A Good Harvest Season

We are almost done with 2015 harvest.  It has been a rare one with no rain delays and all beautiful weather to work in.  We should be done combining by tomorrow night or Monday morning and the ripping should be done by Monday night.  Bill's brother, Jim, came home this weekend to rip so I've had a couple days off. 

The elevator closed at 5:00 today and will be closed all day tomorrow but due to this, the guys took a few loads to the elevator today and the rest will fit in the grain bins so with that, we can work as long and late as we want to (Bill would like to work until midnight if the rest of the crew would agree!).

Seems like every season I have one bad day.  And I know you like reading about my (dumb) mistakes so I will share this year's bad day.  It started off in the morning.  I had a phone calendar reminder of a 9:00 meeting but no details about where.  I didn't remember getting details about this meeting but was in a panic because it was an important one.  So I sent an e mail to the woman in charge and waited to hear if I had missed this meeting.

I warmed up the tractor and pulled out of the driveway headed to my field for the morning thankful that nothing else big was on the road with me (yet anyway).  I got to the cemetery corner and a combine was coming from the direction that I needed to go.  Hmmm, don't know which way they're going to need to go but thought if I cut through the Catholic Cemetery he could go on by and I could turn and go west like I needed to.  Only problem was there was not enough room to turn the corner in the cemetery.  I was awfully close to a headstone that had statues on both sides of it and Mrs. Wagner buried on the other side of the driveway.  I was "stuck".  I knew if I tried to pull forward and back up much I'd tear up grass or knock over statues or worse.  So I called Bill who was headed way north to where he was working.  I said "I'm stuck in the cemetery, I haven't hit anything, come back fast".   He said "but I'm 10 miles north".  I said "I know, hurry!"  Only a few people stopped or drove by and waved while I was waiting . . . and he did hurry I think!

The neighbor that had been in the combine, came by (with his wife and son) and stopped and asked if I wanted him to try to get it out, but about that time Bill got there and backed it out the way I had come in.  And he didn't hit anything.  I owe him.  He and Tim told me to stay out of the cemeteries from now on.

I'll continue with that day on the next post.