November is Harvest Time

It is our goal each year to be finished with corn harvest by Thanksgiving. It is not a requirement, and is usually not a huge disaster if it doesn't happen, but it is just a nice feeling for everyone to be able to sit down and relax after the big meal and truly be THANKFUL that the harvest is in. This year the guys are working especially hard to get it in because the weather keeps throwing rainy days in here and there, and continues to threaten to rain. Or snow (none so far here but next week could be anyone's guess). We had a huge windstorm early this week but we were lucky most of the corn stood well through it. To beat the rain forecast, they combined popcorn on Tuesday night, all night, and finished the field the next morning. In spite of overnight showers, we have been gifted with blue skies and sunny days both yesterday and today, quite unexpected, and so the combine continues to roll. This is a year where building all those storage bins is really working for us, as there are lines at the grain elevator in town waiting to unload and we are hearing stories of farmers who are only able to get a truck or two per day delivered out of their fields. How frustrating that would be; many of them will be finishing up next March after the snow is off again.
We still have hopes of being done with the remaining 100 or so acres by next week when our people will be heading out of town to their family gatherings. Lou and I will man the farm this holiday.

Because she does not like to travel on Thanksgiving weekend (remembering one such weekend when it took 10+ hours to drive the return trip to college that should have taken no more than 4), Dayna and the girls came last week to visit for a few days, taking advantage of the long Veterans Day weekend. Shane had to work so he and Koa stayed home and got their fill of peace and quiet.




On Saturday we made some cookies for after church on Sunday, always fun! The girls really got the hang of the frosting decorators in a big hurry.














We had leaves, girls, hearts, stars, flowers, and pigs! Yum (and not many left over after church.)
The finished products--
Nicholas likes to ride along in the chopper or combine whenever he can. We thought we'd give the girls a shot at it since they were here during prime harvest dates. It was a foggy and rainy week and pretty soon we weren't sure they would be able to ride the combine with Papa Lou at all, but finally the sun came out Saturday afternoon and we went to the field with plans to go until dark.The plan was for Lou and Danelle to ride in the combine and Dayna and Thea in the tractor with the wagon alongside. It was a good idea and we had a good time for as long as it lasted ... but then the combine bent a piece of metal and couldn't continue until the new part could arrive on Monday.
Now that they know what it is and how it goes, next year the girls will be ready to ride again!