Bennett Springs

We went to Bennett Springs for the weekend. Fishing was tough for me but Dave did well. The trees were just starting to turn colors. The stream was pretty crowded. I guess that is because it was the last weekend of the season. Dachser was there to help me catch the fish. He was in my waders helping me for a bit but he would rather be wiggling around, I mean sniffing around. The temperature was cool during the day and cold in the late evenings. I love the fall. Corrine has the trailer fixed up nice. I felt special being there but not uncomfortable. There was fancy decor from her favorite store, Goodwill, that added wonderful touches throughout to whole place. There was a walking stick that even added itself to the decor. Ha-Ha!! Enjoy the pics. Happy Fall! Mickey

East Lake

The East lake is full of ducks. We were leaving to go fishing at Bennett Springs so we stopped by to turn off the pumps for a few days. We were quite surprised to see all the ducks. They were splashing around and making quite a lot of racket. When Dave went to check the drain pipe he scared them up. The sky was black with ducks. There must have been a couple of thousand of them. I have posted a few of the pictures. I know there are Black Birds in the foreground of some of the pics but look at the ducks in the background. I hope they enjoy the few days they have left. Duck season opens Nov. 3. We won't need decoys with the real thing out there.
Happy Fall! Mickey

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Duck Lakes

Dick was out on Saturday and Sunday dressing the duck blinds in the East Lake. We got the combine moved back to the Bethmann farm and then we all worked on the blinds (even Dachser). Dick had the corn stalks in place and prairie grass cut. I ran to the hardware store for parts. Dave and Dick worked dressing the blinds and on fitting the new doors for the top. I ran back and forth to the shop to drive out a pin on the handle and to find nuts and washers. Dachser kept the area safe from all critters. Then Dave had to shut off the pipe to the lower lake to fill the upper lake. Dachser was in there helping again. For a dog that hates water he sure was in it up to his chest. Ha-Ha!!

2007 Harvest is Finished

Well we have had a few set backs but with the hiring of Jim Cobb to do the hauling and Howie's help we are finish. The only thing left is the corn in the duck lakes that we will pick after duck season. It feel good to have it all finished. We are busy getting the blinds ready for duck season and the fields disced for next year. I have posted the pictures of Dave finishing the beans at Black Walnut. We loaded them into a grain wagon and I took them to Saale Farms pass Machens to the elevator there. That was fun trying to pull a grain cart over 4 train crossings. I think they cut the road the way the snake crawled. At a whopping speed of 15 mph I got to enjoy the Fall colors. I do prefer driving the International over pulling a grain wagon. Well we are done for now. Thank God! Enjoy the pictures. Love, Mickey

10-13-2007 Halloween Party @ The Farm

We had a great time at the Halloween Party. There was the hayride to the Pumpkin Patch to choose just the right pumpkin. Then there was the pumpkin carving contest. We had : most creative, best smile, most teeth, 1 tooth, two teeth, best triangle eyes, best rectangle eyes, and the best uncarved pumpkin. There was a pool with corn for the kids to slide into and a rope swing to swing on. We ate hotdogs and chili and many more goodies around the bon fire. After dark ther was a haunted hayride. There was a body hanging from the auger with buzzards around him, a flying ghost, a dead hunter, ghost and blinking eyes in the field, an 2 cemeteries. At the end of the road there was a haunted house with Frankinstein. A man, De, was sleeping in a sleeping bag and yelled at the people on the hay ride to get off his farm or he would kill them like he did that hunter. There were many wide eyes and the kids got real quiet. The party went on until 10:30pm. Everyone was having so much fun. Hope we can do it again next year.

10-12-2007 Duck Lakes @ The Bethmann Farm

The duck are all over the new lake. When the sun goes down you can hear the ducks and geese on the New Lake. We started pumping water in the East Lake on the 10th. The ducks haven't found that lake yet. There isn't enough water yet. Dick was out there dressing some of the blinds this weekend. It is getting closer to duck season everyday. Enjoy the pics.

10-11-2007 The Other Tire

Well we went back to Black Walnut and put on the second tire. The weather is cooler so it was a bit more comfortable to work. Things went a bit faster since we already changed one 2 days earlier. I say "we" but it was mostly Dave and Howie. I was the Assistant again. And a very fine one at that. We did a few things different like have a bottle of soapy water to ease the tire off and on. The tire was finished just as it was getting dark. It was much easier working in the light. I have included a few new pics for you. Hope you enjoy.

Flat Tire at Black Walnut

Well we got the new tire on. Here are a few pics. Dave and Howie worked hard and I assisted when needed. As you can see on the pics it was late by the time we got it done. We still have another one to put on. Maybe the process will go a little faster this time. Dave is going to see if we need to replace the other tire now or if it can wait until we get it to the farm. He still has to cut the beans there at Black Walnut before he moves back to the Bethmann Farm . Harvest breakdowns, Got to love it! Well got to get going. I will post more when I can. Happy Harvest, Mickey

Oct. 8, 2007

Hi everyone! I thought I would try this blog stuff too. I will try to keep you up to date with the happenings at the farm and with us and post a few pics too.
This picture was taken at Greens Bottom. Dave is picking the corn. Most of harvest is finished. We still have to get the soybeans cut at Black Walnut. There has been a few set backs, The grain truck broke when I was taking a load of corn to the elevator. Some guy in a Silverado hooked a tow chain to the front of the my truck and pulled the truck and me down the road and into the parking lot at the elevator. I looked around for the camera crew. I think I saw that on a TV commercial once. We haven't had time to get that fixed yet. Now we have a flat tire on the combine. Tomorrow we will get a new one and put it on. That will be interesting. We are flooding the New Lake and the duck have already found it. We are planning on starting to fill the East Lake in a couple of days. Duck season starts on Nov. 3rd.
Here is Dave. He is "Outstanding in His Field". Ha-Ha! This was taken at Greens Bottom.
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Here are a few pics of the soybeans at Black Walnut.

Dave said they are a little tough yet so maybe they will be better by the time we get the new tire on.
Well I better get some sleep. Tomorrow looks like a busy day. Good Night! Love, Mickey