Random Remembering

Isn't it crazy the random stuff you remember as a kid? When I lived in Pella as a 4th grader (Jackson's age) I still remember a husband and father in our church die of a tooth infection. 10 years ago as a father I remember in detail getting up in the middle of the night to go farm. I sat in my chair waiting for Tylenol to kick in for a tooth ache. That was just enough time for me to hear BJ ask for help on the 2-way when he burnt his eyes applying anhydrous.

In 9th grade I remember my father taking me to an elderly farmer to ask for a job after school. I remember Pepsi and Archway cookies with that farmer every afternoon. I remember going to chore one Wednesday evening before Young Peoples and finding Walter. He had died of a heart attack. I still remember picking up the phone receiver, asking the neighbor to get off because it was a party line, calling Walter's son in Georgia, and telling him his father had passed away. I remember the neighbor picking up on the party line and listening. I remember picking up and meeting Walter's son at the Des Moines airport the next day.

Many things we choose to remember. My office in the house is full of sentimental stuff. A scale beam from a truck scale we used on the farm 45 years ago. An old Dekalb emblem from Wilson. A sword from Charles. A lighted gift from Alex. A plaque from Ryan. An aluminum milled case from the Dordt University Pro Tech engineering department. A metal ear of corn from Andy. An owl from Miss Ellie. A picture from Terry. My name stitched from a Mexican orphan where I worked at an orphanage as a teenager in Mexico. And a shark tooth with a cross carved in it from David in New Zealand where we built a church.

Last Sunday afternoon BJ and Cassia's Rachel came over to tell Grandma and I she and Carson were engaged. They are planning an April wedding. What a fun memory. Since Rachel looks a lot like Jan when she was 19, and Carson looks a lot like me when I was 18, another host of memories came to mind. Thanks for the picture.

Early yesterday morning Rachel's older and recently married brother Gideon, took their youngest sister Natalie, a 6th grader, deer hunting. What a neat memory, shooting your first deer. Gideon and Natalie butchered and ground it adding pork fat for flavor. Thanks for the picture Gideon.

 This fall is Jan and I's 50th crop farming. What a blessing. Our first combine was an IHC 715, with a 13 foot bean head. Today's bean heads are from 30 to 45 feet wide. We bought it at Hines-Westburg IH dealership in Knoxville. Jan stopped traffic across the old Belle Fountain bridge on old Hwy 92 when we were Rachel and Carson's age so I could cross bringing it home. 3 years later it blew a motor combining customwork for Jan's Uncle Ed, on a farm Mark farms today. We traded it in Carl and Martha's living room for a New Idea Uni Harvestor. That wasn't a new idea, but a bad idea! Oh well, memories.

Last Monday we remembered 9/11/2001 when our country was attacked. Most of you old enough, remember what you were doing when you heard the news. If 9/11 happened today I'm not sure America would respond the same way, buying and waving flags, filling churches, and as a nation asking God for guidance. Would you agree that we're heading for an election year that doesn't seem likely to overcome our troubles? I'm not confident we as a country are even able to have an effective, honest election.

On Thursday evening Karl took his seed tender to Seth and Ed to check yields and yield monitor. It was a corn on corn field and the Becks 6256Q was again remarkable. Thanks for the picture Karl.

We've had another busy week of harvest even though on Monday and Saturday we had two rain showers totaling an inch. Full season corn in the southern part of Mahaska County is down to 20% moisture. I don't see much optimism in the corn market as the corn crop continues to come in above expectations.

We continue to haul our pre-sold crop straight to the processor in Eddyville with several semis thanks to Andy, Ryan, and Garrett's help. I remember hauling my first loads of corn into Eddyville with a straight truck in 1985 hauling 275 bu. loads. They were open 24 hrs/day. Today we haul in 1100 bu. loads. In 1985 Cargill ground 60,000 bu/day. Today they grind close to 300,000/day.

We also combined a couple of hundred acres of soybeans. Considering 5 weeks of no rain in August I'd say beans are better than anticipated.

Yesterday afternoon Jan and I took a short road trip to Missouri, around to southeast Iowa, and then back home stopping at Mike's Pizza in Ottumwa for a pizza to go.

This summer we updated our grandkid combine going from a JD 9560 to a JD 9660. And we were looking for a late model beanhead. I expect soybean harvest to be in full swing around here by the middle of the week.

Wrapping up on a vulnerable note. You may have noticed a tooth theme this week. When my fuel tank gets low I have always just tried to be strong for myself and others by working harder. And when I do that I unknowingly grind my teeth. Well the day of reckoning finally came. I spent Tuesday afternoon in the oral surgeon chair. Getting 9 worn down teeth cut out. And then bone graphing under my gums preparing for implants. Jan brought me home although I don't remember. This week at 67 years old it would be really easy for me to choose to shift life into neutral moving forward. I've been blessed with 50 crops. And there may come a time, even soon, when my mind or body fails. And I will have to accept that if it happens.

But I've got 4 reasons to try and continue to finish strong. 1. God has redeemed me from my sinful nature and still has a purpose for me. 2. I have a family to love and help including Brynn and Lane below. 3. I have dozens of relationships with friends and business associates including many of you. 4. I have not yet lost my passion and ability to help farm. I want to create more remembering with and for those reasons I've mentioned.

What's the take-away for such personal stuff? Life doesn't always work right. But it always works out. Why? Because you and I have a Heavenly Father that always remembers us. "This is the day the Lord has made. Let's rejoice and be glad in it" Psalms 118:24.