Warm is good.

 

Today was the day. There was a bit of mowing I wanted to do before winter. Not having a cab on any of my tractors it seemed prudent to wait for a warmer day. Weather forecasters predicted a warm-up for today. They were correct...80 degrees now as this is written. The mowing was successfully completed so now the mower can be parked for the winter. Inside or outside?...there is room in the shop to keep it inside.

Earlier this week my thermometer registered 69 degrees in the morning. Apparently that was cold enough for a frost in some place. Some of my corn shows the effects of frost. Frost is helpful now for the crops. It stops them from growing so the green places will dry like the majority of the field. Frost also kills weeds in the field which is an advantage so they’re not green at harvest. This frost was likely too light to accomplish a weed kill. Some local farmers are now harvesting corn.

Takk for alt,

Al

              Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina.

Thursday special.

       

Unintended consequences abound in life. Such a consequence could explain why Nunda, five miles south of Sinai and even smaller, has a place to eat while Sinai doesn’t. Driving the road from Sinai to Nunda is straight except for the correction curve at the county line. Sinai is in Brookings County and Nunda in Lake County and that explains a lot.

In my childhood Brookings was “dry” except for a municipal liquor store in the little town of Aurora, east of Brookings. Beer sales were allowed in Brookings County but only 3.2% beer could be sold. In the 50s the Sinai Cafe, now long gone, sold 3.2 beer.

Lake county, on the other hand, permitted liquor sales. As long as I can remember Nunda has had a bar. That bar serves food so food service is available in the smaller town. Had Brookings County and Sinai not been dry perhaps there would be a bar here serving food.

The lunch special Thursdays in Nunda is fried chicken, which is very popular. When I ordered the special at 11:50am today I was told that I got the last serving. It includes two pieces of chicken, choose white or dark meat, mashed potatoes, gravy, a bun, vegetables and dessert. It’s real comfort food! Price? $7.50. Yes, life is good!

Takk for alt,

Al

In the Hermitage Meusem, St. Petersburg, Russia. Perhaps there is no line of people waiting to enter these days.

Dog grooming.

 

Kaia is my seventh springer. It all started in 1976(?) with a telephone call to Joanne. Marilyn called her and said “I think you need to know that Frank is planning to give Al a dog for Christmas.” That gift introduced me to the world of dog ownership and springers in particular. Thor was a puppy when he came to me at Christmas. Knowing so little I went to the library, an old fashioned Google, and looked up springer spaniels.

Thor was a good dog who succumbed to liver cancer when he was seven years old. Lars soon found an ad in the QuadCities Times, for a nine month old springer. That dog came home with us and was named Bjorn. Bjorn was followed by Kai, Gunnar, Kjell, Trygve and now, Kaia. All the dogs subsequent to Thor arrived grown and all males until Kaia.

Springers profit from three haircuts a year. The first cut is in spring just as they begin to shed. A cut in late June is helpful for comfort during hot weather. Today Kaia got her third cut in preparation for hunting season which begins October 15. Being a long haired dog the hunting cut helps her shed cockle-burs.

The groomer in Brookings, to whom I took Kaia, could win a competition for grooming speed. A full buzz cut takes her about 20 minutes. Most groomers need an hour or more and one took upwards of four hours. Kaia seems to like the process.

Hunting will soon replace rock picking for daily entertainment.

Takk for alt,

Al

             My pork chop at the bankers/butchers meal at noon.

                  The truck and trailer mentioned in yesterday's blog.

Electrical frustration!

        Of all problems with vehicles, electrical ones can be the most frustrating. The trailer I use to haul tractors has electrical brakes. The trailer's electrical gear, lights and brakes, conect to the trucks electrical system with a large recepticle.  When the truck lights are activated the tail lights on the trailer come on. When the truck brake pedal is depressed it also applies the trailer brakes.

     The lights work but the brakes on the trailer don't. A wiry young man, named Montana, lives two doors down from The Little House. He crawled under the trailer and truck looking for loose wires to no avail. All the connectors were removed and cleaned...still no brakes. As darkness descended we gave up for the day, stymied by an electrical conundrum. Wouldn't it be nice if the problem would simply resolve on its own? Ya, right!

Takk for alt,

Al

                                    The truck.

Fall has fallen, but rain has not!

           When I reported the soybean price at the Volga Soybean plant the other day I gave the non-GMO price which is higher than the GMO price. Today's GMO price in Volga is $13.81 which is still good. That should provide profit to local farmers even with significantly reduced yields. 

        The weather is certianly fall like with night time temperature dropping into the 40s and daytime highs in the mid-60s. Rain? It would certainly be good for the grass and trees. Subsoil moisture is depleted and needs recharging before next growing season. On the other hand this dry weather is ideal for harvest. There are now large piles of beans on the ground at the Volga Soybean plant awaiting crushing to extract the oil. With multiple unloading sites truckers are not having to wait long to unload. A few corn fields on sandy ground have been harvested but I haven't heard anything about the yield.

Takk for alt,

Al

                   The view this morning with a dry slough in sight.

                      The morning's find.

Plastic Abounds

        When I was a student in a one room country school the little newspaper, called The Weekly Reader, brought news of the wider world. Before the advent of TV and with only limited radio connection the main source of news to our family was the newspaper, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader, that came to us by mail. Receiving The Weekly Reader at school was a nice supplement.

      Of all The Weekly Readers read at school, only one article sticks in my memory. This article was about an amazing new substance that was going to revolutionize our lives. It has! That sustance was plastic. It not only changed our lives it now threatens to choke us with pladtic particles ubiquitous. It even appears in the grassland, the site of rock picking.

    Those big, round bales seen in the fields along the road are almost always wrapped in a plastic covering. Yesterday, while picking rocks, I found remnants of that mesh. There are at least two dangers with the plastic mesh left in a field. It can become tangled in machinery causing equipment failure. If cattle injest it fatality can result. The plastic lodges in one of the bovines stomachs and prevents digestion, leading to death. So, rock picking was supplemented with plastic retrieval.

Takk for alt,

Al

                The country school buidling I attended, now painted red instead of white.

Social life!

      Other than my weekly lunch with the bankers and butchers much of my social life on the prairie involves family. Then, today a friend called and asked me to meet for lunch at Nick's Hamburger's in Brookings. Tearing myself away from picking rocks I gladly joined him. 

    When I returned home another friend called and asked me to meet them at Craft's in Brookings for dinner. Gladly accepting this offer, it will be good to connect over a meal. Family and friends are so significant in this stage of life. I am so fortunate to have both family and frriends. Yes, I'm very grateful.

Takk for alt,

Al

                     The house where I grew up.

Harvest pause

     Driving in the truck this morning there was a sufficient mist in the air to necessitate using the windshield wipers. Likely that was enough to pause the soybean harvest. Beans quickly absorb moisture. A local farmer reported that his beans that were harvested tested at 8% moisture. That's lower than ideal which is about 12%. With partly sunny and a high temperature of 63 predicted tomorrow harvesting will resume. The raw 20mph wind made it unpeasant to be outside today.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Yes, I started the furnace when the house temp dropped to 65 degrees. That's below my comfort zone when  sitting still. 😁

                          A high rise condominum tower along the Chao Praya River in Bangkok.

Furnace time?

    It was 41 degrees here this morning and it's 67 in the house now. Do I have permission to turn on the furnace? Living without adult supervision can be hard. The first day of autumn  seems early for the furnace. A low of 39 is predicted for tonight.

    Back in the dry '30s the streets ran through the pond across from The Little House. When the rains returned and the water came up the streets were flooded and abandoned. Now as the water evaporates the remains of the streets emerge from the water.  The height of the streets vary slighly from just below the water's surface to inches above. At least tweleve egrets, quite evenly spaced, stand on the emerging streets. Perhaps there are minnows in the shallow water. It is a pretty sight. 

Takk for alt,

Al

               This was my view this morning.

Harvest Begins

      Local soybean harvest has begun with yield reports ranging from 30 to 60 bushels per acre. 30 would be low and 60 high but, with local soybean price at $16.84, even 30 is profitable. A local farmer did a test harvest on corn. 92 day maturity corn planted May 11, tested at 19.5% moisture with a test weight of 55lbs. Given the dry conditions that's good test weight and it will increase as the corn drys. 

     There are reasons for optomism in these reports especially given how little rain there has been. Apparently the occasional showers of a few tenths of an inch have been helpful. With the dry conditions no combines will be stuck in the field. Combine fires are more of a hazard. 

     Driving across southern Minnesota yesterday my car thermometer registered 97 dgrees. It was 45 at The Little House last night and predicted to be 41 tonight. Crops are probably past danger from frost. 

Takk for alt,

Al

            I miss volunteering at Noble Academy.

500.0

      When I got to Ed's farm Thursday my odometer read 497.2. Stopping in front of The Little Hous moments ago the odometer read 500.0, interesting conincidence. That measured the mileage from Iowa City via Decorah which added a bit. In Decorah it was the annual lunch with Jenine, Joanne's college roomate. With the exception of 2020, this has been an annual trip beginning in 2007. It was all wonderful! 

Takk for alt,

Al

                     Al and Joanne in the funnies.

Once more for old time's sake!

        Go figure....after trying to get my computer to boot without success I set it aside. Today, with Ken and Barb, we motored from Iowa City to Muscatine, IA...for lunch. It was a beautiful day for driving in Iowa and we had our meal on the waterfront. The Mississippi River misbehaves in Davenport/Rock Island by running west but downstreat in Muscatine its come to its senses and flows south like a good river. In the Merrill Hotel we ate in Maxwell's On The River, which, of course is not 'on' the river but beside it. Very fine dining in a classic setting...yes, I recommend it!

     After a little 'practice sleeping'  after returning to Iowa City when the computer was opened it booted normally.  'Once more for old time's sake' worked. Now I have a huge moral dilemma...do I stop at the computer repair shop on the way home or not?  Uffda, such major decisions.😟

     Well, whatever, I'm still living the good life in Iowa!

Takk for alt,

Al

Marine Ed, in his ultralite, which he does not fly internationally. He did have engine failure once, set it down in a field and called Art for a ride.

Computer issues

 Blogging will resume when computer is fixed.  Too hard on phone. I am in Iowa City and all is well.

Takk for alt,

Al

Much fun!

       When  friends for 63 years, just spending a day together is a delight. Parting last night Ed said "Wear your work clothes tomorrow." Anticipating this when I packed, knowing that we had an unscheduled day, I was prepared. The day was spent doing small odd jobs around the farmstead. Ed is a real farmer in contrast with some who just pretend.  He even let me take his 390 horsepower, four wheel drive, tractor for a spin. The tractor is pictured below. These jaunts to Iowa began in 2007 when I retired and I've only missed 2020  The trip could be called "Go spunge off your Iowa friends" trip. 😁

     Sinai, next door neighbor, Josh,  reports that my rain guage recorded .5" in two showers. Every shower is an opportunity for gratitude. It rained off and on all day here in Iowa. Too bad for the farm show we attended yesterday to be rained on today.

Takk for alt,

Al

Perhaps I should add one of these to my collection.

Geneseo, Illinois

     In 1980, when I moved to Davenport, IA., on the Illinois border, I didn't pronouce Geneseo properly. It's one of those local things as it is pronounced Genaseeoe. Whatever, it's where we attended the 61st annual Antique Engine & Tractor Working Farm Showtoday.  After attending such gatheringss in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and now Illinois,  I see there are many common features. In all of them there is an abundance of tractors plus many implements of farming from days gone by. Think of these shows as outdoor museums of  old farm machinery. It's delightful to see the old equipment at work; picking andshelling corn, elevation corn into a corn crib, threshing grain and sawing lumber in a sawmill powered by a steam engine. A mid-day parade allows owners to show their pride and joy. The day was made more delightful by ideal weather. 

Takk for alt,

Al

                An antque tractor I used to own.

497.2 miles.

        Door to door for Marine Corps buddies is 497.2 miles, though Ed says I can round it to 500. 😀  Leaving Kaia at Canine Country Club in Brookings at 7am I rolled into Ed & MaryJanes farm about 3:30 pm. We picked up Art & Sharon then motored to Davenport for dinner. Their son, Jason, came by our dinner so I could catch up with him.  Ed and I have been friends since USMC boot camp in 1959, we're not  old friends we're long time friends. Or as Ed says "We'll be longtime friends until we're senile then we'll be new friends each day." 😁

      Now I'm comfortably ensconced at an Amreican Inn in DeWitt, IA. This is about 15 miles from the IL border. We'll go to IL tomorrow to look at old tractors and stuff. Life is good!

Takk for alt,

Al

       A picture from a previous IA trip, to Mt. Pleasant to look at old tractors and stuff.

Good Read!

     MJV sent me Peach Blossom Spring, by Melissa Fu. It's a novel that traces a boy/man, Renshu from 1938 to 1997. The story begins in China as Japanese troops adavance on his home. The family flees to Changquin, where Chiang Kai-shek  is headquartered. With the Communist takeover they flee again to Taiwan. After graduating from univeristy, Renshu, goes to America for graduate school and there he settles.

     It's a novel but one is led to think that it's much like the story of the author's family. It's a page turning book brimming with history, keen observations about moving between cultures and profound insights about life and relationships. The story is so well told that I read much of it in one evening. 

    I highly recommend it.

Takk for alt,

Al

                           Look what I found.

             Seagulls lined us if waiting for a taxi.

Number 4!

        First there were three Moderna COVID 19 vaccines. Today I received a Pfizer  COVID 19 vaccine for my 4th immunization.  Having avoided COVID thus far I feel very fortunate. What a blessing to have medical science that so quickly develops vaccines, a system that distributes them and insurance that pays for it. A couple of weeks ago I got the flu shot. Hopefully I'm now protected from both viruses. 

     In the dry thirties the little pond across from The Little House was bisected by a street. When the rains returned the streets flooded and were not maintained. In the fifties and again in the seventies the street emerged as the water level dropped. Once again they are appearing as the water level in the pond drops. This morning that 'street' was lined with sea gulls.

Takk for alt,

Al

           School lunches in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

Street food!

       When I'm in Bangkok, Thailand I stay at the Bangkok Christian Guesthouse (BCG). It's much like an economy hotel and quite central in the city. Surrounding the BCG are many food stalls. The foodstall proprietors rent the sidewalk space for their stalls. Different renters may have the same space noon and evening. Food critics claim that the food in these stalls is some of the best in Bangkok and that includes fancy resturants.

      Across from the BCG the noon customers at the food stalls are workers on their noon hour lunch break. In the evening the patrons are workers eating after their work day. Often they linger for hours eating and visiting long into the evening. I've never gotten food poisoning from these stalls, once in Cambodia, but that's a different story. Food poisioning has struck after meals in nice looking restaurants.

    Street food came to Sinai today at noon. Citizens State Bank's main bank is in Arlington, about 10 miles northwest of Sinai. There are two branch banks one in Castlewood and the other in Sinai. Today was customer appreciation day at the Sinai branch.  Tables and chairs were set up on the street in front of the bank. Bankers, including the owner, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for all who came. 

    While the food and locale were very different from street food in Bangkok, there were similarities. In both places the food is common to the clientele. In both places friends and aquaintences greet each other and visit over a shared meal. Sinai street food is a good "friend raiser" for the bank.

Takk for alt,

Al

Cooking an omelette at a food stall in Bangkok.

Not since the '70s!

        There are sloughs locally that have gone dry for the first time since the 70's. Two  years of dry weather have done it. A local cattleman said he's paying $1000.00 a month to water cattle that would normally drink slough water. The little pond across the street from The Little House (see picture below) is so shallow that egrets wade in the middle of it. The rain on Friday that kept me from picking rocks registered .2" in my rain gauges. A wet cycle locally began in '83 and caused Lake Sinai to expand swallowing up three farm yards. It's now a very large body of water and it has fallen 18"? or so. Is this the beginning of a dry cycle or just a two year aberation? Wait and see.

       Today is the birthday of the late Mary Oliver so a poem is posted in her memory.

Takk for alt,

Al

                The pond across the street  pictured this morning.

A Dream of Trees

by Mary Oliver

There is a thing in me that dreamed of trees,
A quiet house, some green and modest acres
A little way from every troubling town,
A little way from factories, schools, laments.
I would have time, I thought, and time to spare,
With only streams and birds for company,
To build out of my life a few wild stanzas.
And then it came to me, that so was death,
A little way away from everywhere.

There is a thing in me still dreams of trees.
But let it go. Homesick for moderation,
Half the world's artists shrink or fall away.
If any find solution, let him tell it.
Meanwhile I bend my heart toward lamentation
Where, as the times implore our true involvement,
The blades of every crisis point the way.

I would it were not so, but so it is.
Who ever made music of a mild day?

Good or bad?

      Good or bad depends on point of view. A number of years ago hunting someplace west into South Dakota my dog ran about 30 yards into a stubble field and froze. The wheat had been harvested earlier. Puzzled by why the dog refused to move I walked out to him. The wheat stubble was solid sandburs. His feet were filled with the stickers from sandburs and it was too painful to move. I carried him back to the truck to remove the stickers.

    Today's task was pulling sandbur plants from the corn fields. The plants have reached a maturity that the burs, which are seeeds, might be viable if left in the field. A leaf bag full of sandbur plants are either a good thing or maybe bad.  It's good that the plants were eliminated it's bad that there were so many. One more task to keep me off the street.

                                Sandbur seed pods...very sharp!

Takk for alt,

Al

Wimp?

     Wimped out? Perhaps that would be accurate. The light rain falling convinced me to abandon rock picking for the day. Instead I went to Brookings to get the oil changed and tires rotated on the truck. Kaia was mesmerized by the large cricket crossing the floor in the waiting room of the service station. Crickets do not survive her attention when she finds them in the house.

    Crickets are fascinating. This dry summer has been good for them. It's cool how this synchronize their chirping so they are a chorus. They can also tell observers the temperature. (See below)

Cricket Temperature Formula

It's surprisingly simple: To convert cricket chirps to degrees Fahrenheit: Just count the number of chirps in 14 seconds, then add 40 to get the temperature. The number you get will be an approximation of the outside temperature.

Takk for alt,

Al

Hot and windy!

      The lack of rain is bad enough but today it's 92 degrees and windy so very drying. A real farmer looking at a soybean field judged that it was three weeks from being ready for harvest. Corn is being cut for ensilage. There will be a crop locally but yields will be reduced from lack of rain.

    Kaia and I went rock picking early today to beat the heat and wind. The status I enjoy allows me to work as long as I feel like it. Picking rocks is a challenge to my back so I do it until my back tires. The rocks aren't going anywhere so they'll wait until I return. This task would be whole different matter were it necessary to do all day. It seems there's a glacial moraine in this field that left a rocky seam. Glaciers, a gift that keeps on giving. 😃

Takk for alt,

Al

                               Joanne in our downtown condo.

fARM SALE!

      Another day another sale,  Once again nothing followed me home. Item of interest was 1951 Chevy that sold for $11,000. A1970 Ford Pickup sold for about that same price. Tractor prices were a bit higher than the last sale I attended. It was a good opportunity to visit with some neighbors.

     Stan and Nancy asked about the art on the living room wall of the OFH. (See last night's blog.) The large center hanging is big piece of antique silk that I bought in Vientiane, Laos some years ago. Joanne liked it so well she had it framed. It hung above the stairwell in our Golden Valley House. When she decorated the downtown Minneapolis condo she used the color from the silk as a guide to colors in the condo. It went with me when I left the condo and moved to the OFH.

     On the sides of the silk are three prints from the South Dakota artist, the late Harvey Dunn. The prints are Woman at the Pump, After School and Something for Supper.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                  At the sale.

City "fix" complete.

        At 7:30 am there was a bit of 'slow and go' on Highway 62, in the Cities. Once past the intersection of Highway 100, traffice moved at posted speeds+.  About 90 miles west of the Metro area a slight jog south of Highway 212, brings one to excellent county roads heading west. Typically one vehicle is encountered every 10 miles or so. It's a pleasant drive with much interesting to observe. So, as you may have guessed we're back in The Little House, for an indertiminate spell.  Both the OFH and The Little House are enjoyable and I'm fortunate to have them.  Kaia does well in them both.

Takk for alt,

Al

In the living room of the apartment in the OFH,

That was different!

     In all my years of church attendance the preacher did something I'd never experienced. The sermon was based on Paul's Letter to Philemon...all 355 words of it (counting the Greek text). He did it in thirds, reading a third of the Letter followed by a reflection. With the content of the Letter dealing with slavery, equality and love it was very appropo to the day. With his cogent reflections it was an effective exposition of this short book, one of the shortest in the Bible. Well done, preacher!

    This stay in the OFH has given what was wanted; time with family and friends. The blessings of family and friends gives meaning to life. With many, more physically distant, family and friends the telephone is the 'great connector'. Being face to face with those in the proximity of the OFH is a special gift.  There are so many for whom I am grateful.

Takk for alt,

Al

       The office corner of the bedroom of the OFH.

More Social Life.

     Socializing fills my cup and blogging takes a backseat. Don't worry, I'm fine.

Takk for alt,

Al

Social Life!

    Social life is interfering with blogging. Returning to The Little House will allow me to be more like the reclusive hermit that Joanne feared I'd be after her death. That will also allow more time to blog. Know that I am alive, well and deeply grateful for my situation.

Takk for alt,

Al

       The Acropolis of Athens, Greece...picture from the trip in 2015.

Social Life!

       Most often I compose this blog in late afternoon. Life from the OFH is quite social. Today for instance there was coffee with friends at 2:20, social hour with other friends at 4:30 and dinner with another group at 6:00/  This is not to mention a trip to Costco with Lisa this morning. This explains the bit later writing tonight.

    Thailand is flooding again. The central plains where Ayutthaya is situated is very flat. Bangkok is 100 kilometers down stream on the Chao Praya River. There is only a six meter drop of elevation in that distance. Consequently water does not drain rapidly. The rainy season is from July to October so floods may last awhile.

Takk for alt,

Al

This is a current picture of the flood wall holding back the Chao Praya River from Wat (temple) Chaiwatthanaram which I passed on my way to school.

Old Folk's Home

     Kaia and I travelled to the OFH this morning. Time to see family and friends. It's also time to go through the mail that's accumulated. The OFH apartment is as I left it a few weeks ago. It's a blessing to have both The Little House and the OFH apartment. 

   Yes, I'm fortunate and I'll write more tomorrow.

Takk for alt,

Al

                           Kaia's favorite activity in the OFH.