Jun 20, 2014

what happens in mid june

the time for cutting wheat is here.
all through the day and night, combines are slowly chugging around and around in the fields,
methodically snipping off white golden heads.
grain trucks and semi trailers patrol the roads back and forth from field to grain bin,
rumbling up and down the streets with their dusty loads.
the grain elevator and trucks run throughout the night,
causing a distant hum of machine whine and harvest excitement.

i like to be down at the farm for wheat cutting, but i still am surrounded by the season.
every time i look out my window or try to cross the street; there's a grain truck passing.
literally.
the drivers smile and wave back and bump bump rattle on their way.

this is such an exciting and fun time.
families and neighbors gather to help cut and haul,
kitchens bustle as lunch coolers are packed
moisture levels are closely monitored
grain prices checked
coffee or iced tea are cab staples
everyone is rounded up and dinner is served from truck beds in the stubble
a blob of hazy yellow and red lights in a field means night cutting to beat the rain.









9 comments:

Shady Del Knight said...

When my cousin was a little boy he once asked his mother, "What does a farmer do?" She told him farmers raise food to feed the masses. "Without farmers we wouldn't have our daily bread," she explained. My cousin asked, "Couldn't we just go to the store and get it?" Regrettably, few people raised in cities and suburbs ever give much thought to the busy life of the farmer or rancher and the endless toil required to bring their products to market. Thank you, dear Abigail, for describing in such a fascinating manner, the process of wheat harvesting in your native Kansas. It was like reading the beginning of a novel. You have a gift.


Please give Daisy a smooch for me and enjoy your weekend, dear friend!

Sarah said...

That does sound like quite an exciting time! I love reading your posts about Kansas happenings, we don't have anything like it that goes on here!

Wynne Prasetyo said...

oh gosh are those colours real? :o

Lucy said...

Wow, it sounds quite amazing! I've never experienced anything like that. So I really love the way you write things. You paint the clearest picture and cater for smell, touch, taste and sound too. You are a brilliant writer! The colours of the sky in that last picture are too beautiful too! Kansas such does have such beautiful scenery.

Abigail said...

yep. i enhanced the brightness a bit but it's all real.

Abigail said...

oh, thank you, Lucy. you are such a great encouragement to me.
i do love Kansas scenery, but cannot take any credit for it. God creates it all and i just try to freeze the moment.

Ajax Cochrane said...

I love that bottom photo with the old Topkick. Old Chevys look so good at night with all their running lights on. (Ask me how I know this.....)

Lana said...

Love. They've already cut the wheat here and replanted with soy beans. I can't wait for cotton season!

Jessica Cangiano said...

How very, serenely beautiful. Though I've never lived on one myself, I've long felt a very deep kinship with farms and the country/farming way of life. I think it must stem from the fact that many of my ancestors were farmers in their respective homelands and also when they settled here in Canada. I really believe that elements like that make their way into our DNA and influences our likes and desires for generations to come.

Big hugs, many happy Friday wishes, and tons of thanks for your awesomely nice compliment on yesterday's outfit post (it's certainly not everyday that I get called "incredible" - that means the world to me, Abigail, thank you deeply).

♥ Jessica

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