A Farmers "Garage'

This is the scene that I saw upon walking out of the house Friday morning. TGF said he was coming home on a tractor and he sure did, parking it right in line like he would have parked his truck. Who needs a Hummer when you have a Tractor!

One more field of beans to harvest (I think), it was still a little too green, so they switched to corn on....Perhaps Sunday, harvest is going well except for a small crunch in the chaff spreader on the combine. No one was hurt and that is the most important thing.

2008 Harvest begins

Uncle Bill, here is your long awaited update.

2008 harvest officially began Friday, October 3, 2008. They began with the beans at Aunt Bernice's farm, I am never quite sure of the "plan" although I know there is one, but I think they plan to fill the bin there and then haul it out. Serena has no bean storage, but that is a story for another day. Having no elevator storage (we typically store most of the corn in the grain bins and haul the beans to town) makes things a little interesting, but last year it worked out well, so fingers crossed that it will work out as well this year.

I have heard that, "You farmers are all spoiled by the good weather these past years", but I feel a little tense that no wheels were turned in September, but the beans simply weren't fit yet and the moisture in corn was high and with the cost of LP gas, we needed to afford to dry it in the fields a bit.

This financial crisis has been troubling, we've been trying to watch the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates, I hope that one of these days we get a candidate that we want to vote for rather than voting against.


Family wise, Jack is still at U of I. He called me a week or so ago on a Monday and the conversation went something like this...

Jack: Mom, on Thursday we are having an event at the house and they usually make the freshmen be bouncers, now what exactly is the "rule" when the police come? Do I have to let them in without a search warrant...

Angie: If I were you, I'd try my darnedest to stay away from the door, but for the record, no search warrant, no entry, period, end of discussion, however, remember, there isn't a lot of $$ in your monthly allowance for bail.

That's my Jack, always be prepared.

Week before last, we had our first trip to the ER with any of the kids, Michael was finally eating supper and he managed to flip one of our heavy kitchen chairs over and cracked his head open on the radiator. Only 1 staple, and he was fine and then the following Sunday he got eaten by these Hurricane Ivan mosquitos and first his left and then both of his eyes swelled shut. He looked awful, but didn't seem to feel too bad. It was a long week.

Well, that's all the news that is fit to print and then some, I suppose. Here are some pictures taken 10/4/2008 of the pipeline, pretty boring, but I didn't want to get in trouble for trespassing on the right-of-way. Safety issues and all you know.....

The Handsomest Kid at the Prom

The best looking couple at Marquette Prom, 2008. Even if I do say so myself, that is one handsome boy and Hattie isn't bad either. (Love you Hattie)

New Toys at TGF.






On February 26, we had a sleety rain and then overnight got some beautiful snow. It coated the plants outside and it was really beautiful. This is my walking stick bush against the outhouse in the garden. Photo is dark because it was taken at about 5:30am, it was really beautiful.

Some things are meant to be.....

A new day has dawned at TGF. Today (Monday, February 25, 2008) we closed on our farm. 26.404 acres just south of our house. It touches both E. 22nd Road and E. 2150th Road. Its story is interesting to us, perhaps it is interesting to you. About a year ago. (March 2007) our banker, Richard Bend called me and inquired if we had noticed the auction notices for some land that was close to what we currently farmed. I teased him about his unusual method of drumming up business. We talked it over and decided to go to the auction to bid on the property. I had a little health scare (breast-all is FINE, thank you) and wouldn't finish the tests until after the auction. Because of that and general unknowns, we decided to bid $X. It was interesting to go to the auction as the neighbors were all nosy and there not perhaps to bid, but more importantly to see who bid. If you've ever been to an estate auction, a land auction is similar. Our parcel was the last to be sold. The piece that sold ahead of our intended piece went for less than our maximum bid. I was sure that we were going to get the property and then someone from the doorway bid and when we reached our maximum, we stopped bidding. I was so nervous, I thought I was going to pass out-seriously, I thought I was going to hyperventilate. TGF had teased me that I would buy get my arms a-waiving and buy the farm regardless of the bid, but when the time came, I couldn't bid-it was all I could do to stand upright, he did the bidding for us that day. Anyway, we didn't buy the land that day and my health issue turned out to be nothing but a scare (yes, thank heavens). The new buyer planted it and by the beginning of the summer, we heard rumors that he wanted to sell it, pretty soon we saw a listing sign on the property and I checked it out. He had it listed for $10,000 per acre, definitely more than we were interested in paying. Cut to January, a Thursday, for some reason, I was home alone that day and I saw him come down and pick up some of the bales that he left on the property. I heard the tractor stop and then a knock came on the front door (no one who knows us knocks on the front door). He asked to speak with TGF who wasn't home. TGF called and we worked out the deal. Coincidence? I think not, but I'm a little nutty that way as perhaps you know. I plan to walk the boundaries of the property, make a snow angel in the middle of it and pray extra hard for soft rain, good sunlight and a bountiful harvest. I have recently come to discover that unconsciously more than consciously, I longed for the safety of owning a piece of "God's Green Earth" as my friend Janette says and today thanks to the banker, TGF and I do.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

The 4th generation in the AG Department at the University of Illinois. Katie was the 1st 4th generation, but Jack is the 1st 4th Gen in Ag. It's a good thing as there is so much orange and blue around here, if he didn't get in, I don't know what we would do. He was accepted into Purdue (chemistry) as well, but U of I was HIS first choice. Heaven help my checkbook and keep good thoughts for him that he uses his best study skills to absorb all of the opportunities available at the University of Illinois. HAIL TO THE CHIEF!

Time Flies???

It is Illinois Today. We were dumped with about 8" of snow yesterday and last night, it is beautiful to look at and I'd love to take a walk in the woods, but alas, I was faced with the following choice. Go to work or Referee the hoard of children who were not in school due to a snow day - easy choice for me. TGF was not so lucky as he has no work excuse, hee, hee, hee.

I don't remember the last time I posted to the blog, but I think it was after harvest. We were blessed this year with timely rains, abundant harvest and increased prices for the corn and soybeans that we grew this year. Of course the imput prices (fertilizers and seed and etc) have adjusted their prices accordingly, but all in all, it was an excellent year for us. All harvest was accomplished in a safe and more or less organized manner. I have said before and will probably say again, I think farming is the most important job in the world, without TGF and his partners in relaxation (i.e. other farmers) we would not enjoy the abundance of goods to be purchased at the store. If we don't eat well, we don't live well. It does us good to remember that from time to time.