Still too wet to cut wheat, so we wait

These cousins love pink - Anna and her cousin McKenzie from Springfield, Missouri.

Sunday morning was beautiful so we enjoyed a few minutes of rest on the front porch. Don't worry, we went to church Saturday night. Left to right: Anna, Jo, Mom, Joey and John AND a couple of dogs - Kramer and Pearl.

These cookies are good - Garrett and cousin McKenzie

Anna is such a loving little child - she gave her mom Kelly a big kiss.

Kevin and his dog Champ

Matt and his daughter Hallie checked the bulls in the trailer before they hauled them to the pasture for the summer.

Hallie and her tricycle

Sharon was not the last one to wake up - that was Nancy. Sharon ate her breakfast on the porch as Susan pulled stickers from the lawn.

What do farmers do when it is too wet to work in the fields? They take their laptops to the porch to enter data. Joey, enjoy the calm because you won't have time to sit once the field dries.

A family photo - Susan and son Matt, Matt's wife Lori and his daughter Hallie

What to do when rain delays harvest?

Garrett looked serious - I think it is his game face for harvest.

Cousins Anna and Hallie enjoyed a little dancing.

Garrett in a relaxed mode at the end of the day.

Sam enjoyed the rain delay by getting in a little reading.

Susan and her grandkids - Garrett, Anna, Sam, and Hallie.

Nancy's sister Jane and brother-in-law Harvey from Lincoln, Nebraska, visited Thielen Farms in Dorrance for a few days to experience wheat harvest.

When the rain stopped wheat harvest, Kevin decided to enjoy a cool beer.

Joey worked on the old, old ton truck.

Harvey, is it really that fun getting your hands greasy and working on old trucks? Or is it just the beer in your hand that is causing that smile?

Joey, I am starting to see a theme here with the beer.

Tadpoles!!

Matt told Anna and Garrett about the tadpoles in one of the fields. They immediately had to go get some for their creature farm.

Anna with a tiny tadpole on her finger and an extra one in her other hand.

More tadpole work

Matt finally got back to work after the tadpole expedition

Getting ready to cut wheat

Joey serviced the harvest equipment under the watchful eye of his son. Garrett didn't let his dad out of his sight because he wanted to be on the first combine that left for the field.

Garrett looked over every inch of the combine to make sure it was just as he remembered it from last year.

Joey also had to service the grain cart and tractor.

Anna showed off her Thomas and Friends tattoo on her arm. You can click on any photo to see it in a larger view.

Fun on the farm

Baby Sam is now scooting, not quite crawling, so he can go wherever he wants. Kramer was napping while Sam moved closer.

Wake up Kramer

Nancy painted Anna's fingernails.

A view from above

This field of wheat is only a day or two away from being ready to harvest. Nancy arrived at the farm Saturday night and she has been busy ever since then. She is the sous chef (assistant to those of us who don't know better), childcare provider, and all-around wonderful person. I have been sorting cows, pulling stuck swathers out of the mud, running vehicles from one field to the next, mowing, and lots of other chores. And, I am loving every minute of it!!!

Birthday Shout Out to my sister-in-law Julie

Julie, Bill and my Dad.

Farming and a fall

Susan and her grand-daughters Anna and Hallie in the porch swing that gets used a lot.

Well the swing WAS used a lot until it fell while Kevin and I were sitting in it. Kevin quickly got up, but Garrett sat by me to check on the damage to the roof of the porch. I don't want any comments about 'why' the roof fell and the fact that it broke loose on the side I was sitting.

So, what has been happening at the farm? Well, it is time to plant milo and silage feed. This will be ready to harvest in September or October.

This is the view out the front of the tractor. This is no-till farming to preserve the moisture in the ground.

The view out the back of the tractor. The tank on top of the drill holds liquid fertilizer.

This is the global positioning screen in the cab of the tractor. Among other things, it steers the tractor within a few inches of the previous round to prevent over or under seeding.

Summertime fun at the farm

As most of you know, Nancy and I are spending a few weeks at my sister Susan's farm near Dorrance. Actually Nancy has been in Lincoln, Nebraska, this week helping her sister Jane go through the flood damaged items in the storage unit where they kept their parents and grandparents' keepsakes. We will probably be in Dorrance until harvest is over. The wheat is still a few days from being ready, most are predicting the middle of next week as a target for this area. They have had lots of rain in the area so the wheat is a little behind the rest of the state. So far I have been helping Susan around the house - both inside and out, and I have cared for the little ones. Enjoy a few photos from the last couple of days!

Hallie loves to play outside on the old John Deere tractor. She can't quite reach the pedals or sit on the seat, but that doesn't stop her from playing.

Joey and Kelly in front of the double rainbow. The lighting was very strange, it was dark near us and very light in the background.

Anna wanted to pose with her Daddy in front of the rainbow. She had her bath, but didn't stand still long enough to put her pajamas on.

Garrett bottle feeds his calf, Bumpy.
The expression on Garrett's face is in response to a flash of lighting.

Back to the house in the rain after feeding his calf.

Hallie and Anna love climbing on the railing outside of Susan's house.

Baby Sam and Grandma Thielen

Hallie and her grandma Thielen

Anna worked on her jump rope skills.

Anna actually has her feet off the ground in this photo.