More Signs of Spring

The temperature got up over 80 today so the leaves on the trees should be popping out fast in the next couple of days. Tomorrow is supposed to be around 90. Whew.

I love this creeping phlox! I had always wanted some so finally planted some at the old house. Moved it temporarily while the new house was being built and then got it moved in front of the new house last year. It's blooming great in it's new home to be enjoyed every year now! Might have to get some of the pink and white too. Just wish it bloomed like this all summer.

The ruffled pansies have really grown.







This is Peggy's asparagus patch and the spears are really popping up fast with this warm weather. We got to have some last night and at lunch today - yum! I checked ours that's in the ditch and had 3 spears to pick today. I don't think we'll be eating any from the ditch from now on though. There have been articles with concern about the chemicals that are sprayed on the fields and then it runs off into the ditches and that this is maybe causing some cancers. No sense chancing that when Peggy has plenty and shares!

There sure were lots of people looking for it in the ditches this evening though! And they were mostly guys. I'm surprised that many guys would want to eat asparagus! Maybe they like the fun of finding it - I do! It's kind of like mushroom hunting.

We had just a little rain this morning but not enough to slow the farmers down. The weather forecast is for severe weather tomorrow night after the 90 degree day.

I had an appointment in Poky this morning, a stop at the bank and grocery and then basically had the day off today except for making lunch for Bill and Carl. We had pork loin, cheese potatoes, asparagus, corn, rolls and Texas Cake. After lunch I took Carl to his tractor, and this evening took supper out to Bill and got the seed tender moved for him. Got caught up on some cleaning here at the house today. Bill is still planting tonight. With the auto steer it makes it easier for everybody to work after dark.

Busy, Busy

The weather has been great! The leaves on the trees are starting to come out finally and tulips are blooming. We've finished planting corn, and Bill has gotten 160 acres of beans done starting today.

I've been learning new things while doing the go-pher job the past couple of days. Bill said his dad never liked being the one to run here and there. He thought he wasn't getting enough done. Somebody's gotta do it.

Yesterday and today I mowed at our house and two other places. Today I went to the seed dealer twice with the seed tender. The second time I got to watch them treat the bean seed with a fungicide. All I know about that is that it turned them from soy bean tan color to green! The kid doing this for me also needed me to lift him up high with their fork lift so he could attach something to the end of an auger. That was easy - just had to push one lever.

Was sent to Manson (about 25 miles south) with a 20' trailer to return some seed and get some more. Bill says that's a next step closer to driving a semi!

Carl has been working ground and Tim has been spraying. We all meet coming and going on the road along with lots of others! We'd kind of like to have a light rain for what has been planted and for a little bit of a break, but the ground is working so nice and things are going well so will be happy either way.

Pella Tulip Time is going on this weekend with perfect weather for it. Many years it's cold for it. Click HERE to read more about it. This is in Pella, Iowa. I hope to make it to it some time. I've been to Holland, Michigan at tulip time before - beautiful.

Sounds like I'm going to be busy again tomorrow so Happy Mothers Day Mom!! And to my Mother In Law, my sisters-in-law, my niece, my aunts, and all the other mothers reading.

Girls' Fun Day

It worked out that Mom could stay another day so Diane & girls and us could go to a class at Del's Garden Center on container gardening with annuals. We had lunch first at Don Jose's in Emmetsburg. I really like how it's decorated and the food is good too.










This very large rooster was at Del's! Diane wanted it for her yard since they have chickens until we saw the price ($799)! After the class we went to Walmart in Spencer and Hy-Vee grocery.


Yesterday I worked ground at the Hoop 80 field. Carl had done the edges for me and went around all the intakes but one. On my first round, I managed to barely hit that one with the end of the cultivator and popped it off. I stopped and moved it out of the way so it wouldn't get chewed up or damage anything by running over it. The bad thing is I then drove over the hole!!! Carl had to come out and probe and try to find it. LUCKILY he did find the hole very quickly - whew! I owe him a cherry pie.

Seems like today I was given jobs of driving around in pickups instead of the tractor! I was in the tractor for about an hour until it started to rain. (all went very well) I had been told if it even started to sprinkle to get to the pickup and get it under cover ASAP because there was Aztec in the back that couldn't get wet. As soon as I got it to the shed, the rain stopped. So I waited at Tim & Bette Jo's for about 45 min. without a job. Bill came to fuel up the planter tractor and then he and I jumped in Tim's Gator to go get the pickup that was left in the field Bill had just got done planting in. I drove the Gator for the first time (from previous posts you've read that I want one). I was home for a couple hours, did some laundry and got some supper together for Bill and took that out when he called. Went back and forth bringing him seed so he could get started in a different field (Tim's). Now I'm home for the night and he will be in a couple of hours. He worked until after midnight last night since we were supposed to get a bunch of rain during the night. But it missed us luckily!

First Day on the Job

Last night we were hoping to get a good night's sleep. A couple of night's ago, there was fire call - alarm going off at the Care Center. That was a false alarm. Then we had a night of not much sleep due to Bill's cold. Last night his pager went off at 2 am - shed fire in town. I was picturing a garage being on fire near a house or two. Turns out it was not too close to any other buildings but did burn all the way to the foundation. Took about an hour. Luckily I went back to sleep.

This morning I had a meeting with two ladies here re: P.E.O.

Carl worked the ground around the edges of Peggy's field and then I was called out to take over. This was my first time driving the new quad trac and only second time working ground. It was fun! This new tractor is so nice! You just push a button to shift (don't even have to put the clutch in). All the levers operate so smoooooth. I did have a little problem with the first intake - got too close and hit it a little - it's now leaning. Bill's going to check for damage in the morning. :(

Two deer ran across the field and I saw a tiny mouse.

Carl was able to get water for Tim for the sprayer and seed for Bill since I was working ground.

Tim was trying to spray but ended up having a problem with the GPS I think. A guy will be out in the morning to work on it. Otherwise, don't know what the plan for tomorrow is yet. Rain is in the forecast for the end of the week but conditions sure are nice right now.

May Day Baskets

Last week, Mom, Terri and I made about 12 May Day baskets. At our last P.E.O. meeting, the program was about May Day and we all then made a May basket and were asked to deliver it on May Day. Terri and I decided it would be too hard to decide on just one person to give one to so we wanted to make more.




These are made with school lunch milk cartons and covered with bright tissue paper. Terri found some Chinese take out containers at Hobby Lobby that were the perfect size and pretty colors too. They're filled with some grass and candy.




I took one to our neighbors who have a little girl and to a woman who has recently had knee and back surgery and we farm for them. Terri and her husband delivered the rest.

Mom and I went with Diane and girls to the class on annual flowers at Del's in Spencer (about an hour away). We had lunch and went to Walmart, Menard's and a nice grocery. We have to stock up on things, and we really enjoy going to a nice, big grocery when we get the chance! Will post pictures of our day tomorrow.

Bill and Tim had more problems yesterday. The new tractor quit running and they had a planter problem. Bill and I hardly slept last night because of his cold. Hope things start running smooth today. Mom headed home this morning so it will seem quiet around here for a while. She has a 10 hour drive ahead of her.

Osama Bin Laden is finally dead!! An important time in history.

It's a Start

After a cold April, the guys finally got started planting later yesterday after a fire run. Another farmer's shed burned that had lots of hay in it but they did save 4 little pigs.

Here Bill is unfolding the planter. This will be the first time using Auto Steer for the planter. Tim was working ground in the next field over.

Bill only made it down one side of the field when he lost the air conditioning and the tractor started getting very hot fast. The fan clutch went out of the 8300 tractor. This was at about 6:30 on a Sat. evening but he called the John Deere parts guy who went to the shop to see if they had a new clutch and they did. Luckily they will answer their cell phones at night and do things like this when it's the busy season. It's good that the farmers can work on their own equipment too.

Mom & I had just gotten back to town after going to see the Prom Grand March in Pocahontas with Diane & girls and had stopped at home to make some sandwiches to take to Bill. We got to the field just as he and Tim were getting to the field. Bill sent us to Tim's house to bring his pickup to the field. Just as we got back with it, he called and said he had a problem with the tractor and to not leave yet. We were sent to West Bend for the part that was left out for us while Bill & Tim got the bad clutch taken off.

Bill always says that the first couple of days in Spring or Fall usually never go right and that was true yesterday. Although Tim was having a good time running the new quad trac working ground! Bill has a bad head cold as of yesterday too.

Today is windy but sunny. Bill had planted 25 acres when I talked to him a little while ago. This is my last day off before I get started working ground and Mom's last day here so we are going to a class on annual flowers in Spencer at Del's, the really nice nursery in the area, with Diane and girls.

Happy May Day! Mom and my friend Terri and I made about 12 May baskets this week that we will deliver today. Pictures tomorrow.