Yesterday are memories. Have you ever gone to a childhood home or school and thought Wow, this is much smaller than I remember? Tomorrow are hopes. When I was Jayden and Lane's age I was always wishing I could be older. Today are opportunities. We are to use every today we have to take advantage of our opportunities. Each of us has a predetermined number of todays left. Let's make some memories.
Memorial Day is a time when we remember those whose time on earth is past. Many of those who have passed had served us in one way or another. Many we knew. A parent. A spouse. A child or grandchild. Others we didn't as they gave their best for us while fighting for the freedoms and opportunities we currently still have in this country. Most of those we remember died having courage. I think the current culture in our country would benefit from more courage and less fear.
Yesterday, on a cool early morning when the Des Moines River was steaming because the water temp was warmer than the air temp, Mike and I enjoyed good cowboy coffee and conversation. The coffee at the campsite took longer to brew than a Bunn or a Keurig coffeemaker but the memories we made were worth it.
Yesterday a combination of brothers, cousins, and friends raced their motorcycles at a motocross event near Sully. Thanks for the picture Stacy.
In May of 1995 Mike graduated from PCHS and in August of the same year, as a 17 year old, he left for Marine boot camp in California. On one of his deployments to Japan he helped volunteer in Okinawa. He was using his "today" back then to take advantage of an opportunity. Thanks for the newspaper clip Aunt Marilyn.
I remember a meeting in the early 1980s where area farmers were told that Cargill had purchased 320 acres from Iowa Southern Utilities along the Des Moines River near a little community of 1000 folks called Eddyville. At that meeting truck numbers were given out. Although our truck numbers did not come from that meeting we still use those 1980s numbers on our trucks today. I remember folks saying this new plant would be the end of grain elevators. I remember hauling corn to Eddyville in 1985 when the corn dumps were open 24 hours a day. One night I went home with my straight truck to get another load, came back to the Cargill plant, and was the next consecutive unload number. They used around 75000 bu/day back then. Today they grind around 275000 bu/day and the corn dumps are usually open for 10 hours. For the last dozen years or so about 85% of our corn crop goes straight to Eddyville, presold, out of the field in the fall.
This past week we put the narrow tires on our sprayers and spreader. Kurt and Karl started spraying rowed corn. We call it second pass.
I started spreading dry urea. The pink color is a nitrogen stabilizer. We apply around 40-50 pounds/acre of actual N.
Second pass spraying assures weed free fields. Additional nitrogen turns a corn field to a darker color green in about 5 days since urea is a nitrogen explosion. Many folks prefer to use a time release form of N thinking it also needs the nutrient later in the plant life. We feel the already applied anhydrous or hog honey will be there for those later needs. I remember my sister-in-law Donna who is a nurse saying that you need to "stay ahead of the pain" when caring for patients. I agree and do the same when it comes to caring for corn.
We got the batwing mowers hooked up this week and I am looking forward to finding the time to mow waterways and road ditches.
Memorial Day weekend is often a good time for projects. Below Matt is helping get a sidewalk to our basement formed.
Uncle Charlie brought over some picture books he received from Uncle Pete who has passed away. Those books talked alot about Uncle Germ who passed away in the 1990s. I was a pallbearer. These are my mother's brothers from Pella. We sometimes think we have tough times today. Aunt Marge went to Pine Rest in 1942 which was taboo back then to have mental or "nervous" troubles as they called it back then. Uncle Pete and Aunt Ruth moved to Arizona in the early 1960s. I was always told it was for health. Actually they moved to care for a widowed friend and her children. Uncle Germ was fighting in World War II, saw heavy action, was shot, and in 1945 had to recover in a hospital stay for "nervous" troubles. I read his letters. I also read the letters his father (my Grandpa Lane) sent to the military folks. Later in the picture below Grandpa worked with his four sons in his Rus Auto Service garage. When I get to heaven I'm going to ask Grandpa Rus about going from a troubled heart in the 1940s, to a grateful heart in the 1960s, to a giving and serving heart in his later years.
Speaking of a giving and serving heart, our country lost a patriot this past week. I met Foster 6 years ago when he stayed at our home overnight while in Iowa. Foster grew up in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. He became successful as an investment manager. He had homes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Scottsdale, Arizona. He passed away on Thursday. Our sympathies to his wife Lynn, his kids and families, to Caroline, to Steven, and to Judy and his other helpers.
I have many stories (memories) about Foster and I. About Foster and others. About Foster and country. We visited with him last about a year ago when we shared supper together with friends at an event in Des Moines. However Foster would not want me to focus on him. He always told me the things we have belong to the Lord. Believing that can keep one generous. He loved giving and helping others. He loved people. He loved his Lord. He took advantage of his "today" opportunities and helped change the world for the better.
Two weeks ago we visited about Joshua. Last week we visited about rocks. 3000 years ago after Moses died, Joshua became the leader and it was time to take the Israelites from their 40 year hitch in the desert, across the Jordan River, and into the promised land, which is today Israel. In the story Joshua 3 says the river was at flood stage. God told Joshua to put his feet in the water. That took obedience, faith, courage, and a lack of fear. God stopped the flooded river from flowing and Joshua led his folks across on dry land next to Jericho (another story). In Joshua 4 Joshua told folks to pick up rocks from the riverbed and to set them up on the river bank to remember. To remember what God had done (yesterday) To remember what God will do (tomorrow). And to remember what God is doing (today). We may have many years of memories ahead of us. We may have few. We would be wise to take advantage of our "todays" with courage and not fear. Thank you for stopping. And blessings to you and yours on this holiday weekend.
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