Harvest

We are about three-quarters done with this year's harvest. It has all gone pretty smoothly (if you don't count that little "running over the header" incident), and the quality and quantity of grain are amazing. We are very nearly out of bin space, which is a good problem to have, if you have to have a problem at harvest.

Clem can't say enough good things about his "boys" as combine operators. They spend quite a few hours in those machines, having the odd race to spur each other on. That takes a crop off quickly! I can't help but wonder how much food they would eat, though, if they were actually doing the physical labor that our ancestors did during harvest. I can't keep up now!

Clem has taken about a gazillion photos of fields, combines, trucks, and augers over the years. As many of you will know, we are organizationally challenged, and we spend a lot of time sifting through photos. I think all the harvest ones look the same, but Clem always seems to know what year they were taken. Good thing. Because "one of these days", I am going to organize all the photos and use up my $800 or so worth of scrapbooking supplies that are in a box somewhere in the basement. Don't stop in that day. It won't be pretty. I have many tasks to complete on that "one" of these days.

But back to harvest. For you farmer types, I will tell you that we got a new truck this spring, a Freightliner modified with a box and hoist. Only Clem can drive it. He's in love with it, actually. (I don't mind - I'm in love with my new deck. But that's a different post.) We also purchased a new combine and a new auger. Well, they are new to us. It's like a someone picked us up and dropped us on a farm in the 21st century! We also bought a new header for Adam's combine, after "someone" forgot to clamp it on the combine properly and it fell off and someone else drove over it. It's sitting in the neighbor's field now, and every time we drive by it, Clem says, "That's Adam's header", like I don't know, and there are dozens of headers sitting around in fields near our farm. But back to harvest.

Here are the guys combining some peas.

This is Adam. Just look at that sky!

Here they are straight-cutting wheat. They can really boogie.
Just pretend you don't see the wild oats.
This is the new truck, in one of Clem's artistic shots. One of my favorite photos this year.  That's Stephen in the "new" combine.
Here's a shot of Clem unloading with the new auger. And that's the harvest moon in the background!
Another shot of that amazing moon. There's also a combine and truck there, if you look closely.
Love that moon...

Here's our lane with all the fall colors in the shelterbelt.
And here's Derek and his new bestest friend, Roxy.

Harvest is such a beautiful time of the year on the farm. I was trying to decide the other day if I liked spring or fall best. Spring because everything is green and new and bursting with life, or fall because of the colors and the smells (and knowing that soon all this outside work will come to an end!!) It's a toss-up. But this photo gives fall the edge, for now.

Another day's work done, and God gives us a painting as our reward. Thanks for dropping by.