So What's Normal

When folks look at statistics, 2017 will probably go in the books as a normal year. Normal rainfall. Average crop. Normal number of hurricanes. Normal amount of life issues to deal with on a personal as well as national level. However living in the moment never feels normal and all we can do is to ask someone bigger than us for help.

Where we live we had just 5 inches of rain during the 4 month crop growing season. Recently we've had 5 inches of rain in October already. Often our jobs look bigger than the barn door. 

Harvest is continuing to go well. We have had short crops in some areas and on lighter soil types while having outstanding, surprising yields in the areas with better soils and a touch more rain during the growing season.

So what's normal? Normal is the average of our abnormals. Normal is different things to different people. Normal feels comfortable. Normal is safe. I think we were put here on earth and given abilities to be more than just normal.

Late one night this past week we needed this tractor. This chicken had decided earlier in the evening this tractor fender would be a normal place to roost for the night. Unknown to us till we got back home this gal rode down the road and back several miles. An abnormal night with a safe ending.

Our harvest crew has kind of made a clockwise loop around our area. Early in the week we moved to Kurt and Emily's west of Leighton. We then combined for Alex near Pleasantville where there had been less rain for the week. I brought the guys supper to the field from Checkerboard that night.:)

We continue to deliver contracts to Cargill/Eddyville and have had a normal week unloading.

Although we do our best to prepare the equipment breakdowns occasionally happen. In this particular field the cornhead tried to eat a steel post and a connecting link came apart on the clean grain elevator.

Because of a large family, a fair amount of custom work, the area we cover, and a hardworking crew, normal harvest to us has become fairly significant. This crew has become very efficient and has many advantages. It also has it's disadvantages.

This spring we bought a smaller field cultivator for clean up jobs, to share, and for grandkids to use and be part of getting things done. This past week I purchased a smaller combine for the same reasons. 

I want the older grandkids to have the opportunity to drive combine and help harvest. I want the younger ones to help Grandpa. We are the C team. If kids are going to live normal lives in an abnormal world they need to feel needed, affirmed, and appreciated.

When children spend time with their parents, help with jobs, and are given responsibility they not only learn to work, they become assets in their communities as well as God's kingdom. Below is a picture of Becky and either Mark or BJ helping me combine a field along Hwy 92 east of Oskaloosa 32 years ago. The field is now a housing development called Otter Hills.

Yesterday Becky and Brian's daughter Hazel helped combine her parents crop. If you look close at Becky in the previous picture and Hazel in this one you will see that Hazel is definitely her mother's daughter. :)

Psalm 90:10 says the days of our years are seventy to eighty if our strength endures. A normal lifespan. We all know folks who are older than that. We are also reminded by things that happen that life can not always be a guarantee. No matter how old you are take the abnormals of your life and use them for God's glory and other's good. Below is my father holding Karl and Kristin's daughter, Sydnie. 

 One needs grounded and a firm footing living normal in an abnormal world. Some of you are busy. Life is good. You are climbing and close to being on top of your world. Others, because of health, or loss, or events, feel yourselves slipping, maybe even sliding downhill, maybe even close to out of control. Finally a few of you feel you are in a valley, at the bottom, and maybe have even been there for awhile feeling no way out. We all know this however we need to remind ourselves and each other that God is our only anchor in choppy waters. And He loves us more abnormally than we can even love each other. I'm praying for you, our blog family this week. Let me know if you have specifics.