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!