The Crops are Harvested

The harvest season is over....that's always a time to stop and give thanks.


Here's a few reasons why...
1. The long hours are over. (What I'm really saying, "He'll get some sleep and stop being so crabby.")
2. We finally get to see the hubby and father. (Hear me sigh, "Whew! I'm not a single mom anymore!")
3. There were no major problems. (In other words, "I can finally sleep without worrying about the dreaded 'someone's hurt..or worse' call.")
4. He'll be home for lunch. (At last I can make food that involves a fork. How many different ways can one woman make a sack lunch without driving her husband insane with sandwiches, chips and a drink?!?!)
5. It was a good season. (That means there will be enough money to meet our needs this year.)


Sometimes people think farmers only work when they plant and harvest, but really it's just that in those times of the year, they work long, long, long hours. There's a lot to be done in between now and spring, but the worrying about his safety and whether the crops produced is over for another year. The world will have corn and soybeans to meet its needs. And some of them came from our fields and the hard work of my husband and his father.


Next time you buy a bag of tortilla chips, open a bottle of canola oil, smear your finger on newsprint, look at the bottom of your tennis shoes, take some medicine, add some cornstarch to your recipe, drink a soda, put some grapes in a sandwich bag,...etc, remember that a friend's husband and father-in-law may have provided the corn or soybeans needed to make what your using. Oh, and if you like bacon, thank that pig for eating some of our corn too.


My family is just one of many, many farm families that provide food, fuel and fiber that we all use each and every day. And it's a job we love doing...a life syle that we love living.