"You guys with irrigators sure are lucky..."

Some comments are best ignored.  Things like "Must be nice to ride around in an air conditioned cab listening to the radio all day" or "So what do farmers do the other 10 months of the year?" or "You guys with irrigators sure are lucky...".

All you can do is smile and agree while thinking to yourself "You dumb***"

Yes, I am lucky.  I have a profession I chose to be part of.  I was given the opportunity to do it ... twice.  I think back to the things Gramps and Dad did and put up with.  And I am lucky to have irrigation.  I remember not having it.  I keep reminding myself of that late at night sometimes.

This photo wasn't taken that late at night.  But it is a reminder of what it can be like.

I should write a book.  Actually I started it years ago and have probably lost my notes.   I was setting at the restaurant one afternoon listening to some more experienced coffee drinkers talk and thought to myself "We need to write these stories down".  I did some of them but not enough.  And now Dad and Gramps are gone along with all their stories.

Things like Gramps driving an M and pull type corn picker from West Union to near Humbolt on New Years Day. No cab.  No insulated coveralls. Grandma and the kids followed in the car and when he got so cold he couldn't stand it he'd get in and warm up.  Yes, I am lucky.

No big things to report this week.  We are done planting corn.   OK, we quit planting corn.  There is about 50 acres we were going to plant to corn that is going to beans.  We still have maybe 100 acres to plant if it ever dries out in time.  About half  of that is dry enough if we can get to it.  I think we may have to drive across planted corn to get to it. The field looks like an Illinois legislative district map the way it curls and curves around on a flat square 160 acres.

We are irrigating one end of the field while the other end is too wet to cross. There are some low spots in the field that were too wet when we worked them and are now cloddy.  We planted them anyway and felt the need to give it a little water to help it along.

Not too many photos this week.  You see one picture of mud drying, you've seen them all.