Friday, February 23, 2018

Now You See Him Now You Don't

During harvest, we see very little of Mr. Farmer. When he's cutting corn, he works long days--early to late. Beans don't cut unless they're dry, so he has a little more time to make daily preparations, check storage, and haul grain to market. Regardless, he makes hay when the sun shines, 'cause sometimes you can and sometimes you can't. This year's harvest went particularly quickly and easy for the Mrs. because of the farm crew. Matthew not only knows how to run all the equipment, find things and fix them, he also invested time learning the backside of running and managing a farm in the 21 century.



In addition to friends and children, a family from Turkey came to check out Midwest harvesting this year.




As always, the Farmer's mom has a great stagger:i.e.. "This is amazing!" "How did you do that?" "No one ever had such a _______ (fill in the blank)." She isn't able to get in and out of the large equipment anymore but she still drives out to watch and take it all in.


Somehow, in the midst of it all, house repairs got done. When the upstairs bathroom was remodeled ump-teen years ago, the only way to get the bathtub out and shower in was to remove the window and cut out the wall. It was a patch-and-go job at the time. Thanks to good help, Mr. Farmer's determination and the grace of God, it came together.


This year there were apples to pick and preserve. The Mrs. made a few bushels into applesauce and apple pie filling.



On the sidelines, the only child at our house was running cross country, competing in marching band and preparing for a performance of Seussical: The Musical. By that time, harvest was coming to a close.


Cast Party at Pine Ridge Farm
Matthew's girlfriend, Laura, was gracious enough to capture our family's essence:





We enjoyed another round of Good News Club at our local elementary school (click here for more),


A trip to  see family in Wyoming for Thanksgiving,


and hosted a baby shower.


Once harvest was in, it was time to catch up on paperwork, make plans for next year and relax a little....



Including a trip to warm Arizona:



In January, after 3 1/2 years of study, the Mrs. completed a Master's degree in Biblical Counseling and is certified with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). The Mr. included office space for her when he designed and built a new farm office and conference room a few years ago--not knowing how it would be used. The Mrs. meets with individuals regularly. Just give her a jingle if you'd like to stop by to share a joy, concern, prayer, or see what God's Word has to say about where you are, where you've been or where you're going. She may not know, but God does!


In recent news, the warmer weather is raising the possums from their slumber. One old fella met with a snow shovel. The other played possum a little too long and was discovered as he pulled into an upright position. Who knew they actually part their skivvy teeth and hang out a tongue for effect? Fortunately Mr. Farmer had reinforcements ready after "discouraging" the starlings who eat the dog food. There's a picture somewhere of him shooting from the kitchen window...If only it was loaded (ha!); guess you'll have to use your imagination.

Spring is around the corner. Rain has fallen, the ground is mushy. Lambs are due any moment and the cow's date with destiny is on the calendar (i.e. meat locker). We're hoping to see more of the sun and less of the clouds. Life at Pine Ridge Farm: seasons, change, stability, and surprises. Thanks for stopping by! Come back in a few months for the latest news and updates.

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