I love it when little folks are totally engaged. When they come up with plans as they play together with cousins and friends. When they can easily talk to adults. Often young ones will talk non stop in a combine or a truck cab. It's often easy to only half listen, to just agree with them, or to tune them out as we as grown ups have other things on our minds. However we need to do more than just enjoy their company. We need to be attentive enough to have a conversation that lets them know their loved and appreciated. Below Jackson often starts the day with his dad (Kurt) at 5am on the days he's not in kindergarten.
I also enjoy giving little folks jobs. Yesterday Matt and I worked in the shop putting a splashboard on one of our graincarts while Devin and Karl unloaded semis in the dryer and Alex and BJ tiled. Jacob and Malaki were around most of the day. I gave them the job of filling the fridge in our shop office with bottles of water. I told them they could carry one bottle at a time or they could come up with a better way. Pretty soon Jacob (our part time helper Matt's son) asked me for a rope and as you can see they developed a pretty good system for hauling water.
After a job is completed little and big people need to feel appreciated with a thank you, a pat on the back, or in this case a small reward. I keep a coffee cup of dollar bills in my office. I gave Malaki two $1 dollar bills. He immediately gave one of them to his helper Jacob. For having a sharing heart they each received an extra dollar.
Cody (Mike and Suzanne's) has worked hard getting ready for football season and that hard work shows in his abilities as a player on both offense and defense. I shared with Cody that sometime this season someone might come up to him with a pen and paper or smartphone and interview him about his season and his goals. And that it might be a good idea to be prepared with some thought about his answers. Thanks for the picture Suzanne.
We spent the week harvesting corn starting south of Oskaloosa with 105 day hybrids. As a rule BJ and Kurt combine with Alex and Kasey in the graincarts. John has been following up the combines with the batwing mower cleaning up field edges and waterways. Grain quality is excellent. Standability is still good. Field conditions were solid and dry. Corn moisture was variable in the same field testing between 22% and 28%. Yields were also variable with farm averages from 175 to 210 bushels per ace. On Thursday evening our crew moved northeast of Oskaloosa. The 108 day hybrids there were higher in both grain moisture and yield.
On Tuesday evening we had guests visit in the field and ride in the combines. Akhil who works with Duane in Des Moines, his wife Rose, and both sets of parents visiting from India came out. Thanks for the visit folks.
We hauled corn to Cargill/Eddyville all week. Thanks to Lee, Richard, Jim, Karl, Layton, Andy, Brent, Steve, and Calvin.
For years Pablo drove his favorite truck for us on his days off. However this year Cargill has him unloading trucks. So even though we miss him in the field we enjoy his company and positive attitude at one of the corn dumps.
The first part of the week was normal unloading times at Eddyville. However by Wednesday folks started blending old and new crop and a lot of new crop was coming out of Missouri trying to capture a positive basis. Obviously a lot of visiting happens while waiting and I encouraged the guys to be open, friendly, honest, and prepared to answer questions about moisture and yield on this 2019 crop.
One of the challenges at harvest is keeping everything straight. Often Linda's desk is full of corn tickets, settlement sheets, and checks when she gets to work. Thank you Linda for your system of keeping all the farms and folks organized. We couldn't get along without you.
Emily and Kristin went shopping in Des Moines this week. On the way home they stopped northwest of Pella and stocked our fridge for fall. Thanks gals. And thanks for the picture Kristin.
Andy met and became friends with our boys while they were still in high school. He has helped us about as long as I can remember. Over the past few years he has purchased a farm, built a hog shed, and gotten married. On Wednesday their daughter Lyndi was born. Congratulations Amara and Andy. Thanks not only for your help but also your willingness and your friendship.
On Sunday Jan's mother's side of the family got together at the cabin for a service and a potluck dinner. Thanks Terry for your message. Folks shared testimonies and stories. Uncle Frank Jr. from Leighton told me about his John Deere 70 and 227 ear picker during the 1960s when he lived where we currently do and how he and my father-in-law picked some excellent corn right where our cabin is now sitting. I would encourage the older generation to continue to be prepared tell your stories. Just don't tell the same story to often or your kids will roll their eyes. :)
What image are we reflecting as we go about our daily lives? Have you ever looked at yourself through someone else's mirror? How do other folks see us? Some folks see us by what others hear, perceive, and say, and that isn't always accurate or good. Who we really are will show up in the lines at Cargill or Wal-Mart or the grocery store. We need to be prepared to have the time to help others, with an answer, a visit, or just to be a friend.
In the Bible Peter says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks. And to give the reason for the hope that you have". Hope is different from goals. We have goals in our work, in our personal lives, and in relationships. Hope is what we hang on to when the rest of life seems to fall apart. We are also to be a conduit of hope for others benefits. Have a hope filled week.
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