position, losing a husband.  He said maybe I won't because he'll take me with him.  That would be okay with me.  His usual answer about what he'd want is, "I don't care.  You just handle it."  So, then I told him I hope I go first so he'd have to deal with something on his own for a change!

At our neighbor's vigil someone commented that sometimes you'll read a glowing obituary and think "that's not the person I knew", but our neighbor really was that nice.  I don't think anyone ever had anything bad to say about him.  He was kind, honorable, involved in the community, just an all-around great guy. 

That started me thinking about what people would say about me when I'm gone, and I felt kind of sad because I don't think anyone knows the real me.  Sometimes I even feel a bit invisible.  Could anyone write an accurate obituary or give a good eulogy?  Will my boys remember me as a great mom or just a mediocre one?  Will my grandchild(ren)have learned something from me?  Did I touch someone's life somehow?  Was I the perfect wife?  I can answer that one, no!  Was I a good friend?  I tried to be, I meant to be, but it's hard to put myself out there, and I'm not much fun.  They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  I'm full of good intentions, but I don't think hell is where I'm headed.  Did I make good use of my talents?  Again, I can answer that one, no!  Hopefully, I have lots of years ahead of me to work on a few things.

I've told my boys that they can put me in a pine box and save the money for a big monument on the hill behind my house (lighted, of course, and with a fence around it so the cows can't rub on it).  I may not have been noticed while alive, but I'll be noticed when I'm dead.  I also told them that I want my headstone to say "she just wanted things to make sense", and I want to be buried in my Steelers gear because no one else will want it.  I may have made a mistake, though, when I told them that if I ever have to go to a nursing home just run me over with a truck.  One of the boys seemed a little overeager.

See why I hate funerals.....they make me think too much.

What I Learned on My Vacation

We finally managed to get a few days away last week. We left last Thursday and had to be home Monday. Sadly, we first attended the funeral for M's aunt, his dad's sister, so we got a late start. We knew that would happen so made a reservation to stay in Hulett, Wyoming that night. Hulett is a small town, but it was the start of the motorcycle rally week so it was gearing up for the bikers. When we went to eat we were pretty sure they had pulled out the "rally menu". Prices were a bit steep for a little hole-in-wall bar/restaurant. Food was good, tho.

So, this is what I learned on our trip:

1) M is not big on hiking. Actually, I already knew that. Devils Tower is just south of Hulett. We've been there before but had never actually gone into the park and up to the visitor's center. It was about 110 degrees the last time we were there. It might have been 60 degrees this time. Devils Tower has always fascinated me the way it just rises up out of the prairie. So, I got him to go through the gate (and pay) and up to the visitor's center. Then I gave him no choice but to hike around the base. It was a beautiful hike and only 1.3 miles. Didn't think I'd push for the 8-mile loop.

2) Next I learned that golf is sort of like riding a bike. It just comes back to you. We didn't golf at all last summer and probably only once the summer before that so we thought we'd be a little rusty. We went to the course in Sundance, Wyoming. It's a nice, little course, our speed, and we'd been there before. I was worried about how my back would feel and M worried about his elbow, but we did fine. We opted to do nine holes since it was cool and cloudy, and we weren't sure of the weather or our abilities. By the time we finished it was turning into a beautiful day, and we were wishing we'd done 18 holes. We score a little differently than most people. A good day is when we find more balls than we lose. That day we were a +3--we lost one and found four!

 From there we went to Spearfish, South Dakota for lunch and then on to Rapid City. We had a little shopping to do with birthdays coming up and baby gifts to look for so we went to the mall until M's sister was done with work. We met her at their bar and tested our bowling skills. The last couple of times we've been in Denver for baseball we went to an Irish bar, Delaney's, and they have mini bowling lanes. M's sister, Pam, is a bowling fanatic so of course we had to try them out. Pam's husband, Ray, decided to put some into their bar, and we tried them out.


 3) One good round of golf does not necessarily translate into a second good round. On Saturday we went to the Elks course in Rapid City with Pam and Ray. It's a tougher course with more obstacles....and more people. M golfed a good round, but I didn't have a great day. And, we were -6--lost six balls and found none! We had hoped to go up to the Tomahawk course near Deadwood, but Ray didn't have time before he had to go to work. There are some beautiful views up there.

 4) Sturgis during the motorcycle rally is not the place for me. We took a little trip up to Sturgis on Saturday night to see the sights, and oh, the sights we saw. At the first bar we went to the waitresses looked like they were in their underwear. Bet their moms were proud that they had a summer job! The number of bikes in town was staggering, and the rally had just started. I wonder how many tattoo artists and T-shirt vendors were there. We were happy when we ran out of motorcycle traffic on our way home. They make for an interesting driving experience.

5) It is important to check Facebook wherever you are. We have friends that live in Minnesota but have family in Rapid City. I'm always telling them that we need to coordinate our South Dakota trips so we can see each other once in awhile. I knew they had been there around July 4 so didn't check to see if they'd be there when we were. By chance, I saw a post on Facebook (which I wouldn't have seen if I didn't have my IPad along since I can't get it on my phone when I'm out of area) saying they were on their way to South Dakota. I immediately texted them to see if we could get together. They arrived in town on Saturday and were leaving on Sunday so we met for breakfast on Sunday morning. I'm so glad we were able to connect since it had been three years since we'd seen each other. We need more than an hour every three years, though.

6) Life is short and uncertain. I've really always known that, and I didn't learn it on my vacation, but it was definitely reinforced when we suddenly lost a neighbor who was the husband of my good friend and the father of R's best friend. They were married just a week before we were and have kids the same age as ours, so it was quite the wake-up call and devastating for the whole community. Made me hold my husband a little tighter for sure.

Our trip was good but too short, and it's been a busy week since we got back. If the weather ever straightens out we'll be full steam ahead into harvest.

Oh, Hail!

The nasty stuff finally hit us on Saturday. It was a bit of a deceiving storm. I was home in the afternoon mowing and noticed that the sky was getting dark so I finished up, took my laundry off the clothesline and went inside. J called awhile later to see if it was raining here. The wind had come up and the way the sky looked I thought it should be pouring, but it only sprinkled here. I watched a nasty cloud that was headed to the southeast so thought the heavy stuff had missed us. Wrong!

It appeared that the storm hit about at the barn at R's. There must have been a raging river through the yard there that took out this brace. Notice the tree branch stuck in the brace that washed down from the house. There are branches and leaves everywhere! R's girlfriend was here for the weekend and her car was covered in leaves and grass when they got home. When she got it cleaned off she discovered lots of hail damage.

We took a little farm tour on Sunday morning. Talk about depressing. Almost all our peas are wiped out as well as the neigbor's who we farm for. These pictures were taken about 18 hours after the storm and look at this bank of hail.

This used to be a field of peas.

And a wheat field.

Not only is there the financial loss, but it creates a mess and changes plans for next year. We don't want it to be a weedy mess so will have to spray it all again, and it is pretty sandy soil so we're worried about it blowing if it gets dry (which is always does here at some point). We still have lots of good crops out there, so we hope any future storms don't bring hail to any of that. I'm trying to look on the bright side...a shorter harvest. Maybe we'll be able to make the race in Kansas this fall.