Life on the Farm

[bjrogg]

Yea my son still makes those.

Some things change ad some things stay the same. I’ll take a loader and the big squares myself.lol

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

That shower really germinated a lot of weeds. I had my  cantaloupe and watermelons totally weed free before the rain.

I hoed them all again tonight lifting each vine out of the way and training them to head in the direction I want them to grow. Hopefully they stay weed free for long enough to choke out any that come again.

My sweet corn is really liking the rain and it’s just starting pollination. Won’t be long now.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

These sugar beets got a couple nice rains the rest of them didn’t. They are looking pretty nice now.

We have been very fortunate and all of our sugar beets have gotten at least some rain now.

The temperature has cooled off a bit and getting heavy dew’s again. The beets are loving it but so do the diseases. So far it looks like they are staying pretty healthy though.

Bjrogg

[Outbackbob48]

Bj, the weeds around your cucumbers look like purslane, pick and make ya a salad Big money for purslane at hi end yuppy stores. Crops look good for as dry as it's been. Bob

[bjrogg]

Good eye Outback.

I do eat it sometimes but nobody else in family has tried it yet.

I’m afraid the yuppies wouldn’t  like mine. It’s not organic.

My mom always called it cancer weed. She didn’t know what it was but no matter what she did with it. It came back. I got wheelbarrows full if you want it.

Bjrogg

[Buckskinner]

Then I purslane all over my garden as well.  I had to go out and try it and it's not bad, slightly sour taste with an okra finish... I'd eat it in a salad for sure.

[Outbackbob48]

Thanks for the offer but like everyone I got my own purslane to deal with, weed it clean and after first rain here comes again, I guess it could be worse. Bob

[bjrogg]

We are getting caught up in the fields now for a little while. Lots of stuff to get ready in shop yet though.

We limped through the wheat harvest with our cart. We thought it just needed a track changed. It turned out it needed more than that. Determined it had access wear in two bushings on track frame. One for front spindle and the Main one that hold the whole track frame on the cart frame.

We got track frame off cart and my nephew cut the weld holding the bushings in off. Pretty good headway on this job today. Still a long way from done though. Will have to align everything really carefully before we can weld new bushings in tight. Everything needs to fit perfectly.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

We will really need this cart for sugar beets. We have to load our trucks with our two carts. We can’t get over the high sides on our semi trailers with the beet diggers elevator.

Speaking of which. We have extension on elevator. Still some work to do on it yet and we need to install it on digger yet to.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

It been a pretty wild last couple days.

A few weeks ago one of the local Sportsmans Clubs asked me if I could bring some of my stuff to their youth mentors day. I’ve done this several times in the past . They haven’t done it since Covid and I was glad they decided to start it up again. I told them I would try my best to be there.

My dad has been on a journey for the past two years. He had Alzheimer’s extremely bad. He has been trying to go home for a couple years now.

Last night my siblings, their spouses and our step mother gathered with dad.

I wrote him a Aloha letter and read it to him. I told him I wasn’t going to tell him goodbye again. I had done that so many times already, thinking it was time when it wasn’t yet.

I told him it wasn’t up to me as to when it was time. I told him it was okay if he did though and that we would be okay. That we would remember him and pray for him. That he was a good father and had done a good job of raising us to be people this world could use more of. That we all just wanted what was best for him.

I told him all that and a bunch more.

Then I told him Aloha. Hello, goodbye and until we meet again.

We all told him our deepest wishes for him and how much we loved him.

I think it was one of those very rare moments where deep down inside somewhere he actually understood.

I know it sounds terrible but I left feeling better and hoping I didn’t see him suffer anymore.

This morning I woke up remembering I had promised to take my stuff to the youth mentor day.

I really didn’t know if I was still going to. I didn’t have anything packed and it’s a quite a bit of work to pack it all up. Haul it 35 miles set it all back up again. Show it to kids and parents for four hours answering the same questions over and over again. Pack it all back up haul it 35 miles back home. Unload it and sit it all back up again.

I didn’t think about it very long. I knew I needed to.

I knew I would enjoy it.

I knew the kids and parents would to and I really think stuff like this is important.

I didn’t take quite as much stuff as I normally would have, but it was plenty enough for everyone to look at .

I told the people who invited me when they thanked me for coming that I was glad to do it and I was glad they did all the work to organize it.

I told them about my dad and that I really needed to do this anyway.

As the kids started arriving my phone started receiving text.

My stepmother text saying they thought dad wasn’t going to be long.
That he was nearing the end of his journey.

I continued with the mentor day and like I knew I would. I felt very relaxed and happy for my dad. I enjoyed seeing all the young kids just starting their journey knowing my dad was ending one and starting another.

I stayed pretty busy with the kids and parents and occasionally got a chance to glance at the text on my phone.

And there it was. My dad had taken his last breath. He started his next journey. I felt so happy for him.

After the kids and parents were gone I packed everything up and headed home. I stopped at my dads sister in laws and told her in person. My dad’s brother had taken this same journey several years ago and she understood completely.

Then I went home. Unloaded my stuff. Sit it all back up again and contacted friends and family.

I guess that’s maybe why I’m writing this now. I do consider many of you friends and almost like family.

No need to be sorry. I really lost my dad years ago. Now I just feel happy for him and know he has a wonderful journey ahead.

Thanks for reading this.

Bjrogg

[Piddler]

Sincere condolences bjrogg. May your mind be at ease.
Piddler

[paulsemp]

Certainly a rough road to travel down buddy. It's hard to say out loud but he's definitely in a better place. I'll be at elm hall on Saturday only and if you're there we'll cheers a beer to your pops.

[bjrogg]

Thanks piddler. I really do appreciate the condolences. My mind is very much at ease. The last few months have been extremely difficult and tiring. I’m glad my dad can rest now.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Certainly a rough road to travel down buddy. It's hard to say out loud but he's definitely in a better place. I'll be at elm hall on Saturday only and if you're there we'll cheers a beer to your pops.

Thanks Paul. We’ve had some interesting conversation about life and death you and I. I know in my mind my dad is in a much better place. I truly believe that. His mind is clear . His conversations with old friends who’ve gone before him are once again interesting and he is with my mom again. I’m so happy for him.

I have missed him for a long time now. Now we are at peace.

Bjrogg

[chamookman]

God Bless BJ. I have been in the exact situation, with both Parents. Bob