Showing posts with label Harvest 2017. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harvest 2017. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Harvesting the Sky


To see the Summer Sky
Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie –
True Poems flee –
~Emily Dickinson, c.1879

 
"A harvest sky yields bounty to the eyes and weary soul."
Kim Fritzemeier, Kansas farm wife

That wasn't on the Quote Garden list of "sky" quotes. Maybe Kim Fritzemeier, farm wife, could be added to the likes of Emily Dickson and Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

OK ... maybe not. But some days, the harvest sky has made the seemingly endless trips to and from the field and the emergency parts runs a little more palatable.

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.
 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
Good old Ralph probably didn't know much about wheat harvest, but as we do our part to bring that "daily bread" into reality, I thought his quote was appropos. Sunsets are much more interesting with clouds. There's a lesson there somewhere, I'm sure.

Last Friday, I'd made two trips to Hutchinson to pick up parts at Case. That brought my 24-hour total to three trips.
That evening, instead of riding with Randy in the combine as is my usual modus operandi, I opted to stay behind to take photos of the shifting skies as day turned into evening.

It was a glorious show.
And, unlike the parts runs, it was totally free of charge.
It was almost as if Randy were harvesting the sun itself as the sun dipped toward the horizon ...
... and he emptied the combine after yet another trip down the field.
Wheat dust always makes me a little itchy. But I'd have to say it was worth a little discomfort to witness a particularly beautiful sunset.
I've had a few other favorite sky shots from this harvest. One dramatic sky heralded the arrival of Jill and the girls on the evening of June 15.
They arrived about the same time as the storm did.
Dark clouds become heaven's flowers when kissed by light.
 ~Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds
We got a rain shower during the night, but I hope it wasn't enough to prevent one more day of harvest. If we're able to cut, we should get done today. Here's hoping!

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Harvest Rhyme Time

At one Kansas farm, it was time to cut wheat
Two young girls, Grandpa Randy did greet.
They arrived with their mom, to the field they did go.
But upon their arrival, winds started to blow.
The skies became dark, though it wasn't at night.
All the lightning around gave Grandma a fright.
No picnic for supper. No stopping to eat.
Get into the combine: It was time to cut wheat!
Off they did go, as the thunder did rumble.
But even before the rain started to tumble
A belt on the combine, it split right in two.
Oh no! Now just what would they do?
A ride in the semi, to Zenith they'd go.
At harvest time, you just go with the flow.
Grandpa would drive them away in a truck.
Before the storm came, if they had any luck!
They rolled into the co-op. The trip it was fine. 
They came to a stop at the end of the line. 
Other farmers had the same plan, it did seem.
Beating the storm was part of their scheme.
The girls waited patiently for their own turn.
Waiting with Grandpa, there was much they could learn.
He answered their questions; he considered each one.
One question? Two questions? No, they were not done!
Then it was time to pull onto the scale.
It was the next spot on the wheat's market trail.
A probe dipped into the semi truck bed.
Took a sample of wheat from that farmstead.
Some tests must be done, co-op workers have said.
They want to make sure it can be made into bread!
Into the elevator, it was a tight squeeze.
But Grandpa could do it. He did it with ease.
Now inside, it was time to dump wheat.
Once it was done, it was time to retreat.
Then the big semi was once again weighed. 
A ticket would reveal if the wheat made the grade.
Yes, it was fine. Yes, it was great!
Once made into flour, it could appear on your plate! 

Since rain sprinkles fell, we quit for the night.
We came to the house for some harvest bites.
The storm had made the girls late for their meal.
So they tore into supper with a great deal of zeal!

Because of the rain, harvest couldn't start soon.
Until the next day, it would be afternoon.
So Grandpa took two little girls to the pond.
Fishing with Grandpa can forge quite a bond.
Kinley had barely cast her line in
When a fish bit her worm, she started to grin. 
For Brooke, it took longer. She had to wait. 
But then she got one, and, boy, was that great!
The sun and the wind, they dried the wheat out.
"We're ready to help Grandpa!" They declared with a shout!
So off they went, down through the field.
Grandpa was hoping for a very good yield!
On the combine, there was a thing called a reel.
It turned through the wheat stalks. It was a pretty big deal.
All of the wheat goes through the machine.
From the stalk and the chaff, the grain then is gleaned.
When the combine tank was all full of grain
We could tell it was, too, through a big window pane.

Grandpa then let us push on some knobs.
The wheat came out of the bin in a pretty big gob!
An auger delivered the grain to the truck. 
Into each corner, the wheat soon was tucked.
When it was full, the truck driver did start
To drive to the co-op to do his own part.
 
It takes all kinds of workers to do all the tasks.
We all try to help Grandpa out when he asks!
Harvest is hard work, so hard that it seems.
A nap is in order. Hope for sweet dreams!
Then it was time for a good harvest meal.
We sat in the car. It was such a great deal.
Our time on the farm had to come to an end.
Until next year, more time we will spend!


Wednesday, June 14, 2017

The Murmur of the Wheat

At church Sunday, a friend handed me a bookmark she'd found stashed away. She knew I'd love the poem, and she was right. (Thanks Gerry Ann!)

The wheat has been doing plenty of  "murmuring" as strong southern winds blew Harvest 2017 right on into South Central Kansas. Here's Exhibit A, a video I shot last night after delivering supper to the field:
Admittedly, part of the sound is the wind rushing past the camera. But listen for the rustle, too. It sounds a little like the legs of corduroy pants rubbing together. (Not that I'd know that sound or anything!)
We started harvesting wheat Monday afternoon (June 12). The strong southernly winds dried down the KanMark variety first. So far, it appears to be an average crop, though test weights have been really good.
Brief rain showers brought the cutting to a halt Tuesday evening.
Randy likely won't be able to start cutting quite as early today because of the rain. (And the wind doesn't seem to be howling this morning for the first time in four days!)
But the clouds sure made for some pretty photos last evening. (You have to find the silver lining, I suppose, when you're stopped in your tracks when you've barely gotten started!)
We'll likely be back at it later today. When wheat fields near harvest, they seem to do more than "murmur" to farmers. They give a full out "siren song," enticing them to fire up the big machines and bring in the harvest.
Note: The bookmark was from the Kansas Wheat Commission. It doesn't have a year on it. Here are both sides. If you click on the photo, you should be able to read it more clearly.

And Happy Flag Day from the County Line!