Mystery?

      Something is amiss. A local farmer reported seeing many pheasant broods this summer. He also said that at he finished harvesting corn field flocks of pheasants flew out. A banker, who lives about six miles from town, reported seeing many broods as he drove to work. The governor of South Dakota halted the pheasant surveys that had been done for decades. Drivers would drive the same country routes each year on the same day and time. They counted the broods and that gave a good prediction of the number of birds. The governor’s rationale was that if the brood counts were down then out of state hunters wouldn’t come and the state would lose revenue. The holes in that logic are obvious.

     What’s the problem? I’m seeing very few pheasants. Today was typical. Kaia and I walked for an hour in excellent habitat and saw a total of four her pheasants. Where are the birds? Does it have something to do with the drought? Why do I see so few when anecdotally there are many birds? Time will tell.

Takk for alt,

Al

    This is what good pheasant habbitat looks like.

Wrong!

    Well I was wrong, but that should be no surprise. When Lisa asked me about the book she loaned me I gave a tepid response. Joanne gave books a chapter. If she wasn’t engaged in the first chapter she set it aside. This wasn’t at that level but it was mildly interesting initially; that changed.

   The book is Lucy by the Sea, Elizabeth Strout is the author. The two previous books that I’ve read of hers were very engaging. Lucy, is a relationship book, so if that is not your thing don’t read it. Lucy, the character is mildly neurotic but full of profound insights about life and relationships. She, and her ex-husband evacuate New York City to Maine as the COVID pandemic begins. COVID, and quarantine are significant to the story.

    Ann Pratchett, who is one of my favorite authors writes on the book jacket “Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favorite writers. The depth, complexity and love contained on these pages are a miraculous achievement.”

   Yes, I recommend it.

Takk for alt,

Al

                   Light rail, Helsinki, Finland.

Dinner report!

     The dinner last night was very nice. There was one absence of a person who forgot and ate dinner before we gathered so the number was 10. The good news is that all were on good behavior. There were no arguments about politics, or anything else. No rude nor obnoxious behavior was exhibited. All were polite and respectful and tipped the waitress appropriately. Good conversation ensued. The happy announcement was the birth of a child whose grandparents and great-grandparents were in attendance. A good time was had by all and also by Al.

Takk for alt,

Al

                        My view this morning.

Dinner plans!

      Ten family members are meeting me for dinner in Brookings tonight. It's homecoming weekend, Hobo Days, for SDSU so we'll fit right in.  A report on the family's deportment will appear in this space tomorrow so stay tuned.

Takk for alt,

Al

Well timed!

    Next to The Little House lives Josh, a 40 something single man. He has two ‘65 Mustang cars which live in my garage. In exchange for their residence there he mows The Little House lawn. Because it’s been so dry he’s only mowed once since the 4^th of July. The Little House has no deciduous trees but the neighbor's leaves blow unto the yard. Yesterday Josh ran the mower over the lawn to mutilate the leaves, which worked very well because they were dry and brittle. That was well timed because today we got a slow rain, maybe .3”? The leaves would not have ground up as well now.

     Josh is on the faculty of South Dakota State University in Brookings. His salary is paid by the U.S. Geological Survey to study wildlife, primarily waterfowl, and most of his work is supervising graduate students. He’s a good cook, which he enjoys, and he shares much of his cooking with me, which I enjoy. If I happen to get a pheasant I give it to him and it comes back to me cooked after he’s taken his share. While “good fences make good neighbors” there is no fence between us and he’s still a very good neighbor. One more of my many blessings!

Takk for alt,

Al

Inca stonework in Cusco, Peru. Note how the stones fit together. The Incas did not have steel implements.

"Grief touches grief"

    That was Joanne’s comment about grief that ‘grief touches grief’. She was correct about grief accumulating. That aphorism came to mind yesterday when two grief messages arrived. The first came via Facebook when Paul Rogers posted this..

.“For the last year or so an unpleasant pattern has developed. I neglect things I normally do and enjoy, like Facebook. It started slowly following surgery for cancer. During that time there has been no evidence of the cancer as well as no Facebook activity. That has changed.

Cancer re-emerged with vengeance, putting me on palliative care for the 6-12 months of life remaining.

So now Cam and I are cherishing each day as a gift. Our standard breakfast table prayer for most of our marriage has become a description of our outlook:

"This is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

We do rejoice and are glad in it.”

      Paul and I were college classmates at Augustana. He was a year behind me at seminary and, if I remember correctly, he spent the year after college in Germany. Our paths crossed many times over the years. He’s primary care giver for his wife, Cam, who had a severe stroke some years ago. The intended coffee meetings proposed did not happen and that makes me sad but mostly sad about his situation. Joanne knew him well from her work at Augustana and I grieve not being able to commiserate with her.

     Last night cousin Helen called with more grief news. She was calling on behalf of mutual cousin Louise to report that Louise’ daughter, Mary, ca. age 60, is in hospice. Mary’s hip broke some weeks ago and revealed a tumor. Louise and Joanne grew up as neighbors in St. Paul. They were friends long before I met Joanne. Again, I grieve for Mary and her family, and not being able to commiserate with Joanne.

Indeed “grief touches grief.”

Takk for alt,

Al

Books

     In last night’s blog I quoted Norman Rush who said that the aim of life is to so arrange it to have enough time for reading. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong. From where I sit in the recliner I can see fourteen books waiting to be read. Or, perhaps, I’m doing something right to have access to so many good books.

     One of my images from childhood is seeing my parents read. When the cows were milked in the evening and the dinner, which we called supper, dishes were done they would often read. In the dining room were two rocking chairs which served as their reading chairs. Included in their reading would be the daily paper, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, which came by mail. They would also read magazines and books. Dad began a subscription to The National Geographic in 1908, which he kept until his death in 1969. He did miss one year during the depression when funds were short. Of course they were having babies with four born in the ‘30s.

Takk for alt,

Al

   In a tractor pulling contest, notice the back tires flexing with the strain...I won! The front tires are barely touching.

No sale (to me)!

    It seemed like the perfect truck for me. Sixteen years newer, heavy duty, two door, 4X4, 50K miles, so off to the auction. Of course it was at the end of the sale so rows of little items had to be sold. The house on 3.4 acres land sold first. The truck was very last, 2 hours after the sale began. Alas, the truck did not follow me home. A buyer from Wyoming will be driving it out of state. My truck? starts, runs, everything works, with a nice five speed stick shift, so I get to clutch and shift. A man and his truck is a beautiful thing!

Takk for alt,

Al

Norman Rush wrote, "The main effort of arranging your life should be to progressively reduce the amount of time required to decently maintain yourself so that you can have all the time you want for reading."

    My truck with a coat snow from an earlier time.

Dust in the air!

       Dust is certainly in the air. With a 30 mph wind and weeks without rain dust is blowing. Hopefully there will be no fire. If there were a fire there might be no stopping it. My hunting foray was largely a good opportunity for strenuous exercise and a good romp for Kaia. She’s now sound asleep next to me. No complaints now that I’m out of the wind.

Takk for alt,

Al

Great Book!

 When Lars gave me the novel Stoner, by John Williams he said he’d really enjoyed it. At first I wondered because it starts a bit slowly, but, WOW, it soon takes over the readers interest. It’s a novel in the form of a biography of a fictional character, William Stoner. Stoner leaves the farm of his childhood to study agriculture at a university. Though he changes his choice of academics he never leaves the university and that’s the setting of the book.  It's not a new book, copyrighted in 1965.

Williams has a facility in describing the characters of the book with exceptional depth. He inhabits the characters mind and heart with such understanding that the reader understands the person with great clarity. A by product is interesting insight into the machinations of university faculty and administration. D. C. Myers wrote about the book “That Stoner is exciting–and unexpectedly so, and incredibly moving—is the true measure of William’s achievement… It will remind you of why you first started reading novels to get inside the mystery of other people’s lives.”

Do I recommend it? Yes, highly!  Don't read the introduction until you've read the book, it gives too much away.

Takk for alt,

Al 

The gift of friendship.

    Long time friends seems a better appellation than old friends though either would be accurate. Frank is 20 days older than I, and many would think we are old. Whatever...we’ve been friends and hunting companions since 1976. Frank gave me my first dog, a springer spaniel, and now I’ve had seven. He’s a retired orthopedic surgeon who has the distinction of inventing a replacement ankle, the Agility Ankle, the only one approved by the FDA.

    Every year since 1976 we’ve hunted together as we did today. Joining us was his grandson, Owen, who is a second year medical student. Owen’s father is an orthopedic surgeon and his mother a psychiatrist so medicine is a logical career choice.

    It was shirtsleeve weather as we walked beautiful grasslands. While we saw some birds we didn’t bag any but it was very successful hunt. Tomorrow? Hunting again...😉

Takk for alt,

Al

             In this earlier picture Frank is hatless.

Flattened windmill

     On May 12, the wind that struck eastern South Dakota was termed a derecho, sometimes called an inland hurricane. It spawned some tornadoes and a straight line wind was clocked at 115mph. It brought the darkest cloud I’ve ever seen. It also blew down a windmill on my land. Walking by the flattened windmill on my hunt today I intended to take a picture of it. However, it is so covered with trees that came down with it there was no real photo opp. The windmill was unused so it’s not a big loss. Fortunately the deciduous trees were not leafed out when the wind struck sparing them much of the damage. Coniferous trees suffered more damage. A barn near town was destroyed killing the horse inside. Crops were spared because the wind came early in the season.

   Another day and another walk in the field, much to Kaia’s delight. It’s certainly Indian Summer with the current temperature 69.

Takk for alt,

Al

                             Joanne's tractor.

Indian Summer

 “An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several references describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or more specifically the first "killing" frost.”” Wikipedia

 By that definition we are experiencing Indain Summer. The temperature dropped to 15 degrees this week, certainly a ‘killing frost’. At this writing the temperature is 59 and projected into the higher 70s this weekend.

  It’s prime harvest weather and the corn is now dry enough to go directly into the bin without artificial drying. That’s huge cost savings for the farmers. Last fall there was significant rainfall locally that recharged the soile moisture. That, coupled with some spring rains, made the crop. Now the subsoil moisture is depleted.

Today’s walk in the field was bird-less but still enjoyable for both hunter and hound.

Takk for alt,

Al

                    Ah, yes, a man and his dog! 😂

Pheasant Hunting Season

      South Dakota’s pheasant hunting season opened last Saturday. There was a time when that was an event I didn’t want to miss. The season is long, stretching from the third Saturday of October to the last day of January. Two years ago Trygve and I hunted 90 days. Those hunts were of one field, or one slough, not an all day event. Last year Kaia and I quit hunting mid-December for down-sizing and moving into the OFH. Returning from the OFH yesterday, today was our first hunt of the season.

       Today it was a successful hunt because we saw pheasants; one rooster and two hens. They were at a distance and therefore safe from the hunter. It was a beautiful, cool day of full sunshine with a mild breeze. Walking in the fields on such a day is a gift made complete by seeing birds. To say Kaia is enthusiastic is an understatement. Tomorrow, another hunt...the thing about pheasant hunting is that it’s basically walking.

Takk for alt,

Al

                  Hunting with the late Trygve.

Westward ho!

     Kaia and I returned to The Little House today. The beautiful drive across Minnesota revealed that virtually all of the soybeans have been combined. Perhaps 50% of the corn has been harvested. Local farmers report corn yields of 150-200 bushels per acre. Twenty miles to the north of Sinai yields are higher. Why? There was more rain there. Local yields will provide a nice profit with prices approximately $8.00 per bushel. How many years will crops grow with so little rain? Two factors contribute to this growth; modern hybrid seed and herbicides that eliminate weeds that would compete for moisture.

      Only one tree, a fir, and one bush, a lilac, grace The Little House yard. Yet the yard is covered with leaves, thanks to South Dakota winds. As this is written there is a 20mph north wind depositing even more leaves on the lawn. Waiting for the wind to blow the leaves away from The Little House is hopeless.

Takk for alt,

Al

Rollie Martinson speaking at our 50th wedding anniversary event.

Autumn

 

    The view from the balcony window in the OFH over the Mississippi River Valley is spectacular these days. Fall colors around The Little House are not as brilliant because there are not many maples. Hackberrys, of which there are many in Sinai, are a hardy tree but not given to bright colors. Ash tree’s leaves yellow and fall quickly. The Minneapolis, St. Paul metro area have many maples and oaks interspersed with the ash giving gorgeous fall colors.

Takk for alt,

Al

On the field

 Was it high school physical education or college? At one or the other the basics of soccer were taught in a few lessons. Other than that, it was football, basketball and track. Baseball was the game in elementary school and a town team. Never would have thought that soccer would take over as it has. While I’ve never gotten into watching it, soccer makes more sense for a physical activity that almost any other sport that involves a ball, or a puck. Perhaps cross country track is the other sport that would compare favorably

This morning I watched my granddaughter play in a soccer game. They took the field after another team had played and they were followed by another team...all elementary school age. Several other fields in proximity were also so occupied. The players played with enthusiasm with little attention paid to the final score. Parental behavior was appropriate. I’m happy I could watch today.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                             The player.

                                              The team.

The gift of friendship.

Ed and Jan were in town from Seattle. They were in the area for a wedding and to see family. Rollie and Sherry live in New Brighton, MN, a suburb of St. Paul. Ed, Rollie and I were classmates in seminary, class of 1968. We’ve been friends since those days of study. Gathering at the OFH this afternoon we descended on the dining room for our dinner. What an easy way to entertain. Many words were passed and it reminded of how blessed it is to have long time friends.

Takk for alt,

Al

             Three classmates pictured earlier.

     It’s not easy living with an airhead! Anyone else have that experience? This thought struck this morning over a minor incident. The OFH provides a continental breakfast every morning. Putting on my shoes to go to the breakfast for my morning coffee I heard a running sound that made me wonder what it was. Returning to the apartment with the coffee I saw that the dishwasher was running, thus the sound. And, yes, I’d started the washer earlier. What an airhead!    

    I’ve been proud of my iPhone. It serves me well. The camera is amazing. Talking on it works well with the sound transmitted to the hearing aids. One day Lisa said “Dad, you should get a new phone.” Total surprise. It works well, good battery life, screen is intact, why get a new phone? Why? Because it’s an iPhone 8, and virtually obsolete. Really? Yup, Apple will discontinue support in 2023. Uffda, what an airhead!

     Leaving Lisa’s house to go to dinner she asked how I’d find the dinner’s location. The GPS on my (obsolete) iPhone. “Tell me more” she said. Learning that it was not synced with the electronics in my car, she was appalled. Out to the car for some technological updates and a 20 minute tutorial. Now the phone GPS shines the route on my car screen. The car has been in my possession since April 2021! What an airhead!

    Perhaps the moral of this story is that airheads should not live without adult supervision.

Takk for alt,

Al

          Sebilius memorial, Helesinki, Finland.

Bits and pieces

Perhaps waiting for the Costco run until today was a good choice. There were few persons there. It’s a good place to stock up on food and dog food monthly. Gas was $3.55 compared to $3.45 in Sinai when I was last there. A funny thing happend driving to the store; I took a wrong turn and it was a shorter route to the store.

I’ve discovered the joy of short hair. Today I got my monthly haircut. A funny thing happened. While I was quarantined in 2020 I buzzed my hair to avoid visiting a barbershop. When it grew back it came in with more body than the previous very fine hair. That body would have been helpful in the 50s when I tried to wear a flattop.

Tonight I’m invited to dinner and a travelogue of a recent trip to Norway. It’s an opportunity to visit Norway virtually with a couple I much enjoy. Norway’s Queen is in Minnesota for a few days. She didn’t contact me.

Takk for alt,

Al

The best man and attendant at my wedding picture at the celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary.

Persevering pays off but ignorance is costly, not bliss!

 

 Well that was an adventure! Three tasks were on my agenda for the day; vote, renew driver’s license and shop at Costco. Two of the three were accomplished. Thereby hangs a tale.

Voting was simple and GPS led me to the voting station through a route I’d never be able to duplicate. It was about 10 minutes, in and out. On to the next task, renewing my driver’s license.

Four years ago, living in downtown Minneapolis a few blocks from the courthouse, I’d succeeded in getting and Enhanced License with only one extra trip to the station. Possessing an Enhance License I naively thought renewal will be simple. After waiting two hours for my number to be called the bad news was delivered; additional documentation showing your new address is needed. My bad for not doing the research before leaving OFH.

It’s about a ten mile round trip between the license station and the OFH. Armed with documentation it was back to downtown St. Paul. “What, only one of these documents work?” My second bad for not reading the list carefully enough.

Again round trip to the license bureau. Success! Five hours after the license odyssey began I was in possession of an Enhanced Temporary Driver’s License. Persevering payed off but ignorance was costly.

Costco you wonder? That remains for another day. It’s certainly good that I’m retired!

Takk for alt,

Al

"Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t."

- Michelle Obama  copied from negstadconsulting

                 Kaia, the latest wonder dog.

Old dog, new trick.

 

I can’t remember when I took over grocery shopping duties. Joanne never liked it and I didn’t mind. She’d do the shopping list and I’d go to the store. Early in this division, and long before cell phones, I got to the store and looked at the list. One item jumped out at me; “jello”. Have you ever contemplated how many varieties of jello laden the shelves at a grocery store? I returned home after shopping and sanctimoniously announced, “The difference between success and failure in any endeavor is the difference between general and specific objectives.” ‘Jello’ is general ‘strawberry, sugarless jello is specific.’

On January 7, 2021 I moved into the OHF. Previous grocery stores are a bit far away. Lunds/Byerlys has met my needs. There was one in Highland Village, not far from the OHF. So over these months the process of learning a new store was accomplished. All for naught!

Sunday’s Minneapolis paper had a large article about the Highland Park, Lunds/Beyerlys closing. It closed because a new, super one was opening a block away. Today, in a bit of a hurry because Kaia had been alone in the apartment a long time, I ventured into the new one. While it is way bigger than any store needs to be, it went quite well. The layout is logical and aisles well marked. There were some loopdeloops and back tracking but there is hope of mastering it. Perhaps the old dog will learn a new trick.

Takk for alt,

Al

          Today's balcony picture from the OFH.

Sunday life...

We Lutherans, following Martin Luther, have claimed only two sacraments, though Luther did suggest a third. The two sacraments in our understanding are Baptism and Communion. The other five, acknowledged in other churches, we practice but don’t accord them sacramental status because they are not available to everyone.

Luther also said that “the mutual conversation and consolation of the saints (Christians) is sacramental.” That would be an apt description of the coffee hour that follows worship. Coffee hour today was taken over by a congregational meeting. The down side of that for me, after having been away for a month, was not being able to catch up with friends and acquaintances. I grieve the loss.

Takk for alt,

Al

                 My favorite chair in the OFH.

"The livin is easy"

So says the song in Porgy and Bess. Indeed life at the OFH is easy. Often I've remarked "it's the easiest living I've ever had." A POW remarked on his release from prison "I was surprised how free I felt when they took everything from me." Everything we own ends up owning us. In the downsizing of moving from the condo to the OFH, much ‘stuff’ was shed. None of which has been missed in the in the 9 months of living here.

Having the option of staying in The Little House, or the OFH, is such a great gift. Blessings abound and grateful I am. The blessings began with great parents, whom I never really thanked, and have continued ever since. Soon I’ll descend three floors for a great dinner; no cooking, no washing dishes, no cleanup.

Joanne would love it here (OFH)! By now she’d know almost everyone. Meals in the dining room would delight her as would the view from the apartment. She’s missed so much in the four and a half years since she died.

Takk for alt,

Al

          This was the view from the OFH balcony this morning.

Friends!

   

By the end of the evening I will have caught up with three couples who are friends. Every day in the elevator of the OFH is posted a listing of the day’s activities. While I always read the list I almost never participate in the scheduled events. There are a variety of reasons for this behavior. The primary reason is that this metro area has been my home since 1986. Consequently, I have both family and friends nearby. Spending time with them is a priority and fills my people bladder. Inmates of the OFH who have come here from a distance need other residents to fill their social needs. A secondary reason is that I’m only here episodically, with more time in The Little House.

Kaia has been away from the OFH since Labor Day weekend. Returning yesterday it was apparent that she’d forgotten nothing of her routines here. The early morning walk up the hill to Highland Park gave her the run she loves. She’s a very good OFH resident, not barking nor having any need to interact with the other dogs. Only when people invite her does she approach them...a true wonder dog.

Takk for alt,

Al

Our tour guide in Riga, Latvia. When asked if she worried about Russis she replied: "No, becasue of NATO.

OFH

   Kaia and I motored to the OFH today. Trees in the metro area are beuatiful.  More tomorrow.

Takk for alt,

Al

Restoration...

Last spring I was removing cedar saplings on grassland. Across the road Lucas Zilverbergh, Private Lands Habitat Biologist for South Dakota, was meeting with another land owner about converting pasture to Conservation Reserve Program. When that meeting concluded Lucas crossed the road to affirm the work I was doing in cedar removal. In the conversation that ensued I mentioned that I had another property nearby. When Lucas returned to his office he looked at a picture of the other property. He noted that it was likely that there were wetlands that had been drained that would be eligible for restoration in a government program.

When we walked the land we found four wetlands that had been drained that were appropriate for this restoration. An agreement was signed, he contracted a contractor to do the work and we wait for that contractor to come.

Today Lucas came with a video-tographer and photographer to record ‘before’ pictures. When the wetlands fill with water ‘after’ pictures will be taken for comparison. The video-tographer interviewed Luke and me. He also used a drone equipped with a camera to survey the drained wetlands. All this while the photographer snapped pictures.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                      Lucas

                               Photographer

                              Video-tographer

That was fun!

     

It’s not often that I get to give a guided tour of the cemetery where Joanne is buried. Two of yesterday’s guests have grandparents and many other relatives buried there. One guest has both sets of grandparents there. One lives in St. Paul, MN., and the other in Olympia, WA., so it’s not easy for them to visit. Spending as much time as I do at the cemetery I knew where to lead them.

Paul and RoseAnn graduated from Augustana College a year after I and Paul followed me by a year at the seminary. Then they were called to Berthold, ND., a year after I, to Mohall, ND. We were forty miles, of mostly gravel roads, apart but that was no deterrent to our relationship. The four of us spent much time together. It was fun to host them at The Little House for the first time. The telephone keeps us connected. Once again, a good time was had by all!

Takk for alt,

Al

My truck and bulldozer are gone but not forgotten.

Company

      The Little House has company all the way from Washington State 😄  For that reason this blog is very brief. Know that all's well with me,

Takk for alt,

Al

Church Supper!

 

At one of the recent Bankers/Butchers Wednesday meals, Dawn, read off a list of church suppers listed in the advertiser paper. Asked if I planned to attend any of them I replied “no”. Then an invitation came to go to the supper in the town of Bruce, Saturday evening. Transportation was even offered by the inviter. Having no other plans I readily accepted...no need to sit home alone.

Arriving at 5:30, a half hour after the doors opened, we were given numbers 153-156, and sent to the sanctuary to await our turn to be called to eat. It wasn’t long until we were seated in the dining room. The $15.00 dollars got us a huge meal of comfort food served family style. The main dish was meat balls in gravy, there were also mashed potatoes, grated carrots, coleslaw, lefse and bread. Servers hovered near the table replenishing any bowl or plate that emptied. After I’d eaten too much a plate of homemade apple crisp appeared at my place...no, I did not refuse.

My niece was working in the kitchen, a second cousin made the lefse, and a cousin and her husband appeared for dinner. A bag of lefse followed me home. Were this to be written up in the local news an appropriate line would be “a good time was had by all”...at least “a good time was had by Al.”

Takk for alt,

Al

                                 Prairie sunset.

Harvest weather!

It’s perfect fall weather for harvest. Many years it’s been wet with rain and sometimes even snow. Combines would get stuck in the mud. Many days too wet to harvest soybeans. Corn so wet it needed drying before it could be stored safely.

If corn doesn’t need to be bin dried it saves much money. That would be especially true this year with fuel prices high. Dryers use propane gas for heat. The local price is in the range of $2.40 per gallon which is much above average. Farmers likely have contracted earlier for a lower price. If the corn is dry enough to put in the bin without artificial drying it would be large money savings. Drying the corn with propane also reduces the quality of the corn.

Now that the rain has held off this long perhaps it’s best if it waits until after harvest. Then some slow, long, significant rains would be helpful.

Takk for alt,

Al

This is an unsual, antique corn picker, seen at the Mt. Pleasant, IA, farm show,. It has two elevators to deposit the ear corn into the wagon. All the others I've ever seen have only one elevator.