StillwatersIowa

Good morning. It's been a busy week. I'm looking forward to Sunday. We were created to get things done. We were also designed for a day of rest. Still can't sleep in. We'd miss our visit.   I'm thankful for a family that's smarter than me when it comes to technology. All our planter data is downloaded into the combines so we know how hybrids, populations, and planting dates effect yield and drydown.   Having the crop sold and committed before harvest allows us to look forward. It gives us a plan. We know what we have to do. Get it on wheels and get it to Eddyville. We arrive at the shop just after 5 am. Half the crew heads for the field. The other half jumps in the old van and heads down to Cargill/Eddyville where the loaded semis have been put in line the previous evening. Harvesting this way is not possible without trucks. Thanks to Kevin and crew, Luke and crew, Mike and crew, and Bruce for your hard work. Neither is harvest possible wit...

Last Sunday was the baptism of Brian and Becky's fourth son, Harris. Baptism reminds us of God's promises to us and our children. It also reminds us of our promises to Him that we as parents, family, and church, will teach our children that we belong to God. Cousins hanging out and interacting together definitely broadens their horizons. Harris is growing but then you about have to when you belong to a family and hang out with older brothers. Our crop in the northern part of the county was in an area that was hit hard with a wind just before pollination. Harvesting goose necked plants takes concentration and can make you dizzy watching the corn come into the corn head. The yields in these area of the fields are down about 25%. It's always fun when family comes out and helps. Emily and Jackson are helping Kurt in the grain cart. For the most part the weather cooperated this week and the ground firmed up some as we continued with harvest. ...

The pictures in our visit this morning tell a harvest story. I even had it written not knowing the internet had quit working and none of it was saved. So I went to the cabin and put the potatoes in the oven for Harris's baptism dinner today. Then I drove up north and checked the dryer. Now I'm back with the internet working. I often wonder what you folks like to read about. I sometimes wonder what God wants me to share about in our visits. God often reminds me life is not about us. He also reminds me I can't control things like the weather so it really doesn't do much good worrying about it. He teaches me that things don't always go as planned and we are all totally dependent on His will and purpose. He reminds me all our abilities come from Him and we are to try our hardest with the talents we are given. God is honored and pleased when we have conversations with Him that include praising, thanking, asking, and listening. ...

Sometimes life is overwhelming. Sometimes it's relaxing. Many times it can be both in the same day depending on our environment. We live in a changing world. Weather, prices, technology, people. How we adapt will determine whether we succeed or fail.  A story is told about a devastating storm on a Caribbean island in 1989. It literally blew down thick timbers. Everything had changed.  Then something started happening after the destruction. Flowers started growing where the trees had once stood. Now never seen before beauty was coming to life. Those flowers were a gift from a loving Creator.   When we started visiting Jackson County Colorado 14 years ago the mountains were covered with trees. Most homes were secluded. About ten years ago a beetle migrated in and killed most of the Lodge Pole Pines. The forward thinking ranchers adapted and harvested the dead pines for firewood. It totally changed the landscape.   Today a w...