In most cases there is both a bright side and a dark side to things we see. Which side we choose to focus on often determines whether we have a good or a bad day. Jackson and Malaki have found a donut box that a visitor brought for coffeetime. The bad news is the box is empty. The good news is the bottom is full of frosting. :)
Alex and I got an early start spraying Roundup yesterday since Alex had a golf tournament later in the morning. We thought it would be nip and tuck whether or not we finished in time.
About mid morning Karl calls and says he is finished with the Liberty acres and has time to help us. We were finished in plenty of time.
BJ mowed our hay yesterday. Maybe that will make it rain around here.
BJ and his boys replaced a small bulk bin with a larger one so the feed truck has room to bring bigger loads. BJ and his boys custom feed cattle for Jerry, our friend and one of our landlords who just happened to have a birthday yesterday, Happy Birthday Jerry.
Mike is pushing dirt at Karl and Kristin's house getting ready for a second hog shed. On the one hand the dirt is very dry and pushes hard. On the other hand at least they aren't having to push mud which is never very fun. Karl moved in BJ's dozer to help later yesterday and Mark showed up with his track hoe after digging a basement near Bussey yesterday morning.
I still enjoy checking crops by mowing waterways and ditches and usually work at this every chance I get.
The farms that received rain earlier this week are busy tasseling.
However the corn on the farms that missed the rains seem to be in a waiting mode and are even looking tired in the warm afternoons.
We have a 25 hybrid test plot on the flats just north of Eddyville. On Friday evening Karl and I put up seed signs identifying the individual corn numbers. It's fun to observe the different characteristics of each number. As a family we have lots to look at this year. By adding Becks to our DeKalb and Asgrow lineup we have more options for our seed customers.
Shorty after 7 am one morning this truck showed up with a delivery. We were busy. My first impression about the driver was hesitant.
By the time I got him unloaded I considered him my friend even though this was the first time we had ever met. So often we don't see the real person if we don't take the time. Vasily is an immigrant from the old Soviet Union. I asked him to tell me his story. He told me during the collapse of his old country the store shelves were empty and his wife and kids would have gone hungry had he not had a garden. He said they met as Christians in homes in secret. He said they would post a person outside to watch while the rest of the family listened to pastors on the radio from America.
Vasily delivered us some pallet racking that Jan and I purchased on a stop in Kearny, Nebraska on our way home from Colorado last week. Vasily says we in America forget how many freedoms and opportunities we have. Lets remember to see them as gifts and be thankful for them as we celebrate our countries birthday this coming week.
BJ and Cassia are starting to focus and make a plan on their burnt home after most insurance issues are now behind them.
Initially it's not a fun place to visit. The house is still a mess. It brings back memories. The unattended weeds are growing. First impressions are not good.
However if you look closer you can see a promising future. The flowers Cassia planted way back when are still there and growing. The oak trees BJ moved in are alive and well. Honestly it looks like it would still be a great place to live. All it needs is a new home and a family.
As Ryan and I were getting ready to put up pallet racks here in our machine shed yesterday I noticed BJ had gone after his track hoe and was fueling it up. I thought yeah, this is the beginning of a new chapter. So we went over to see what we could do to help. Pretty soon Jan came and was helping sort the cleanable stuff from the burnt and sooty stuff. It wasn't long and Sylvia showed up with Olivia to help. Good neighbors noticed the wood stove chimney coming down and stopped to visit. I think BJ is going to pull out a wall with his hoe on Monday and save the geo-thermal units. BJ and Cassia see a future. I see God being faithful.
Maybe as you take a little time off the first of this coming week, don't forget to see the things that are important to us. We can't control what's ahead. This past week our community has had families with losses to deal with, with memories of losses, with risky surgeries coming up. Notice the fun times and take the time to enjoy them. Notice those hurting and take the time to care.
No comments:
Post a Comment