Harvest!

My Mom and I were talking one day mid-October about us going to ND for harvest. The kids really don't know much about it as they have zilch exposure to it here. Well, we talked and decided to do that. Then it rained in ND. So we put it off for a couple of weeks and then it froze in ND! Yay! That meant the corn would really be ready. So off we went on October 30. The kids were real troopers on the 10.5 hour drive. I had gotten them each some inexpensive toys at the Family Dollar, a notebook and pages of stickers for each of them, and one of those drawing pads (that I grew up with!) where you draw with a plastic pencil and the thin plastic sheet sticks to the black background, then you lift the thin plastic to erase? You know? They thought those were great! maybe because I said they were magic pens!! heehee Annisia stayed dry the whole trip! YAY! She was wearing a pull up, but it was still dry when we got to Mom and Dad's. She even had to pee by the side of the road a time or two! Atta girl!

The next day, Friday, we played in the morning while the corn was still trying to shed it's dew. Then around 1pm, Michael, Jonathan and Dad went out to get started. Dad drives the semi grain truck for some friends. He has been retired since June 1995, but has been driving for Joey for 8 years. So they have a real process going. Dean was driving the combine, Joey was driving the tractor with the cart. The combine would harvest till it's hopper was full, then unload into the cart; they would do that twice. Then Joey would empty the cart into the semi. They would do that twice. Then Joey would tarp the semi and start it. It would be ready for Dad when he got back from unloading the first semi at the elevator 8 miles away. Dad basically drives and unloads one semi, brings it back, hops into the second, does the same...you get the picture.

So! We got to ride in the semi to the elevator and watch the corn unload while we munched on these great peanuts the elevator guy has out on the counter. As soon as he saw the kiddos, he got out some cookies too. Spoiled rotten, I say!

This is us in the red semi.

When we got back to the field, Dad parked the semi, hopped into the next one and took off. Doesn't he look a little smug?! He loves these guys he works with, so the days are good for him. Not always so great for Mom...she calls herself a harvest widow sometimes!

While Dad was driving back and forth, Dean and Joey were harvesting. I didn't get a good picture of the combine. It was a CAT and had a 12 row header. It was huge! Jonathan and Michael took a ride in it before us girls even got out there. So I asked if Annisia and I could have a ride. Joey said yes, but as I started up the ladder, Annisia started crying that it was too loud and she didn't want to go. Jonathan took the chance for a second ride. I had a blast! So did Jonathan...
At one point, Dean offered Jonathan a piece of gum. Honestly, I don't think Jonathan has had a piece of gum before that. I told him, "You chew on this, OK? You don't swallow it, you just chew it." And on we drove, down the field watching the cobs of corn fly into the header, bounce around, the turning to watch the corn fill the hopper behind us. After about 5-10 minutes, I asked Jonathan, "How's your gum?" He said, "I ate it all gone, Mommy! It was good!" Dean just hooted! So did I!