StillwatersIowa

The calendar says spring is supposed to be here. Our current weather and forecast feels likes it's trying, but not quite yet. Still, we had a busy week. And I was reminded of the blessing of getting to work with others. Mike continues to doze. Mark is cleaning trees off of bottom dikes. Kurt is fixing tile holes and intakes. Karl's main focus has been seed. And BJ has been busy tiling, using both the trencher below and his Wolfe plow. On Sundays we often hear about our vertical relationship with God. That's "Love the Lord with heart, soul, mind, and strength". The rest of that verse goes, "And the second is equally important. Love others as you love yourself". If we claim a vertical relationship with God, it will show through horizontal relationships with others. Dads working along side their children is a huge building block to those children's future. Karl and Malaki are building a hay rack. Another father/son dual this week I had the blessing of h...

When I was a little kid I remember my Dad trying to talk to me about living and dying. He said that I'd better be good and believe in Jesus. Because if I should die I would want to go to heaven and not that other place. He was right. However when I'd ask what either place was like I never got an answer a little kid could get his mind around. Folks said Jesus was in Heaven so it was really bright. They said there was a lot of praise and singing. And like church that keeps going on and on. I know I wasn't supposed to think this, but as a kid it sounded a touch boring. Then my Dad told me what the other place would be like. And I decided heaven was definitely the better option.  Jan enjoyed a house full Monday. Heaven is faith, assurance, conviction, courage, character, and relationship. Heaven is in relationship with our Heavenly Father (love God). Heaven is also the intended good for others (love your neighbor). That definition means we have the capacity to experience a litt...

 I left church that night with a truck full of snow, a heart full of love, and a mind full of goals. Yep, it snowed that Friday night, March 7, 1975. And folks had fun cleaning the whole Central Reformed Church yard in order to fill our truck. I was convinced I had married the finest girl in the country that night. And just as pretty on the inside as out. She knew how to drive tractor. She grew up driving green. I had driven red by myself doing fieldwork since I was in fourth grade. We went to NW Iowa over the weekend for our honeymoon. As far as a mind full of goals, we rented a house on the Glendale Road from Earl and Marie for $75/month. We had an FHA farm loan for the farm we rented. I had went to the manager of Farm Service, and with my head full of self doubt, asked Howard if he had any customwork so I could support my wife. Howard said,"Son, don't ever put yourself down. I think we might have work for you". I went home and bought a set of duals for $150 for our IHC...

This past mid week northern Arizona had a snow storm. 12 highways were closed including interstates for a time. Temperatures were cool all week. Overnight temps where we stayed first in Yuma and then the Phoenix Valley were cooler than southern Iowa a couple of times. Jan and I spent four days in Yuma, coming down through Dalhart, Texas and Deming, New Mexico. This is farming country and I often enjoy stopping at implement dealers and field drives to visit with farming folks. Jan enjoys stopping at fabric and quilt shops. She also enjoys comparing the Costcos and Sams Club in different parts of the country. She makes sure she hits the local Farmers Market visiting with the vendors. Below we were at the large flee market in Yuma. While I wait on Jan shopping I watch people. I was surprised at how old everyone was. Then I realized they were mostly all our age.😊 We went to Los Algodones, Old Mexico. It felt safe. I enjoy using what little Spanish I know. Because of multiple visits over t...