1st Thanksgiving in New House - Twice!

Wow it's been a busy last few days! We had Lacey a couple of days and nights. She was a little helper with cleaning and cooking/baking. I was sure she wouldn't want to eat any turkey after seeing it thawing and the meat being taken off the bones but she tasted a first little bite and said "this is delicious!"

Her favorite - blueberry pancakes.









Lacey's teacher French braided her hair and she loved it so the next day, Lacey asked her to do it again. She had to tell her that she would do it for her once a week!

We had Bill's family minus Jim here on Thanksgiving and mine on Sat.

Deer in Town

I was coming back into town yesterday and saw 3 deer below the house Glenn & Amy used to live in. The one on the right is a buck - I had never seen one up close before!

Bill has been power washing equipment still but we had rain last night and it is off and on today so now he's doing bookwork and met with a seed corn dealer this morning.

Diane, Mom & I went to Algona for lunch at Maggie B's and looked at the shops today. Maggie B's is a tiny place with only 4 tables but very busy. Maggie and her two helpers make homemade pies of all types every day. Seems like the cream pies with meringue are the most popular (the cream pies were sold out by noon). Lots of call in and large carryout orders while we were there plus a line out the door.

Have Thanksgiving dinner both Thurs. and Sat. and a stamp class Tues. night to get ready for.

Sunny Days

Wed. we headed to Mason City for some shopping. We keep a continuous list going since shopping is not close and we don't go very often. We needed some counter stools and Shopko had some that we thought would be ok. Farm & Fleet is also in Mason City and they have a great toy section so we got some Christmas shopping for the small nieces and nephew done! Bill is excited about what he found for Matthew since so far he likes farm stuff! While he had fun looking at F & F, I got Thanksgiving stuff at Walmart.


I'm taking advantage of the nice, sunny days we're having to get some cleaning done. Today is a good day for scrubbing some things outside and washing windows. Had a couple of very small nicked spots on the marbled walls to touch up. The painting gals had left a piece of sponge for me just in case. Glad to finally get that small thing done.

Bill is still cleaning up equipment but glad for the nice days to do that icky job. Tim's back pain has gotten worse so he's had some dr. appointments and is supposed to take it easy and see the next dr. on the 30th.

Reed called me as he and Ross were headed home for the weekend (with lots of laundry he said). They want to have breakfast here tomorrow so Aunt Cindy needs to go get a couple things at the grocery!

Bunker

The national weather maps have shown rain for Iowa the past 2 days but we've had nice, sunny days with beautiful sunsets.

Today the elevator was open until 2:00 but there sure weren't as many trucks and wagons going by as there were yesterday.

This is a picture of the bunker (the white thing on the left). It's a pile of corn on the ground basically covered with a tarp that usually gets torn and blown off during the winter! Expensive temporary solution. This was taken several days ago so it's bigger now plus they're putting up a 2nd one.

Baked bread again today (this is after rising and before baking). I really like this pumpkin - it was a gift from Uncle Neal & Aunt Jan when they stopped to see us 2 years ago. I'm getting back in the routine of cooking again now that we're done with Harvest - gearing up for the big Thanksgiving feast! All the years I was single, I had all these great kitchen gadgets that I never used (like the Pampered Chef loaf pan). I'm getting to use them now! There are very few restaurants around here so people just don't eat out much - which isn't all bad.

Bill is at a fire mtg. tonight - they're burning an old house in town.

Appetizer

We had a really nice day of laziness yesterday. In the afternoon, we napped during the NASCAR race and then had pizza. Then the wait for the Colts game to start. They didn't play as well as they should've, won by 1 point at the last second, but they're still undefeated!

Today is sunny - rain to the south of us per TV weather. Bill was here with the ripper this morning and going to a couple other farms to redo some of the areas that had the worst tire ruts and the areas that have been muddy. There were lots of loads of corn going toward town at elevator opening time this morning.

He's going to Algona for a hair cut late afternoon. Farmers don't stop for haircuts during harvest. Mine actually looked really bad this year too! Diane has been busy running the mail route just about full time lately - the full time guy is getting ready to retire so seems to be using up some days. She didn't have much time left for her hair customers. Plus she's pregnant and tired (due June 20th).

With the holidays coming up, thought I'd share this recipe I got from my Aunt Jan. I served it at my last stamp class and everyone loved it!

Corn Dip

2 cans Mexicorn or Fiesta corn
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. Hellmann's mayonnaise
4 oz. grated Monterey Jack cheese
4 oz. grated Pepper Jack cheese (or all Monterey Jack)

Mix together and bake in casserole dish at 350 for 30-45 min. until slightly browned on top. Can be served hot or cold with Doritos or Fritos.

(I have pie pans that are like crock material and a little deeper than a regular pie pan - that's what I use to bake it in)

Celebrate!

Bill was home before me tonight - he is done!!! He says he's taking the anhydrous rig back tomorrow and not doing anything else but watch the NASCAR race! It's been a long, muddy fall this year. We are very lucky to be done thanks to friends and family helping.

The elevators around here were not open today. I saw lots of tractor lights in the fields when I came home tonight. I also just about hit a deer. Luckily it got halfway across the road and decided to turn around as I was braking.

I went to a NW Iowa Women's Conference at church today. After an opening session, they had a nice lunch of turkey salad, potato soup, muffins and decorated cookie for us. Cindy Finch was the speaker with music by Jill Pearson and her band. Tonight we had another meal of a very nice salad, pork loin, baked potatoes, cinnamon apple ring, green beans and cake. There was a concert open to everyone at 7:00.

Bill's Dad

Bill's dad passed away 2 years ago today - a day after his birthday, just a little over 4 months after we got married and just 3 weeks after my dad died. It was a rough Fall!

He had supposedly retired from farming but still helped a lot with spring planting and he was the combine operator in Fall. Bill and Tim have had to change how they do things including different equipment so that 2 of them can do what 3 did.



So I didn't get to know him very well (and I don't have many pictures of him) but do know that Bill does some things just like his dad. I used to think Tim looked like him - and he does walk like him when he's in a hurry. :)



Here he is with Peggy and the twins and ready to go on a tour around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Peggy & my parents when they came to Indy- to see where I came from.

Stamping Excitement

Demonstrators are all excited today - we can see the upcoming Occasions mini catalog online (demos only). There are a couple of new products that we're going to be selling that everyone's getting excited about! For now, our newest product is My Digital Studio. With it you can do scrapbooks, calendars, cards, videos & more using our colors, papers, etc. - and your pictures you have on your computer! Go to my Stampin' Up! web site (top right here) and look under Products to learn more about it!

There is a long line of trucks and wagons at the elevator today - and we're glad we're not in it! Bill, with Carl's help, started putting anhydrous (fertilizer) on the bean fields yesterday. The corn fields don't get it (don't ask me why 'cause I don't know yet!). Took food out to Bill last night. He got home after 9:00.

Bill & Carl had lunch here today. I made a frozen hash browns, ham & Swiss cheese casserole, green beans, homemade honey wheat bread and pumpkin pie. The house sure smelled good this morning!

Will probably be taking food to Bill tonight. He doesn't want me to ride with him when he's doing anhydrous. It's kind of dangerous. When I just Googled it, one site says "The properties of this fertilizer make it one of the most potentially dangerous chemicals used in agriculture. If a hose ruptures or a valve is unintentionally opened, the high pressure from the tank can cause ammonia to spray into your eyes, face, and other parts of your body before you can react. Anhydrous ammonia is caustic and causes severe chemical burns. Body tissues that contain a high percentage of water, such as the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract, are very easily burned. Victims exposed to even small amounts of ammonia require immediate treatment with large quantities of water to minimize the damage."

Starting to think about Thanksgiving. Having Bill's family here - first time to have Thanksgiving in our new house and only my 2nd turkey ever (the 1st one turned out ok but that's been years ago) so I'm THANKFUL my mom will be here to help and supervise!!

Happy Veterans Day

We got finished with combining and stalk chopping Mon. night! Carl finished the ripping yesterday. They all got started on cleaning up equipment including vacuuming inside the cabs, power washing the outside, scraping mud off, etc. I caught up on paying bills, laundry, etc. and met Bill, Pam & Carl at Ropa's for lunch, then went to my P.E.O. meeting at 1:30.

Bill's planning on getting started applying anhydrous to the bean ground today which I think he said is about 900 acres and would take him 3-4 days to do with the right weather. They get the tanks from West Bend. While Bill is applying one tank (pulls it with the red 4 wheel drive tractor), Carl or Tim go get a 2nd tank with a pickup so that it'll be waiting when the first one runs out. Then they go back & forth getting them refilled. Depending on how many other guys are needing them, they can maybe get 3-4 at the end of the day so that Bill can run with them after closing time. This all needs to be done before the ground freezes.

The following is being shared on Facebook today.

To all our fighting men and women: "A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including life." That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it." - Author Unknown...

Almost Done Combining

80 acres to go! We could get done today but Bill is not betting on it. Will depend on the elevator. Bill called Dave last night to come down and run the ripper today. We are so lucky to have the help we do.

This is the little ladder on the side of the grain bins that the guys have to climb up and down quite a bit. This year a guy from our town fell from the top and last year someone form our church did. Imagine how they'd be slick if it's raining or on a frosty morning. There are a lot of dangerous things about grain bins.

Yesterday Carl, Kyle, Bill & I had an omelet, sausage & cinnamon roll lunch at the community center put on by the Shared Ministry Church. I stopped chopping stalks about 6:00. I was only able to do 7 rows at a time (instead of 8) and in A4 instead of B2. This variety of corn just has a lot of leaves and tough stalks. Bill says he won't buy it again! The rest quit at about 8:30 after filling one drying bin all day and then moving the auger to another bin.

We had 70's weather which was great but warm weather causes other problems for farmers! My tractor started overheating and so did one of the semis. Tim says we normally don't have warm weather for Harvest and that things work better in the normal cool Fall temps.!

Guess I missed a nail biter Colts game but they won and are still undefeated! I'll watch it at some point!

The End is in Sight

This year I learned how to fuel up the tractor. The gas cap is on top of the front of the tractor so filling it involves finding a way to climb up on top of the tire so that you can see in when it's full! You can't just listen for it to get full because the gas tank is too loud when running!


Bill & Tim put little cameras on the back of the grain cart and on the end of the auger. Pam can watch a TV screen in the tractor to see when her cart is full and also see where she needs to dump in the semi and when it's full.

Got a lot done the past 2 days with being able to haul to West Bend's elevator after Rolfe's closed. Rolfe closed at 2:00 Fri. and noon yesterday. West Bend stayed open until 7:30 and 6:30 so that really helped. Both are closed today so will be going to 2 drying bins which usually takes longer.

We'll be working in a field with about 100 acres left so won't get it done today. Jim has ripped all weekend keeping that caught up and Kyle will be today. I'll be chopping stalks right behind the combine.

Bill is getting equipment greased, serviced and ready to go. I'm going to church and hope we all meet at the community center for an omelet meal for lunch, then get to work in the field. Taping the Colts game!!

Little Miss Butterfly

Lacey on Halloween. (she loves pink) She doesn't even eat the candy she gets! Uncle Bill said he'd take it!



















Along with the beautiful sunsets, we've had a big, full moon to watch rising as we finish up the last hours out in the field this week!! The pictures just don't do it though. The past couple of nights it's been orange.

Dave & Karen & kids are coming down today. Matthew was so excited about his day of riding here Tues. and wanted to come back the next day. Bill's mom is having us all over for lunch. I'm due at my tractor by 10:30 after stopping at the bank.

Some of the farm related companies around here drive around and find farmers working in the fields and stop and give care packages with granola bars, cookies, gum, mints, water, etc.! One stopped the day Matthew was here so he thought that was great to get a bag of goodies!

Good Weather Continues

Yesterday was another nice day but the elevator closed at 2:00 again so that's when the combining had to stop. The guys moved corn around in the bins. Pam & I got off work early so I went to the grocery for milk and bread and gassed up the Pilot.

Bill had a fire run to a bin that leaves and things were smoking on the bottom of it - an electrician was working on it - long story. Didn't take too long luckily.

Today we should be able to run a long time. Our elevator is closing at 2:00 but then they hope to haul to West Bend since we'll be working up that direction (north).

This first video is Jim in the ripper and the next one is Pam driving the tractor pulling the grain cart next to the combine as they're moving through the field. They call it "dumping on the run" - saves time. Pam has to pull off when the cart gets full and go dump her load into a semi.

I'm due out to my tractor at 10:00 so gotta go! The stalks get dry enough to start chopping about this time of morning - on a good day. We're to have wind today which can cause fires when the dry corn leaves get up next to machinery that's hot.

Yesterday

Bill operating the combine (nice view!).

Here he's full and stopped waiting on the grain cart. The semis were having to haul the corn from this field to a grain bin. It takes a while to unload and get back. The elevator closed at 2:00.

I was chopping stalks in the same field that everybody else was in. That was kind of fun. I had obstacles to stay away from and things going on to watch rather than being in a field by myself!

We were able to get 90 acres done yesterday with running from about 9 am - 9 pm. I had lunch at home early and got started at 11:00. When the rest got done with lunch, they moved the tractor to another field for me. Stalk chopping is all caught up. Jim got a couple of fields ripped and just has the one we were in to do. Bill says right at 300 acres left so we just need a few more days of good weather!

I took a couple of videos yesterday but they were taking too long to load here - just got a call from the boss and gotta go! Had some stamping business to do this morning.

Still Muddy

I encountered my first mud hole yesterday and then another bigger one. Bill had said it was ok to go through standing water between the rows but I almost got stuck - twice!




I'm not farming today due to having a stamp class here tonight. Have a couple projects to finish getting ready and food to make. Jim is on his way here from Kansas City to help for the rest of the week and Bill called Dave to come down so that I could have class.


This was across the road from where I was yesterday. I think they thought I was going to feed them when I took their picture.


Our nephew, Matthew, came down with Dave and has been riding in the combine with Uncle Bill! (click on the picture to see it bigger)

The skies are not looking good. Chance of some showers and then some really nice days again.

Halloween Fun

I had Lacey Halloween morning while Diane delivered the mail. Wanted to do a fun Halloween thing with her and had seen this snake on Paula Deen's show. It's made with crescent roll dough and filled with ham & monterey jack cheese but would be good with pizza sauce, pepperoni & cheese or other fillings too! I especially like how it cracked when it baked! Lacey had fun watching it puff up when baking. The recipe is at FoodNetwork.com and called Snake Bites.





























Lacey has been having fun playing with Play-doh here so I got her this monkey that you can press Play-doh out of its head, mouth and do all kinds of other molding of pineapples, bananas and things. She loved it and now wants one for Christmas Diane says.

Bill left this morning by 6:45 as the huge moon was rising and the sun coming up. Should be another good day for Harvest! I'll be chopping stalks all the way north on Bev & Jerry's ground, and the rest will be combining south of town near our house.

Blog 1st Anniversary

Can't believe I've been doing a blog for a year! It has been fun, and hope you've enjoyed it. Not sure how long I'll keep it going - will just see when I run out of good recipes, stamping projects and things to tell you about Iowa I guess!

My mom cuts out things from the Carmel area papers that I would be interested in so that I know what's going on where I came from. I got an env. from her the other day and was very surprised to find all of these great leaves that she had to have spent a lot of time pressing!! I've always loved Fall. We don't have very many trees with red & orange leaves here so not near the bright colors in Oct. as in Indiana. Seems like I had to do more than one leaf collection when growing up. No one else ever found the gingko leaf (yellow fan shaped one). There was a gingko tree at our church so I'm sure these came from there!

We've had a couple of dry days to work in the fields. Today was even sunny and warm! We got quite a bit accomplished even though the elevator was not open. Carl had lunch with us today: roast, potatoes, carrots, and pecan pie. My bread did not turn out right due to operator error!

You can see from the Comments that my brother-in-law is harrassing me about taking his job doing the ripping! Guess the other brother-in-law is saying the same. I say they'll just take whatever help they can get - and I live here! They're not picky either - Bill says things like for ripping, "just turn the field black" or how to chop stalks - just "off".

I have lots of other good pictures from my time with Lacey yesterday but will post them another day. This evening I enjoyed wacthing the big, full moon rise and another pretty sunset from the tractor cab - but didn't stop to take pictures!