StillwatersIowa

"Then I realized that it is good for a man to make a living, and to find satisfaction in his work during the few days God has given him, for this is his destiny. Moreover, when God gives man things, and allows him to enjoy them, to accept his destiny, and be happy in his work, this is a gift from God. He seldom looks back on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart." Ecclesiastes 5:18-20   I'm spending just a little time this morning looking back over the past year and sharing some thoughts. It's been a busy year on many fronts. It's still a highlight of mine to be able to work with family and help that cares about each other as a team, is not scared of responsibility, and gives 110% effort. Early in the year Kurt and Emily took their little guy home from Blank Hospital after recovering from a blood platelet issue.   Today Jackson is a busy little guy looking and acting just like his Dad did 25 years ago. I was a...

The year was 1989. It had been a short crop. Actually it was the second short crop in as many years. It had been a difficult run at keeping the bills paid. We took on a Dekalb seed dealership hoping that would help pay for four children in Christian school.   Our family was also growing and we needed more room. So with my cousin Alan spearheading our little project we added an entry and a basement bedroom.   Kurt and Karl were born that April and were baptized on Mother's Day.   We had grown to an active family of eight.     We had a tradition of going to Jan's folks on Christmas Eve and this year was no exception. Jan's mother had always wanted a set of twins and she absolutely loved taking care of Kurt and Karl. Unfortunately she passed away when they were just three years old.   As we left our Christmas Eve get-together late that night with our family and drove home we saw an orange glow in the sky. For a while we thou...

 Do you remember looking forward to Christmas as a kid? Hope you still are this week as programs, family, food, and gifts spark in you the joy and peace of the season.  We had our family Christmas last evening. Thanks to Jan, kids, and grandkids for a great evening.  Thanks to Becky and Emily for helping wrap presents earlier in the week. If you look close you can see Jackson trying to help. Thanks to Jan for doing the shopping.   I made a trip to Drakesville to pick up some help with stovepipe for the new house.   Jan plans on a wood burning stove in our living room. I'll bet you older readers still remember getting rid of your stove when you got a new furnace. It seems like history repeats itself sometimes.   I picked up Truman and Carlton from their homes. Carlton lives next door to the Amish gal that writes in the Iowa magazine and just had child number twelve.   Jan and I went to Des Moines on Thursday ...

These little gals are always thinking of something when they come to Grandma's house. We were asked to go back to the field this week. I have mixed feelings about applying in winter. Field conditions are so variable. This is what inside a pickup box looks like after running NH3 a day. Conditions went from hard to greasy as the week progressed. Technology controls rate, steers the tractor, turns the product on and off, and records data while going through the field. The data is then sent to the fertilizer retailer we are working for. They in turn can give it to the producer. So all this technology is kind of cool however once in a while you need to sit down and decide if it pays. Below a technology salesman, a farm magazine, a farm university, and a producer are talking about how to measure the benefits.   Kurt and Emily's son Jackson had his first birthday Friday. He and his Grandma Glenda share birthdays. A year ago he was in Blank Hosp...