This month has just been.... well, let me say that I'm so glad it's over. The end of school is always so busy with something going on everyday. Throw in a couple of big cakes, a couple of banquets, an auction selling the farm, a couple of graduations, a new remodel project, several birthdays and other family get-togethers, a couple interviews, a couple days of volunteering for tornado victims, and my husband's school reunion... among other things. Today, we're staring harvest right in the face. This afternoon we're expecting the arrival of our harvester, and dear friend, Lee who's going to pull in with his crew and cut our wheat one last time. As you can see, it's been a month of emotion, fatigue and blessings.
The farm sale went better than we could have ever hoped. The 160 acres of land sold very well at $340K and the equipment sold better than we'd expected it to. The land wasn't family land and didn't have any special meaning to us. Rodney has been farming his whole life though, and this change is going to be something different than he's ever known before. No more calls in the evening or other inconvenient times about cattle in the road, no more grain and cattle markets to try and predict, no more reliance on the weather, no more early morning and evening chores, no more feeling like we just can't get it all done. But also goes the bond of working together as a family and teaching what it means to be a good steward of the land. There are many more pros and cons we weighed with much consideration as we chose to make the life change. Many friends came and showed their love and support, and many of our family members were here for us that day, too. The auction service Rodney chose to represent our possessions was top notch- the people, their integrity, and their genuine goodness. We shared a meal in our home with them and everyone else who helped us prepare for this day before they left. But that was only the first half of the day.... and I didn't mention about all the work (days and weeks) it took to prepare for this sale... Rodney was still in the barn at 10:30 pm the night before changing U joints on the spreader because he heard the familiar sound of them giving it up on the way home from the repair shop earlier in the evening. He fixed and performed maintenance on every piece of equipment having it in the best condition possible to go to its new owner.
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| Regan and her dad at Jr. High Graduation |
Later we went to CBA for Regan's jr. high graduation, reception and after party. We volunteered for the after party because we knew it was something I could prepare ahead of time since we couldn't help with the set up and other preparations during that day. We surprised them with a survivor style evening of tribes competing against each other in fun and challenging games. Whew... it really was a good time even if we didn't get home until midnight. One of the things our speaker, Kandy Newton, told us to do was have fun. So, fun.... check.
Throughout the week of the sale and graduations, we were lavished daily with blessings from all directions. When it rains, it pours. By the time my head hit the pillow Friday evening, I was emotionally spent (in a good way) and literally cried myself to sleep.
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| Rodney digging out stumps in the pasture left from the tornado |
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| the fence we tore out |
This past week we've dealt with seeing some of the devastation left behind from the F4 tornadoes that ripped across our state. Two days we went east and volunteered our hands and our talents to those affected. Who knew that tearing down barbed wire fence was a skill or a "talent". I had no idea that it wasn't obvious how to go about it. I guess that's what I get for being married to a farmer for 15 years. I was enjoying watching the 20-something-year old city boys work at it. After they gave up and went on to something else, Rosalind, Rayne and I tore out the fence while Rodney ripped stumps out of the ground with the backhoe and Regan threw away books. The library at the Peppers Ranch lost its roof and the books received too much water damage to salvage. That was a very difficult job for my little lover of books.
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| Rod shooting three |
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| Carol and Mauricio from Brazil |
Memorial day weekend was the all school reunion at my husband's high school. Lots of activities were planned and many alumni came home for the event. Rodney thoroughly enjoyed himself catching up with all his schoolmates over the weekend. Even an exchange student and his wife from Brazil came back. He lives in a city of nearly 500K people, and he loves our rural corner of the globe. He and his wife speak Portuguese as their first language, but communicate very well in English. It helps that I know quite a bit of Spanish (which is different from Portuguese, but very similar), so we are able to bridge the language barrier with ease. We spent an evening with them and I think I even heard Rodney virtually promise to come see him. Now that sounds like an adventure! Sign me up!
Just had a knock at the back door.... our little visitor is Austin! After all us girls gave him a squeeze, we knew our crew had arrived! I gotta go... I don't want to miss a thing.
