About a year ago we went through Belle Fourche, South Dakota, an old western cattle town. In the movie, "The Cowboys" John Wayne hires school kids to help drive his cattle to this terminal town. Elliot, Ezra, Zach, Ethan, John, Harris, and Gideon helped bale straw this past week and reminded me of John Wayne's cowboys.
It seems like every week in farming can be identified by it's activities. This week was small square baling 2nd cut hay and rye straw, spraying beans, picking and freezing sweet corn, and a farm full of grandkids.
A thought suddenly struck me as I took this picture. 45 years ago I bought the tractor in front of this load of straw when I was 17 years old. Our oldest grandson is going to be 17 in a few months. On the one hand that's 2 generations ago. That seems like a long while. Farming has only been done with tractors for the last 4 generations. On the other hand that's only 540 months ago. That doesn't seem like that long ago. In either case there has always been seed time and harvest. God has been faithful.
Sydnie and Hazel are our youngest granddaughters and hung out with us some this past week. Their older cousins Rachel, Amelia, Adi, Natalie, and Allison are going to be on the praise team with me this morning at Osky 1 church. It's friendship Sunday at our church today so if you don't have any other plans you are welcome to join us.
Mike is a friend that works in Eddyville and often stops for coffee on his way to work. Mike also helps out if we need something done with a drone. This past week his father Kenneth past away. Kenneth was retired from working at Vermeers for 32 years. He was the 11th employee Gary hired. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Mike.
The soybeans are growing fast. This is Malaki helping his dad, Karl,check crops. After being dry for about 10 days we received a very welcome half inch to an inch of rain on much of our crop Friday afternoon.
We spray soybeans three times. The third pass is fungicide to prevent disease, insecticide to prevent and kill pests, and fertilizer to foliar feed the plant while it's growing so fast. Timing is crucial and happens at R3. That means when the plant is setting on pods. Many of our early soybeans were rubbing the belly of our sprayers.
I still enjoy mowing and usually find time in the evenings after the rest of the days activities have slowed down.
Jan made a trip to Des Moines this week to prepare for vacation and our customer appreciation supper coming up in early August. She does a great job of planning and organizing.
Mike saw this picture on-line and I thought it was worth sharing. It's a picture of a lightening strike in the very dry portion of southwest Colorado.
Our sweetcorn has had to overcome some obsticles including being blown flat by a high wind some weeks ago. However it still made ears and yesterday was a sweetcorn day when everyone available helps pick, shuck, silk, cut, heat, cool, package, and freeze.
Kurt and Brad were on a team that competed yesterday in a cook off sponsored by the fire, police, and sheriffs departments. In the evening after judging the public was invited to come for supper.
Life is an adventure and we are to be an example to little people and others to embrace it and enjoy it.
My challenge this morning is to tackle the hard, scary, impossible things God is giving you the opportunity to do. Sometimes we think, but this can't be done. That's when miracles happen. The only way for a miracle to happen is when we take on situations we can't do on our own.
We talk about serving God and others. Are you serving those folks that work for you? That's done by investing in their lives. It's done by making their dreams your goals. It's done by admitting your faults. And finally it's done by leading not managing. Are you a leader or a manager?
Then be the leader God has called you to be. To a mediocre leader success is about growing oneself. To a great leader success is about growing others. That's what being created in God's image is all about folks.
Finally are we just to help folks we know? What about those we run across that are stranded or having troubles? Take the time and the effort to make someone's week special. It might just take a few minutes. It might take a lifetime.
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