November 6, 2024
I usually share something political with you in “VIEW,” but not today. I will share, ‘I voted,” and I hope that you did also. Voting is not a passive act. Many have sacrificed and some given their lives to maintain our Democracy. While we may not know the election outcome for several days, let us begin to come together as friends and neighbors and unite our Country.
Rather, this VIEW is a share about our calendar, versus the seasons.
We all discussed the unusual continuation of the summer, along with the extremely dry conditions. Now fall has arrived. I have removed the now frosted annuals and put the planters into the machine shed, pulled the stakes from around the tomatoes, and put the lawn chairs away for the winter. The sun rising on the windows on the east side of the house reminds me every morning that I need to wash those windows to remove the bugs and fly specks. I just keep thinking one morning soon, we will wake up and there will be snow on the ground. Summer may go directly to winter.
A part of the season is fall harvest. This includes the duties of the farm wife and mom. She has certain unnamed and frequently unrecognized responsibilities during the harvest season. Field lunches, while now completed, were delivered by 11:30. Cold meat and cheese sandwiches with lettuce, chips, fruit, carrot and celery sticks, and a cookie. If I was going to be gone in the afternoon and unable to provide a snack, I added an extra soda and or water and a Snickers bar.
The location of the field may be confusing. The field is usually named after the previous owner. Such as the Naylor farm, but not to be confused with Velda south. That should seem easy, but there is the east side and south side entrance and for the delivery person that can be a critical determination.
Since it was so dry, I was very hesitant to drive into the corn stalks, fearing my muffler would catch the field on fire, so I patiently waited until the combine, and the grain catch wagon got to the end of the row.
This year there is an added laborer, who is seeding cover crops into a previously harvested field. Several years ago, it was radishes and turnips, but this year it is wheat going into the soybean fields, and rye going into the corn stalks. Surprisingly, as dry as the soil was, the seeds did germinate. These plantings will help prevent soil erosion and we should not see soil on top of the snow in the ditches this coming winter.
The other occasional duty is securing replacement parts for broken implements. There is always a sense of urgency to obtain the part and get it quickly back to the farmers. My previous experiences have made this into a frightening task. The person at the repair desk always asks a question unanswerable by me. To the parts person it is a simple question, but the farmer needing the part did not provide that information prior to my drive. The drives are longer also, rather than going to Rippey to have a piece welded, indeed a very long time ago, or to Grand Junction or Jefferson. Now it is Humboldt, Mason City, or Nevada. A sign of the times that implement dealers are covering more territory.
Regarding the “Seasons,” have you noticed the sudden influx of gift catalogs? They don’t blatantly say Holiday purchasing, but the thought is presented in every catalog. It was difficult to think about purchasing warm fuzzy slippers for Christmas when it was 83 degrees in October. Hobby Lobby has had Christmas craft items in its store since late summer. Our local Ace hardware had Christmas tree lights and decorations intermingled with pumpkins and fall displays.
Savor these now fall days, embrace the sunshine, and just toss those Christmas catalogs into the recycle bin. It is always more enjoyable and wiser to purchase gifts from a friendly help staff in a locally known business.
VIEW FROM MY WINDOW is written by Mary Weaver, a farm wife who lives near Rippey, Iowa.
