Summer In Rural Iowa

Well yesterday the days started getting shorter. The corn is finally getting taller. The spring jobs are just about marked off the list. Summer must be here.

Mike was in a bind. He had a set of terraces left to build with a June deadline and it's vacation time. Fortunately he asked for and received an extension into July. He, Suzanne, and Cody left for South Dakota where they will spend some quality time with Suzanne's extended family. Have fun.

The workload is starting to get caught up enough that we are not meeting each other coming and going anymore. Brad and I stopped for some coffeetime one morning. Becky and her help just opened this little store a few months ago and always have a friendly smile and small town greeting.

Karl, Kurt, and Alex have finished there day here and are hanging out. Gals, it's been a hectic spring. Us guys around here aren't wired quite like you gals are as far as coming up with a plan for spending quality time with our spouses so feel free to make suggestions for the next couple of months.

Here is a job we are still plugging away at. BJ seeded some triticale last fall to conserve soil and make feed for his mama cows. Well it has done both. It keeps growing and growing and the ground has been so wet it has been impossible to get it chopped. BJ has 25 of the 50 acres finished.

BJ and Mark replanted the North Skunk bottom last Friday afternoon to beans after the river flooded the corn crop.

I was the official bean hauler and I had good looking help. Thanks Rachael. You are growing up way too fast.

Zeiglar Cat called and asked if we would like to demo a new machine for a day. That was fun. The only problem is this 1300 RoGator  list price was $440,000.

BJ and help had some huge baling days with a dry week. A couple of days they baled well into the night.

On this particular field I was the official bale picker upper since this field would be going to beans the next day. Elliott was my right hand man. We picked up bales until 10 pm. Fortunately he has a patient mother who was waiting to take him home to Sully.

Yes Karl is still spraying and no the mud holes are not all dried up yet.

Thinking about small town Iowa and it's friendliness I snapped some pictures of places I sometimes stop at. This is Anderson's in Beacon. Just a mile and a half from our house.

Wagner Grocery was built in 1850. Pat, a wonderful elderly gal, has been the proprietor for 62 years. It is located in Kirkville where I stop for a Diet Dew when I choose not to take the busy 4-lane on the way to farming near Ottumwa.

Blakesburg C Store has soft serve ice cream and is located at the main intersection in town. Going through Blakesburg keeps farm equipment off of busy Highway 34.

Wilson's Corner is usually busy and is located at the main intersection in Bussey, on the way to Kurt and Brad's farm near Lovilla, which also has a nice Caseys in case we miss Wilsons.

Jan and I sometimes go for a ride to look at crops up north as we call it and stop for pizza at Country Inn Pizza in New Sharon. Shirley and Glen have been here as long as I can remember. Glen used to sell Kent Feed out of this store when I was a kid. 

On Father's Day our church has kind of a neat tradition of all the gals singing a song as a mass choir. Hopefully snapping pictures with a cell phone in church is not prohibited.

Neil and Betty are celebrating their 50th anniversary. It's been fun having some of their kids stay at the cabin. Neil restored a 1948 Love tractor. Son Jim is a spitting image of his father. Happy Anniversary Neil and Betty.

Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes that it is good and proper for us to find satisfaction in our work. He says that the folks and the things in our lives are a gift from God. Solomon concludes that sometimes we seldom look back on the days of our lives because God keeps us occupied with the gladness of our hearts. Summertime in rural Iowa with friends is a gift. Take time to enjoy that gift.