Sunday, May 3, 2020

1300 and Counting!

Day 632 in the camper, Barbs says she is not feeling well and I need to stay 11’-7” away. I thought the rule was just 6’ but she insists it is 11’-7” which ironically is 1” longer than our camper. So now I stand outside the camper and she just throws food scraps at me now and then. If I try to come in Dakota snarls her teeth at me and Daisy? Well, she will let anyone in who give her food. 

Actually it has only been about 2 weeks and so far so good. It is A LOT smaller than our 5th wheel especially with two dogs but we have our own little places and it is not bad at all. If all goes well we will be traveling well into September so ask me again in a few months.

We all have our assigned spot in the camper and only one person is allowed to move at a time. Barb’s spot is at the dinette, Dakota’s is under the dinette, mine is generally up on the bed and Daisy is usually wherever there is food and when there is no food she is up on the bed with me.
Dakota in her spot
Although when we leave the dogs in the camper alone, this is what we return to.....
Dakota in my spot!
Barb allows me to sit at the dinette when we eat but then I have to get out of her space again. Whenever I do that I have 2 pair of eyes staring at me from under the table looking for scraps. 
I thought the hardest thing would be no TV but so far it has not bothered me at all. We have some DVD’s and the computer keeps us pretty well entertained. And I am on my second third book (ones with no pictures!) so I got that going for me. 

This week was DeAnne's birthday! We all got together and had a cook out at Chris and Holly's. I promised DeAnne I would not mention how old she was....
Gavin hopes he gets a piece of cake!
Another day Barb and DeAnne decided to reshingle the old barn. A huge undertaking but they got it done in one day!
Next up is a new paint job
And yet another day we drove over towards McClusky and visited Dan and Jeannie (Chris' uncle). We had not seen them since we were in Florida in the winter of '18. Jeannie broke out a couple of her accordions and the girls had a jam session! 
Someone left a comment (Chapter 3 Travels) asking how we know Bob and DeAnne. I may have written about in the past but it has been a long while so here goes. My best friend in high school and hunting buddy is also a Bob. He and his wife have two kids one of which went to college in Fargo where he met Holly. Bob told me his son is dating a girl whose dad owns a farm and would I like to go duck hunting up there. Well, the rest, as they say, is history. One thing led to another and after Barb made her first apple crisp using the apples from the trees on the farm we have been invited back ever since. (By the way, if you have not read Chapter 3 Travels they write a great blog.) 

Farmer Bob and Chris slowly taught me how to use some of the equipment around here. Dylan, Farmer Bob’s son became a partner along the way. If you want to see the full history on The Farm, check out this post I did in '18. 

This week was filled with more field work. The peas are all in and rolled and we have started on the wheat and canola. Evidently the wheat and peas are hardier and can stand a little cold weather where other seed like Chick Pea and Soy Beans you need the soil to be warmer before you plant them. They watch the soil temperatures like crazy this time of year. They are hooked up to temperature probes throughout the state. Optimal temperature for planting is somewhere around 50 degrees which usually does not occur until the first week of May. This year they were seeing 50-54 the last week of April which caused the peas to germinate earlier than usual. 

Have you ever seen a farmer out walking his field, kneel down and start looking around like they lost a contact lens? Well, they are actually checking their field for germination. There is a tool you use to dig into the soil and see at what stage the seed is in. There are several stages. These are not technical terms, they are more like “farm terms” Again, something they probably learn in their secret meetings. 

"Swelled" is when the seed, well, swells and starts to crack open. Then there is "germinated" which is when you first see the plant coming out of the seed and start working its way to the surface. Then there is "emerging" when the plant starts to come out of the soil. 
Plain pea seed, swelled, germinated and emerging
They will watch this very closely in the initial stages of planting as they need to spray the field for weeds typically between swell and germinate. Once it hits this stage they have a day or two to get the field sprayed as once the seed emerges the soil the spray will kill it. We were checking the fields the other day and most were swelled, germinated and still had a ½” to an inch before they emerged. But one field had some seed already emerging so they needed to drop everything and spray that day. Interesting, one would never know that much goes into it after the seeds are planted.

Besides the rolling and rock picking I talked about in the last post I have been helping get seed orders ready to go out to customers. They will say something like “Put 650 bushel of wheat out of bin 23 into the grain cart”. The first thing I have to do is blow out the grain cart so any seed from the previous order is out, do the same to the conveyer, then calculate how many pounds 650 bushel is (650 x 60 = 39,000). Then when you are filling the cart to stop the auger at 39,000. A nearly impossible task since it is filling so fast but I can usually get it to within 100#. 
Loading cart for a customer's order
Panoramic view of us filling the grain cart

Chris’ mom (Sue), dad (Bob) and sister (Chelsey) came for a visit for a few days. Their first day here Bob went out to the field to ride with Chris and buried the truck in a low spot. We pulled it out with the planter and he rode around with him for a few hours and on his way out he managed to get the truck stuck again! We gave him a rash of crap for getting the truck stuck not once but twice in the same day!

Pulling Bob out
The next day I was out raking flax residue. We have to rake it into windrows and burn it as it is really not good for anything else. To do this you go through the field with a 70’ rake dragging the field. You lift the take every 50 yards or so creating the windrow. A very slow and tedious job. 
You rake these rows......

Once the burning ban is lifted we will light them on fire
So there I was mindlessly raking the field. 50 yards lift, 50 yards lift, turn around, 50 yards lift…… I was thinking of Chris’ dad Bob and the rash of crap we gave him for getting stuck and how bad he felt. Being the good friend I am, I decided to do something to make him feel better and drove the tractor and rake into the wettest spot in the field and buried it up to the frame.

The ruts were over 1' deep
That’s what friends do…. This took all the pressure off Bob. We had to disconnect the rake, get the tractor out then Farmer Bob had to come out with the quad-tract, hook up to the rake and pull it out. I swear that quad-tract can go through anything!

So with roughly two weeks in the books we have a little over 1,300 acres planted and are 1/4 of the way done. Now that it is warming/drying up we hope to get the rest in within the next two weeks!

28 comments:

  1. The walls seem to be closing in. At least it is warming up now so that you could put your chair outside.

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    1. I just might have to do that, I think it reached 70 two days last week!

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  2. So that's why the soy beans aren't planted here yet. Corn is emerging and the lake is rising here in IL. So nice of you to take one for team friend.

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    1. A lot of the other farmers have not even started planting yet as some of the fields are still too wet.

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  3. Only farmers know what it takes to grow crops. Most people have no idea, so it's very nice of you to explain all that to people. Farmers deserve much more respect. As to getting stuck, I'm laughing ... you have to watch and listen .... the engine will tell you everything you need to know. At least you took the ribbing away from Bob!! Good job!! As to the camper, I completely understand your 11'7" limit! LOL I barely make it with two dogs and a parrot in 36 feet!!

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    1. That is so true! Bob was one of the first ones to come out and laugh at me...probably because I was one of the first ones laughing at him the day before!

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  4. The picture of the dogs looking out from under the table is priceless. Daisy is just straining to see if something good is there lol. Really enjoy all the pics and info about a farm operation that size, the seeder on our farm when I was a kid was 8 feet wide and we planted about 160 acres. Of course we never got ours stuck ;) great blog, cheers.

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    1. It is not a matter of "if" you get stuck it is a matter of how bad you get stuck!

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  5. I remember how busy my Uncles were when working their crops and they were only doing 350 Acres. Nice getting back to the soil.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. The equipment is so much different now. They are able to plant almost 300 acres in a day. That probably would have taken a week 50 years ago.

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  6. You guys have been busy. I am sure you will appreciate your barndominium even more with the extra space when you return. We find it interesting the ins and outs of farming ... most of us have no idea how much work it actually is. Take care.

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    1. There is a lot more to it than one thinks! It is interesting how much math, science and even physics is used in everyday farming.

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  7. So nice if you to deflect the humiliation. I love the accordion playing! Hopefully Barb us feeling better and you are wise to keep your “safe distance”!

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    1. Barb has her own accordion but it needs a little work before she can start practicing.

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  8. I’ll bet there were a lot of ‘farmer waves’ happening during those mud parties...

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    1. Luckily we were well off the road so no other farmers saw it!

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  9. Fascinating stuff - farming, for those of us who know little about the methods. Enjoyed reading it. Chapter 3 Travels is a good read.

    In our fifth wheel the rule is the person that was there first has the right of way. Does not always work because there are two ways around the kitchen island :)

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    1. I find it very interesting myself, which is why I write about it. I am glad to hear someone else finds it interesting as well.

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  10. That's great that everyone has their spot in the camper. With tighter quarters a flow is important. Thanks for the laughs! Barb sure is a saint with all she put up with!!! Love the dog photos! When you visit ND, I know I will never be a farmer. But thank goodness someone finds pleasure in all that work.

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    1. It is hard to believe we will spend several months in here but I have a feeling that it is going to go rather quickly!

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  11. Wow! It's so beautiful there! Love your updates! Love the old barn and it's new roofing. I'm glad Barb found something to occupy a few days! Can't wait to see it repainted. too cute! We spent close to 3 months in our Six Pac cab over back in 2012 lots of good memories there! Love all the pictures!

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    1. We did it in 2016 without too much trouble but this time we have an extra dog. So far so good!

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  12. Thanks for answering my question and thanks for your kind words about my blog! Much appreciated.

    It's so interesting to learn about the ins and outs of farming. Like someone else said, most people have no idea what goes into it, and so much of it is done by huge corporations that many of us will never get the opportunity to learn about it, absent something like this.

    One thing I have figured out in my years on the planet is to never talk crap about someone until you are 100% sure there is no possible way for you to make the same mistake because karma is, indeed, a... well, you know. LOL.

    Stay well!

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    1. Karma indeed! What goes around comes around. At least neither were serious and we all had a good laugh.

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  13. You have to lead one of the most amazing lives. Good for you for enjoying the fullest everyday and encompassing everything. You leave no stone unturned. However I could not for from a large RV to the small one you are in now. I so loved that 5th wheel. Keep enjoying life to the fullest, one day at a time.

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    1. Thanks! We are really enjoying ourselves. It is hard to believe we only have 10 days left before we are on the road again!

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  14. Your blog is always a treat to read. It's always good for at least 3 or 4 chuckles. I was thinking when I looked at the photos that it's not a matter of IF but WHEN you get stuck and of course farm rules say that one is only stuck when there is ABSOLUTELY NO MOVEMENT LEFT and a bigger farm implement must come to help return movement. Then one is truly stuck. I personally think it's a 'hope springs eternal' thing or it could just be that some folks hate to admit defeat and are sure the next spin of the tires will get them 'unstuck', or in your case (and I believe you may be the only person in this category), helping to liberate your from from his humiliation. Which ever category you fit into (or maybe you fit in all three), congratulations, you topped the list!
    Nicer weather you could do the 11'7" distancing easily, get a hammock and sleep outside, or perhaps think about moving into the newly reshingled barn! Thanks for the bright spot in the day!!

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    1. I still think I could have gotten out and had it been my equipment I probably would have pushed it a little harder. I am sure the next spin would have done the trick!

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