On Purpose

Mondays are still active days at our house with the younger grandkids around. Jayden, Harris, Jackson, and Malaki are cousins building something together with Legos in our sunroom while Grandpa is in his chair after lunch. Of course it's "monkey see, monkey do" when one decides he's warm and decides to take his shirt off.

Last evening as I came to the shop after supper I saw two sets of boots sticking out from underneath Gideon's pickup. Apparently he had rode over something and he and his brother John were fixing and welding parts back on. They are using an air hose to blow the floor dust off their coats.

While I was in Africa it rained a couple of times and our snow all left except in the ditches. It's still very busy around here for the third week of December with hauling contracted soybeans, selling seed corn, and diving in to all the office work that goes with the end of a crop season. There are also fieldwork jobs left including hog honey if the weather allows.

Most folks around here know they can catch us in the office at 7 am. if they need anything including a cup of coffee or goodies around this time of year. This is the time of day we catch up face to face, share stories, make a plan moving forward, and just enjoy each other's company. Texting, snapchats, emails, and cell phones have their place however relationships require a little together time.

BJ and his friend Mark went to a salebarn in Missouri and bought a bunch of buffalo to finish out in his fat cattle lots. Buffalo don't gain weight as fast a cattle and they will be on feed around a year and a half.

Mike continues to work with his dozer and  build terraces for folks.

The guys worked really hard trucking corn, beans, hog honey, and equipment while I was gone. We are still busy hauling grain for ourselves and others. Wrapping up a year includes paying cash rent, operating loans, crop inputs for next year, and all the other obligations that go with living in this great country.

A job folks don't always associate with wrapping up a crop season is getting the equipment cleaned up and this year with harvesting in the mud this is a big job. It usually starts in the field with a crow bar getting the big chunks of mud off. Then an air hose for all the corn and bean dust. Then usually about a day per machine washing. Then finally cleaning out inside the cab.

Deer hunting in Iowa is a big deal and the guys have been out with each other and their friends.

This is the time of year for Christmas get-togethers. Our cabin has been busy. Jan and I attended this Christmas get-together with The Family Leader board and staff at Bob and Darla's house in Grimes.

Have you ever had your DNA tested to see what your ethnicity is? It's fun to see the matches your related to from others who have had the same test done. A couple of you all are on my distant cousin list.

Well a week ago last Saturday our helper Andy and Amara were married at an outdoor wedding in December.

The dress was casual and the guests wore coats and hats.

I just enjoyed this picture of Andy and his friends outside waiting on the gals to join the wedding party. At this time of year remember, friends are a gift.

This is a picture taken from 6 miles in the air above the clouds on my way home a short while back. If you look close you can just see the curvature of the earth. As most of you know being away helps you see a bigger picture. This view got me to think about how God sees things from heaven. He sees the full picture. It's Christmas time. The time we celebrate that He who was everything came down here on purpose to be nothing for us.

What are you getting for Christmas? What are you giving? See others with humility and kindness. Give back as you have been given to. Time is a precious gift. Handle with care and open with love. Live life on purpose. Thanks for the visit.