Cutting Silage

This has been an unusually hot and dry summer, which has changed the schedule for harvesting and the crop production.

The wheat harvest was completed almost by the date that the combining typically begins in a normal year.  Harvesting corn usually happens late in the fall; but this summer it was too hot and dry for the ears to fill, and the leaves were turning brown.  In order to get a crop from the planted corn, they hired a silage cutting crew from Kansas who started Wednesday morning with their trucks and silage machines.  They finished this morning, July 28th.  The silage will be feed for cattle this winter.  

Pastures are also hurting due to lack of rainfall, but we did get a welcomed .4 of an inch last night.  With the ground so dry and a 90-degree temperature today, the moisture doesn't last long.

Truck bringing chopped corn from the field.

Since the corn was still greener than desired 

for making silage, Brent is bringing hay bales to add 

to the mix so that the moisture will be lower.

 Grinding the hay and adding to the corn.

Dumping the chopped corn at the top of the pit.

The truck is emptied and ready to

go to the field to bring back another load.

Sam is in the tractor pushing the dumped corn

down into the silage pit.

Moving down into the pit to level the silage.

Another silage pit in the background has been filled and

covered.  Old tires hold the plastic in place.  Covering the 

silage reduces the spoilage.  This winter, the silage will  be 

mixed with ground hay in a feed wagon and fed to the cattle.

More Visits from Family

It was fun having Ryan's family here.  They returned to their home in Utah on June 21st.  Before we could get too lonely, Beth and children arrived the following day and were able to stay for a two-week visit.  While they were here, Curtis and Marla's family came for the weekend of the Fourth. 

Grandma and Grandpa with Beth's family

(Joshua, Beth, Megan, Ethan, Rebecca, Jared, and Amanda;

Todd was home working.)

It was fun to celebrate Joshua's birthday

on June 23rd.  He chose these decorations for his cake.

 Helping Joshua celebrate his 7th birthday.

(Megan, Joshua, Sam, Ethan, Weston, Seth, Jared,

Amanda, Rachel, and Grandpa)

Joshua reading a clue on his birthday treasure hunt.

 Rachel trying to help Joshua find the next clue

in the area around the bell.

Joshua's treasure hunt clues led him inside the

house to the clothes dryer where he found the

slippery slide.  It was a good present to open early

so the children could cool off while having fun.
 

Rebecca is trying out Joshua's slippery slide

with Appolo (Brent's family's dog) watching.

 Joshua and Ethan (with his new camouflaged toy gun)

discovered the "tree stand" Brad and Todd 

put in trees for deer hunting.

The Four Wheeler is an attraction for the kids.

Jared was a careful driver, and Beth supervised

the others for their turns at the wheel.  They learned 
how to be safe drivers, and Megan and Amanda were
happy when they finally got to go solo.

Amanda

Megan

We went to Patti and Galen's in Mission and enjoyed
our visit with them and with Marci, Mandy, and Kendra
 and the Busch's grandchildren. 
It was nice for Beth and Marci to be together again.
The kids went swimming in Kendra's pool, and Patti
ordered pizza and served us supper.
(In the photo, Galen is talking to the kids after their swim.)

 Jared was a good helper mowing around the place.

 Fishing at Bad Hare dam.

(Amanda, Rebecca, Jared, Rachel, Ethan, Megan, and Joshua)

 Getting ready to ride home in the Gator from Bad Hare.

Jared and Ethan stayed to fish a short while longer

and rode home on the Four Wheeler.

(Rebecca, Amanda, Rachel, Megan, and Joshua;

Beth and Grandma not in the photo.)

Jared and Ethan caught up with us, as we

had stopped to look at the horses.

The horses were curious and came up to the fence

to check out their visitors.

(Rebecca, Amanda, Joshua, Megan, and Rachel)

 Jared cleaned Megan's fish, a bass.

She was the only one to catch a keeper.

The rest were "catch and release."

When Curtis and Marla arrived for the Fourth of July,

the four cousins (the same age) had a traditional

photo op.  Here they are wearing matching shirts.

(Amanda, Rachel, Maren, and Megan)

The girls organized a family talent show.
Weston practiced on the stilts that Grandpa made.
(Megan, Amanda, Weston, Rachel, and Ethan)

He got pretty good on the stilts.

 It was humorous to watch how protective of Weston
his little dog, Apollo, was when big brother Sam
pretended to "beat" on him.

Ethan had a bag of tricks to show
as he entertained us with his magic show.

We voted for the winner of the talent show.
Guess who got the most votes?  Well, maybe
they wanted to keep the cook happy!
Anyway, I did a reading of a favorite humorous poem
that my mother used to do called
"Between Two Loves."

 

 Rebecca's cuteness is her talent.
Does wearing a watermelon dress 
make the melon taste better?

On the Fourth of July, we went to the city park

for the festivities and fireworks.  
In the photo are shown some of our grandchildren

who found a good place to sit and listen to the

community choir.  I enjoy singing with this group
and going to choir practice Tuesday evenings.
(Maren, Jared, Haley, Maggie, and Ethan)

Our community choir, the Martin Meadowlarks,

missed some of our members when we

sang at the park on the evening of the Fourth of July.

We are wearing our new choir tee shirts.

(I'm right in front of Marj, our choir director.)

 Rachel's Millenium Dancers

performed at the park on the Fourth.

 Cousins watching Rachel's dance group.

(Megan, Rebecca, Amanda, and Joshua)

A water fight sponsored by the local firemen.

Ethan and Weston along with Weston's friend (Garrett - left),

work together to try to get the bucket on a line

over to the opposing side using the force of the water

from their hose.

The girls get in the action, too.

(Rachel, a friend, Megan, and Amanda)

 Dressing up in saris I got in India.

(Amanda, Rachel, and Megan; Maren had returned home.)

The girls got creative with plastic garbage bags

and colorful duct tape and made dresses with 
matching purses and headbands.

(Amanda, Rachel, and Megan)

 Megan and Amanda enjoy wearing their hats they

got when we went shopping in Martin, 

and Rebecca also likes her new purse.

 

Rebecca enjoys wearing her cute

dresses and being a "princess."

 

The grandchildren wanted to watch the

wheat harvest and hoped to get to the field
in time to have a ride in the combine.
(Megan, Rebecca, Joshua, Amanda, Rachel, Jared, and Ethan)

Grandpa is waiting for Joshua and Ethan

so they can go for a few rounds in the combine.

Now it's Megan and Amanda's turn for a ride.

 Brent's Sam does a good job operating the grain cart.

Here the wheat is being transferred from the combine.

Rachel, Amanda, Rebecca, and Megan

standing in the wheat field.

This year was not a good wheat harvest due to the

heat and lack of moisture.

 Playing "Fat Albert"
(Joshua, Megan, Ethan, and Rachel shown in the picture)

 

   Visiting their Aunt Barbie and enjoying her pretty yard.

(Joshua, Jared, Amanda, Rachel, Rebecca, Megan, and Ethan)

When Beth and the children left for home, I found the house pretty lonely.  It is nice to have the pictures and the memories of their visit and Ryan's family before that.

 We're glad the grandchildren wanted to stay longer.

We had a surprise visit from a friend we had not seen for many years.  The same day Beth's family left, Paul Scoresby and his family stopped by for a short visit.  Paul had lived in Martin working for the public health department and was Beth and Jeff's seminary teacher.  Leaving Martin, he returned to further his education at Utah State University, got married, and now has three sons and a daughter and lives in Idaho.  He reminisced how he had attended church services in our home and eaten Sunday dinners afterward with us.  It was nice to see Paul and his family, and we appreciate their stopping on their way to Mount Rushmore.