Friends For Real

In his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie says you can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you.

When we truly listen rather than just waiting to talk, and show an interest in what's important to others we begin to be a real friend. Jan made pizza sauce and salsa this week. Thanks for the tomatoes Karl and Kristin.  

 Real friends are people that have positive attitudes, positive solutions, and a positive outlook. Any hint of jealousy, sarcasm, put-downs, and being negative are a wet blanket on relationships. We planted a second patch of sweetcorn along the 4 lane on the Eddyville Flats on June 20. It is just now getting ready. Mike helped me pick and Cassia helped Jan freeze.

 We had a number of special days this week. Mike turned 42. Alex had his 30th birthday. Sydnie turned 2. And BJ and Cassia had an anniversary. Thanks for the picture Karl.

Kurt and friends spent some time loading soybeans in Monroe County and hauling them to Des Moines for Brent.

It was corn head week around here this week as our crew totally rebuilt one head and made sure the other two were ready for harvest. Rebuilding a corn head means replacing rolls, deck plates, sprockets, gathering chains, and guides.

I consider it a gift when we get to tile in the summer and gave up 4th cutting hay so we could pattern tile a small field west of our shop.

It's always fun to have the road ditches looking good over a holiday and Labor Day is about our last summer holiday before all the fall activities kick into action.

We are about two weeks from starting harvest on our early planted early season fields. Our beautiful summer days and especially cool nights have slowed down an already late crop.

As I have mentioned before Jan and I enjoy each others company and friendship by taking Sunday afternoon Ranger rides. A couple of weeks ago we drove down old Highway 92. Do those of you that live around here remember Bellfountaine Hill? At the bottom of this hill is the Des Moines River which the old Bellfountaine Bridge used to cross. 

Well this enclosed bridge was so narrow I don't know how two semis could meet without clicking mirrors. Anyhow when Jan and I had just been married a few months we bought an IHC 715 combine at the Hines Westburg International dealership. Of course we had to cross the Bellfountaine Bridge to get home so I asked my new bride to drive across the bridge first and stop traffic so we could cross with our purchace.

Our friend and helper Jim has a Model A Ford. He tells the story about a Model A has the gas tank in the glove compartment area and when his families predecessors would come home from Tracy they would have to back up Bellfountaine Hill so the gas tank would stay above the carburetor and not run out of gas.

This week we got to make new friends. Ed and Mary brought out Phy and Emily who are missionaries in Cambodia. Phy's family farms in Cambodia. Their horsepower is two cows. So Phy enjoyed looking over a combine and driving a tractor. As Ellen said in church last week friends are friends for life and this visit reminded me of our friends from all over. Like Eric from the Fox Ranch in Colorado. And Harrison and his family, and Moses and Maria, and Henney from Malawi. And Michael and family who farm in Zimbabwe. And Joel and family who live in Tel Aviv. I'm forgetting many right now. My point is you don't ever lose a real friend no matter how far away they are.

In the summer of 2016 I had the responsibility in our church of pulpit supply meaning finding a pastor when we needed one. So when Pastor Visser moved to California God through a series of friends had me give this couple a call. I asked Pastor Paul and Ellen at the direction of the Council to ask them if they would come to Iowa from Michigan and help us out for awhile. When Pastor Jonathon and family came Paul and Ellen stayed on as part time. Last week we had to tell them good-bye as they are going back to their family in Michigan. Pastor Paul and Ellen, what a blessing you have been to our church. And what a blessing to show us the example of real friendship. Blessings on your future.

Last evening friends and our daughter-in-law Emily's parents, Jon and Glenda, invited us out to supper at the new reopened restaurant in Pella. The Liberty Street Kitchen as it is now called is owned by my father's cousin Paul who owns a number of other restaurants including Bubbas, Centro, and Django in the downtown Des Moines area.

Well as I wrap up late this morning I'm thankful for bicycles all over the shop floor. I'm thankful when I come home from mowing waterways and the grandsons are working on their pickups in our farm shop. I'm thankful when cars start rolling in to the cabin and families spend time here enjoying each other's company. Relationships are the fuel for life. And relationships lead to friendships. And friendships are for real. Thanks for visiting and thanks for your friendships.