OH, THE DUST!!!

Harvest machines at rest

The harvesters came in after 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday (Aug. 3) and worked with three combines until about 6:00. They didn’t even stop to empty. The cart just pulled alongside, and they emptied on the go.

Only the southernmost field remained to be harvested when they left, and two combines finished that in less than two hours on Wednesday. I figure they can do our place in less than a day.

And now that harvest is over, I feel a little wistful about it. I looked forward to it, it’s over, and something about it wasn’t quite satisfactory. It brings reminders of yesteryear, but it’s not a retro experience. So, it’s on to the next thing, ready or not.

The good thing is that we can now hike the property, a welcome change from Plank’s Pitch. Mike and Bess hiked the southern perimeter of the property Thursday morning. They found no game birds and saw only one deer. 

I saw three deer without leaving the house, but I did get out for my own hike. On the back side of the pond, I found that the harvesters had left a wonderful road to the top of June’s field where I paused and took a couple of pictures with my phone. I identified the distant grayness as smoke . . .

House & grounds from June's field

. . . but that was not entirely true. It might have been smoke, but it was also a developing storm. By late morning we could hear thunder and the day began to darken. I hung the laundry anyway.

As we ate lunch Thursday noon, here came a tractor and plow up the lane. “What’s he up to now?” we wondered, as he pulled into the north field. Mike was the first to discern that he was making a fire break. His only interest was in protecting the house and grounds. He didn’t plow more than necessary. As he was leaving, a windstorm hit, and between the farmer and the wind, a lot of dust was kicked up. It rained just enough to settle said dust – maybe.

The afternoon grew warm (85). Mike grilled pork chops, and we enjoyed the “full meal deal” for the first time in several weeks. I added shredded carrot to a little zucchini and baked zucchini / carrot bread, which made the house hot and stuffy. But along toward evening, the sky darkened again. About 8:00, a ferocious windstorm hit. We had the windows open, so doors crashed and things thumped and papers blew across the floor.

Surveying the damage Friday morning, we found that the wind had flung the aluminum door on the sun porch wide open, ruining the closer. The glass pane also fell out but didn’t break. A smaller limb broke on the maple tree, just hanging there on another limb, so Mike climbed the ladder, attached a rope, and pulled it down. And my Dollar Tree wind ornaments sailed off. I found one by Mike’s shed. I may never see the other. KW