StillwatersIowa

At three years old you can't wait to be big. As a teenager you are still looking forward. Graduates and newlyweds feel their whole life is ahead of them. Careers and kids keep you busy through mid life. Then there comes a time though not altogether true that it seems you have more to look back at than forward to.   Today is my 62nd birthday. I share June 24 with my daughter-in-law. Happy Birthday Emily. As a kid I thought it was the best date ever because it was exactly 6 months opposite December 24, Christmas Eve, the two times I received presents as a kid. I have been incredibly blessed with family, friends, and a career I love.   Generally my goal in our visits is to point upward and outward. I do that this morning by showing you folks how God has and still is working in my life making me who he intends me to be. And just maybe this visit will remind you of things God has done and is doing in your life as well. To younger self: Jan was the second be...

I f you are following someone else you will probably end up where they wanted or needed to go. You've probably seen the signs on the back of semis in a road construction zone reading not to follow them into work areas. Your best path is often unforseen. Doing the unexpected like sweeping Grandma's sidewalk while your boy cousins are riding their trikes will get your picture taken. Have you ever noticed most of the time we remember and often appreciate the unexpected like finding your little guy outside with a dirty face and a determined look trying to accomplish something unpredictable. Thanks for the picture Emily. We have a wonderful looking crop that has been getting just enough little showers to get by. Well on Thursday morning Northwest Iowa shared some of their many showers with us and we had an unexpected two inches of rain. Summer rains come in the form of thunderstorms often accompanied by wind and occasionally by hail. Tall fast growing corn is the most s...

There are days and there are fields in the spraying world when the fields are large and rectangular. The auto steer, auto boom height, and auto shut offs are all doing their job. And it feels like one is just along for the ride.     There are also days and fields that are a little more interesting. On rougher ground crops are often planted on the tops and the bottoms of farms and the hills are shared with either timber or pasture. On these jobs it's not uncommon to drive over a pond, around a bunch of cows, through countless electric fences, and under low tree branches, to spray a five acre field surrounded by brush. There is no cruise and there is no auto steer on these more interesting jobs. You need to use your experience and ability to keep the sprayer boom out of the trees, not to spray the grass field borders, terraces, and waterways, and to keep the sprayer tires between the rows. In order to do all this together, effectively you n...