And So It Begins

Wheat harvest 2014 has officially begun. I got my first ride on the combine this season after delivering supper to the field last night.

I was not the only spectator there. This doe was checking out the commotion in her usually quiet environment.

Kim's County Line gives me a diary of our harvest start times since 2010:

2010:  June 18
2011:  June 10
2012:  May 26 (the earliest harvest either Randy or I have ever experienced)
2013:  June 21
2014:  June 17

Randy earned his paycheck last night. Because of the drought, the wheat is short this year, so he has to run the header close to the ground.

And, ironically, he also had to battle mud from our recent rains. (Just to be clear, we're not complaining!) He had to back out of a few places, but other times, he was twisting and turning the combine wheel and gunning the engine like a race car driver maneuvering through traffic in his effort to keep from getting stuck.

Sunspots added dimension to the wheat as the combine disappeared into the horizon like a cowboy riding into the sunset in one of those old Western movies.

And so it begins.

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