A Family Project

I wouldn't have traded this day for anything. It is bonding as a family to work together and to enjoy the fruit of our labors. Besides that, it was just plain fun to giggle and work together as we gave God glory for the crop He gave us.

Alan planted corn this year, for the first time on our farm. It seemed a good idea to save on feed for the sheep, cow, pigs and chickens by raising our own corn. The ground had experienced a good rest, and Alan was thrilled with the crop. The ears were big and full and he has more corn than we really even need. This was a first experience for the kids and I, even though Alan grew up on a farm that did a little of everything, and we all had to get in on the fun.

Easton thought he was big stuff 'helping' drive the tractor. Really, Destry is the one who was the most help. He actually knew how to operate the tractor and all the implements and helped Alan with prepping the machinery and hitching everything up. At moments like these, I am reminded how much he is growing up, and I am grateful for the opportunities he has to learn these skills.

My rough understanding of how this process works is as follows: the machine in the middle is called a corn picker. This machinery has a pto, rather like a baler, which is powered by the tractor, and this machine is pretty amazing. It takes the stalk of corn into the machine, separates the corn from the stalk, then the ear of corn goes through another section of the machine to be shucked, and then a beautiful ear of corn plops into the wagon.Alan drove the tractor and the kids and I rode around in the wagon. I am ever so grateful there is no video of me getting into the wagon! Below was our view as we drove around the cornfield and evaded flying cobs of corn.Kiana found a safe place between Mama's legs where she sat secure in her safety and ate kernels of corn off the cob. This silly little girl will eat absolutely anything!At other times, the little ones stationed themselves in a corner safe from flying corn and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.Kiana enjoys picking corn. It's an exhausting job, apparently, but here she is, sprawled out on a pile of corn in the wagon. She's perfectly comfortable and at home there. Briana and Destry were laid back, enjoying God's amazing and bountiful blessing. Not only was the yield abundant, and the ground dry enough to work in, but we had a beautiful, warm, sunny day to reap what Alan had planted. Now the corn is all safely stored away in the corn crib Alan built, ready to be fed to the livestock.I love this picture of Destry. I can see a shadow of the man he is becoming, kicked back surveying his domain, strong and confident that he can do what needs to be done. I think there is just something about a man and the land--being in touch with God's creation and working with his hands. I see it in his dad, and I see a difference between my son cooped up in the house bent over a schoolbook versus repairing and operating machinery and seeing tangible evidence and benefit from physical labor.