The smell of the wheat is in the air tonight…that smell speaks to my heart and soul:) It is a smell you never forget…much like a cattle truck pulling up to the barn or corrals to load out cattle or deliver cattle…I can hear the trucks as I write…familiar sounds…smells…memories that bring comfort as…
Times past speak softly to me of heritage and family…traditions and hard work.
My heart can hear the sounds of my families history…the sounds of the horses pulling the combine…with the men it took to run it…dry dusty hot days for man and animal alike.
Before the farmer had a truck to haul the wheat into the elevator he had men who would sew the sacks of wheat shut…can you imagine harvesting thousands of acres and having to put the kernels into gunny sacks and then sew them shut…then you loaded your wagon and went to the elevator to unload the sacks of wheat…often driving your team of horses with the wagon several miles to reach the elevator.
My Dad remembered having to take the wagon loaded with sacks of wheat to Vansycle Elevator which is 8 miles away…16 miles round trip…he said it would take the day to take one wagon and the horses or mules would be exhausted when you reached home…all of Grandpa’s horses and mules were very well cared for and loved…they had to do their job but they were cared for. Dad used to come here to the barn (our barn is older than our house) and ride some of the work horses bareback…he spoke often of the various ones he remembered…Grandpa kept around 80 head.
Today we have semi trucks with double trailers hauling wheat out of Juniper Canyon…night and day.
Heading on down the road to the Columbia River…
Where the kernels of Juniper Wheat are loaded onto a barge…and they begin the journey to feed the world:)
Self leveling combines…hillside machines…can you see how the combine is leaning a bit…it is leveling itself.
This photo is better so that you can see how the combine keeps itself level rather than leaning…I heard that most farmers do not buy the combines with the automatic levelers anymore due to the price…
Wild Bill is showing how the leveler works as he is touching the spout. I could not imagine not having the machine level as we have some really steep hillsides!
Here is an older picture of the land when we farmed it…sorry this is a scanned image before digital…the house complex is our home and the green fields are the wheat crop of that year…see the road over in the dirt?
That is WB’s air strip for his plane…looks cool sitting in the wheat…actually it is on the strip.
Tucker is hiding in the grass…she follows me everywhere keeping an eye on me:)
Soon farm families will once again put in long days to bring the wheat crop in…as has been done for over a 150 years.
150 years of country strong…we dig deep when it comes to toughing it out.
And if the going gets tough…the tough get tougher:)
No matter how hard!
Harvest is a time of hard-working families working together for the same reason…the goal to get the crop in…harvest is like gathering cattle with my Dad in the mountains…we shared our work effort together to round-up the cows and that is what makes memories and heritage!
It is the working together and sacrificing…and harvest time is a sacrifice…husbands leave the house before sun up and come home when it is dark…often putting in 18 plus hour days in the heat of harvest.
I grew up driving wheat truck through my high school years with my other cousins…then after WB and I married, my Mom taught me (no this picture is not of Mom and me…more like my Grandma and Great Grandmother) the tradition of cooking a large lunch for our men and the crew. While it was a lot of work to cook a huge meal by 1:00 each day it was my family…I came to enjoy hearing about what had happened in the field and then all the joking and funny times too…I felt very much part of the harvest crew and was always sad when they finished the fields around our ranch moving on to the fields around my Aunt and Uncles homes.
Food was in abundance when the crew came in for their hour lunch break…we had home cooked meals with meat, potatoes, gravy, salad, vegetables and desert…and home made ice tea…no not sun tea or tea made by a tea maker…real deal tea!
Here is the recipe:
Get a small sauce pan and fill with cold water…buy Lipton Black Tea…loose leaves….put 2-3 heaping tablespoons in the pan and boil…then cool it and strain out the leaves…dump the tea water into a gallon jug and fill with ice-cold water and ice and you have real ice tea…all the good caffeine and antioxidents…and so refreshing!
Harvest skies and harvest heritage…have a good night wherever you are! HRC has her eye on the land…will post new pictures as soon as harvest begins….stay tuned…I keep hearing the song Country Strong going through my head…in fact I am going to go listen to it now!
Country Strong
I know you see me, like some wide-eyed dreamer
That just rolled in, off a dusty Midwest bus
Yeah on the outside, Hallowed fragile
But on the inside something you can’t crush
I’m Country Strong, hard to break
Like the ground, I grew upon
You may fool me, and I’ll fall
But I won’t stay down long
‘cause I’m Country Strong
I have weathered, colder winters
And longer summers, without a drop of rain
Push me in a corner and I’ll come out fightin’
I may lose but I’ll always keep my face
‘Cause I’m Country Strong, hard to break
Like the ground, I grew upon,
You may fool me, and I’ll fall
But I won’t stay down long,
‘cause I’m Country Strong
Jul 08, 2012 @ 19:33:19
What a wonderful life of tradition, family and community!
Jul 08, 2012 @ 20:38:03
It has been a good life…I am very traditional, family and community…after loosing both my parents in the late 90′s God spoke to me about choosing where I live as this is where He wants me to be…made perfect sense to me…at the time I had a job in town 20 miles from the ranch and I was not involved out here where I belonged…the community relationships and family heritage relationships were the important ones…ever since then I have tried to connect more and reach out more out here in farm country…go figure:) Truly I am very blessed by God here and He has been very good to me.
Jul 08, 2012 @ 21:09:39
It is beautiful to witness!
Jul 09, 2012 @ 01:43:23
I love the photos!
Jul 09, 2012 @ 02:48:29
Thank you so much:) I love reading your blog about Norway…Norway is very near and dear to my heart:)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 08:33:13
How nice to hear.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 09:52:22
Jul 09, 2012 @ 04:15:29
Love love love the photos.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 06:45:39
Thank you much:)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 04:23:35
Beautiful, beautiful photos!
I would frame the first one….
Jul 09, 2012 @ 06:46:36
Thank you much….and I love the first one…quiet beauty:)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 06:56:03
Nice post about the golden times of harvesting (and some hard work).
Jul 09, 2012 @ 09:29:42
Thank you…farming is not easy but it is worth it:)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 07:05:44
No one could ever doubt that you, your man and all the rest of the folk who work the land or husband the stock are country strong. Up until my generation, my family had worked the land on ranches and farms in Blaine county and others in Idaho. I shake my head in wonder when I hear their stories of what life was like for them back then.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 09:45:08
Thank you for your heart felt words…every person who works the land whether it be wheat farming or raising cattle….lives a life filled with hard work. I was very blessed to grow up in both areas…we pretty much worked 24/7 as there was always something to do:) If WB said to me today that he wanted to get into raising cattle again I would be thrilled even though I know winters stink and hours are long…still the lifestyle is a blessed one:) I was thinking about my Grandpa and his brothers working the land here…lots of sage to deal with and can not imagine how hard it was to convert the ground to farm ground with a one man plow and how long it took…wowsie:)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 10:26:49
Sometimes I look at old farmsteads and stare in wonder. Just how much blood , sweat and tears did it take to clear that land and all done by hand!
We truly have a wonderful history of our ancestors and their struggle to tame the land we now take for granted. Oh what short memories we have…what a shame that today we call anybody for almost any reason, a hero. No, I will point to those who settled the land as our true hero’s. You my friend and your family are part of that.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 13:42:38
Thank you so much and I agree when I think back what this land here looked like before it was cleared…and the work mt Grandfather had to do to clear it…makes me feel very proud of him and his integrity and hard work…he gave his future family a legacy that was and is an incredible gift and blessing. I did not get to meet my Grandfather but I have always felt that I know him…living in the house he built for his Mother and farming the same soil that he farmed…I feel God blessed:) Our ancestors for sure are our heros!
Jul 09, 2012 @ 16:17:37
Jul 09, 2012 @ 07:12:36
My mother would tell stories of when the threshers would come through, the huge meals the women would cook for the field hands, how her brother would take water out to the horses, mules and men. Those people worked so hard, and you could see the years reflected in the lines on their faces and their strong hands.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 09:50:34
I would have loved seeing what it was like to farm the land a 100 years ago…when I drove wheat truck it was much different than what it is today…we had pull combines then…four of them and four Cat tractors that pulled the heavy machines…at the time we also had two machines that were what you see today only ours did not have cabs on them or A/C. I did not have a CB radio let alone a radio at all…and I did not have A/C either. It took two months to harvest our land where as today it takes 3 to 4 weeks…harvest has changed allot with equipment but it is still the coming together for farm families to get the job done.
Jul 10, 2012 @ 13:42:51
And even yet today, many farm families still do not have enclosed AC tractor cabs. It was just about 15 years ago my husband was using his Dad’s old Farmall to pull a plow, hayrake, etc. He sat on a hard metal seat and the steering wheel was hard metal too.
Jul 10, 2012 @ 14:41:23
That is doing it the hard way and how we all used to farm…I remember my uncles and Dad plowing on the Caterpillar tractors with no cab…all you could see was the whites of their eyes when they came in from the field…we finally had one Caterpillar tractor with air when I was in high school and my younger cousin was in it pulling one of the old pull combines…every time I would swing up to get a load of wheat in my truck I would look over at him and he would smirk that I was roasting in the heat while he stayed cool in the tractor…about half way through harvest that year on one of my loads I looked over at him again and he had both cab doors wide open…the air had quit and now he was hotter than me due to the cab! It was truly funny:)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 07:51:14
I remember the first time I was in the Columbia River Valley. I was riding a Harley Softail from Louisville, KY to the Washington Coast following Lewis and Clark’s journey. This was in late July and I still remember how awed I was by the fields of wheat rolling on mile after mile. Thanks for this post which allowed me to return there for a few moments to recall the beauty of the scene and my friends who were with me that day.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 09:52:13
Thank you for stopping in…I am glad that my memories brought back good time memories for you:) Life is a wonder and a blessing:)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 09:43:23
A few of those pics were really great. I like the fields and rolling hills.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 09:55:13
Jul 09, 2012 @ 11:26:09
That plate looks like Chad’s lunch. I would really like him to share his metabolism. I always love the old photos you incorporate here. Your home and story has such a sense of history. It’s really beautiful.
I never understood the need for a tea maker. And I think sun tea is slightly dangerous. Before beach diet mania took over my kitchen, home brewed sweet tea, slow-steeped on the stove, with plenty of sugar added to the warm liquid before pouring it over a big glass of ice was a staple in my kitchen. Love it.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 13:43:41
Thank you so much:) I love the ice tea made this way….it makes more work but it is so very good and tastes so fresh:)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 13:32:50
What a fabulous post! I felt like I was living through all those experiences – the photos accompanying the “story” were so perfect…..it’s not an easy life but it’s rewarding I know. It must be nice to have such grand memories and history! Thanks for sharing with us…..it’s a REAL joy!
Pam (and Sam)
Jul 09, 2012 @ 13:45:20
Jul 09, 2012 @ 14:15:51
Please tell Minnie that I MEOW right back at her!!
Kitty Hugs, Sammy
Jul 09, 2012 @ 14:31:13
Jul 09, 2012 @ 15:20:57
What a wonderful story and photos. You have a unique history. I love hearing about it.
Jul 09, 2012 @ 15:51:22
Thank you:) I feel very blessed to live here. Growing up here I had the best of both worlds with working the cattle with my Dad and also being able to work with my Uncles during harvest
Jul 10, 2012 @ 09:42:16
In all the years I lived out that way I never knew those things were self-leveling! Awesome. Wish the hay cutters were!!
Nother great post!
~d.
Jul 10, 2012 @ 12:52:24
Yeah it is amazing to see them level themselves and we you ride in one it does it automatically…unless it breaks and I have seen that happen a few times..when I rode with Wild Bill he had a bean bag chair cushion on the floor so that I sat on that with my back to the big glass in front….very comfy except when I saw the back wheels of the combine come off the ground going down a very steep hill! It happens a lot and the operator uses the header to keep from having a big wreck. I can not imagine not having one without a leveler! The times I saw one break all of a sudden lean hard, and you hope the bulker is not too full! If it was a steep hill sometimes we had to get the cat tractor and pull them up…never saw one roll or tumble…the hubby had one break on him here in one of our fields and luckily he was quick acting and gradually turned the machine to just go down hill.
Jul 10, 2012 @ 17:37:30
Wow…that would test ya wouldn’t it? I always hear…”Steer the tractor with the hill (down hill) if you get into trouble.” Luckily, I’ve not had to rely on those teachings… yet. Love the idea of a bean bag chair. The combine here has a “buddy seat” but I bet the bean bag chair is far more comfortable!
~d.
p.s. Lovely pic’s as always!
Jul 10, 2012 @ 19:55:56
Thank you much as I love to hear from you:)
Jul 10, 2012 @ 22:28:01
Yeah I hear ya…with the self levelers they level the hillside out and go along the side…and yah it does pucker you up:) The bean bag is way more comfy…I too tried the buddy seat…love your pictures too:)
Jul 11, 2012 @ 21:15:51
Hullo,
I have just awarded you the Sunshine Blog award! Congratulations!! For info on what to do, visit my site: http://randpphotoalbums.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/sunshine-award/
Renee.
Jul 12, 2012 @ 23:39:54
Thank you thank you:):):) So very sweet of you! Hope you have a wonderful weekend:)
Jul 13, 2012 @ 01:49:06
Haha your welcome! You too!
Jul 12, 2012 @ 17:45:24
Now that’s how you make tea – we had one pan that was only used for tea when I was growing up. The big meal was at noon, dinner. Supper, the lighter meal was at night. For my grandfather, mules worked the fields, horses pulled the surrey to church and town. He always had a fine pair of horses, but the mules were the smart ones according to him.
On the land, you can hear all those who came before
Love your posts
Jul 12, 2012 @ 23:46:54
Yes we had one put too and I love tea made that way…so pure and good:) YOur grandfather was a wise man….and yes if we listen we can hear the land and the history…sounds weird but when I pick up a handful of soil, it touches my heart as I can feel the love of my family and those that went before me to leave me the legacy and the history of the lives that fought and worked hard to bless their future generations with all they had…because they loved us and wanted us to remember them….and to love the land:)
Jul 13, 2012 @ 07:20:13
I know exactly what you mean. You express things well in your blog
Jul 15, 2012 @ 21:27:51
Thank you:)