I’ve
been anticipating harvest for a week. “I’m no sodbuster,” as Mike says, but the
grain looked ready. But, as
you might expect, the actual appearance of combines took me by surprise.
Mike
and I had just been discussing the smoke. "You can see," I said, "that there's smoke between us and those trees," so as I looked out the dining room window beyond the barn to June’s field, I
said to myself that the smoke was getting worse. And then I heard the big
combines – three of them – and I realized it was dust, not smoke. We congratulated
ourselves that the windows were closed, and thankfully, Mike had even taken
down the laundry.(It's really my job, but sometimes he looks for things to do.)
Harvest
is always a big event but not as much fun as it was in the old days when it
meant preparing a good old-fashioned mid-day meal for the harvesters. They
would start early, work until noon, come to the house to wash a bit, and then
sit down to a filling and nutritious dinner served family style. Yes, it was
work, but everyone was involved, and excitement was in the air. No, today’s
harvesters don’t even stop to chat, and they don’t need anything from us. They ride along
in air-conditioned comfort, carrying their meals and snacks with them.
 |
| CRP meets winter wheat; note the distant smoke |
Mike and Bess went out for a long hike around June’s field this morning. I agreed to walk the road and meet them where the CRP on the east side of that field comes into the road. Mike suggested I give him a good head start, but instead, I went early with the intent to walk as I waited for them.
 |
| The big pine tree just before the Pitch |
As it turned out, I was very early, so I spent the time walking back and forth on the road between the plum trees and the big pine tree above Plank’s Pitch. My Fitbit recorded more than 7500 steps for the entire walk.
Harvest will change things. We can hike the fields if we want to, even though it’s definitely uneven ground. Mike looks forward to being able to throw clay pigeons. Bess will love that!
And
speaking of Bess, we set off on her constitutional yesterday evening, and as we were
descending the lane, she began to dance all around me, getting in my way,
tossing my arms with her snout, and even nuzzling me, eyes full of entreaty. “She
doesn’t want to go,” I said to Mike, so I turned back (because I didn’t want to
go either), and Bess gleefully led me back to the yard and over to the pond.
Mike razzed us a bit and said she was MY dog, but you know, she really is HIS dog. She just wasn't up for that walk. KW
3 comments:
They are starting on a new housing area near our house and the dust, in this very dry weather, is everywhere. Of course, with the smoke and hot weather, we don't have windows open much, so I guess in this case, the weather is helpful! Meanwhile, we are inundated with zucchini this year! I have a huge, huge I say, pile on my counter. I've made zucchini bread, zucchini summer skillet, steamed zucchini, and last night the crispy zucchini chips from the Costco magazine this month. (They were messy to make, but very good!) Tomorrow? Maybe zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting? Last year we waited with bated breath for a zucchini to get big enough to eat. Go figure.
Yes, new construction results in a lot of dust, plus you also see the effects of harvest where you are, but perhaps it hasn't started yet.
Oh! I'm green with envy to hear about your pile of zucchini. My plants look good, so I'm hopeful for a fall crop.
I would be happy to share if we lived closer to each other. I remember sharing our bounty when we both lived on Normal Hill. THAT was a few weeks ago!! LOL
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