A family tradition continues ...

"Leaves three, leave it be. Berries red, never dread."

We found out the hard way that DS1 is sensitive to poison ivy. While helping Grandpa clear some brush they handled some vine-wrapped limbs and branches. The vines were not Virginia creeper as they had hoped.

I haven't seen someone blow up with poison ivy that bad since I was a kid. Poor guy.

Other than that, the kids had a rip-snortin', hog-rootin' good time at Grandma and Grandpa's, who let them stay up late, eat candy 24-7 and watch crime shows.

Wish I could trade places with the kids sometimes!

On behind ...

We thought we were behind -- well, we are. Indiana farmers have harvested about 60 percent of their corn acres. The five-year average for this date would be 74 percent.

But North Dakota is in really tough shape. Only 8 percent in.

We all need good weather.

A fall day ...

Looks good outside. Some of the fields are too wet to work. DH sold some seed wheat to a neighbor. So I asked (being greedy and all, ya know ...) "When will he pay you?"

"Oh, I dunno. When we get around him a bill."

Someone among us sounds Dutchy ;-)

Busted ...

The school nurse called and asked about DS1. "Just be sure we have not lost him, somehow."

"Uh ..." I can't lie to save my life. (Why would I want to?) "He's driving tractor for his dad."

"Oh."

That ended the call.

So DS1 took wagon loads of corn to the feed mill to put in grain bank for us, and to the elevator to sell for cash. At one of the two he said another farmer had a load so wet that juice was coming out the bottom of the gravity wagon. It tested 40 percent moisture. Ideal is about 15 percent.

The next day we wrote a note to his teacher (who grew up on a farm) DH was adamant that this was a one-time only deal. (Until spring, I am thinking) I was afraid DS1 would have to miss recess, stay in and write sentences or something like that.

When he got home we asked what happened. "Teacher said he would have done the same thing," DS1 said with a laugh.

Rolling, rolling, rolling

The neighbors are combining corn so DH, Grandpa and DS1 are running wagons to the feed mill and to the grain elevator where we sell our cash grain. DS1 is busted. The school nurse called and asked where he was.

Not a cloud in the sky. I think everyone in the Midwest is probably running corn today.

Nice thing about blogging ...

I went back through some older stuff and "lo and behold ya," as DH would say, last year we got snow on Oct. 27. This year we had a flurry in mid-October, which was depressing. Now we're in a mild spell.

Sunday on the farm ...

...Absolutely nothing going on except feeding the livestock. Tractors and wagons are parked where the guys left them Saturday night.

Mowing hay ...

... DH and Grandpa mowed hay all day yesterday. DH said this is the latest he has ever mowed. If we can get it in, in good shape, our horse-owning customers would probably like it. Very green and fine textured.

They are also going to try and plant wheat on the high side of the field where we just got beans off -- where it was so wet everything got stuck at least once.

So ... we have hay and wheat planting going on, and harvesting corn is up next.

It's the most wonderful time of the year :-)

Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar ...

Apologies to whoever wrote "Wabash Cannonball." The neighbors are here combining soybeans for us. Yasha and I turned off the lights in the house to watch their big International roll through the front field across the lane from us. Matfieh thought it was cool -- except that they drive an IH, not a John Deere. DD Yemilia is hoping that the bean check will be a big step towards her braces.

We turned out the lights to watch because we are under the full harvest moon. Cloud of dust flying.

Unfortunately, there's a ring around the moon. Matches the forecast. We are all up against it due to weather. Tomorrow it might even snow. On Friday we got 1.6 inches of rain. The ground is still awfully soft.