BethmannFamilyFarm

The End

2008-10-04T20:31:00.005-05:00

This will be a final entry, unless something different happens. But for now I will leave you with these final pictures in the final chapter in this part of our lives.

Happy Fall!!

Mickey

Moving Equipment Back

2008-08-05T19:24:00.005-05:00

Well vacation is over and so back to work we go. Laurie, Howie and I started the morning moving the old Caravan and grain truck back to the farm. Laurie drove Howie's truck and picked up the decoys that tried to escape off the grain truck. The next trip was Laurie on the ATV

with the sprayer, Howie in the Ford pickup and me in Howie's truck picking up anything that should fall off the Ford. We looked like the Clampet's without Granny on top. LOL!! The final trip was Howie on the combine and Laurie in Howie's truck while I took the Massy up on the hill where we have the implements parked. I had to hook the chain to the grain wagon and pull it out of the field backward to the dirt road. The Other Bethmann's had the field planted with soybeans when we parked there and now they have grown up around everything. We are trying to remove the implements and cause as little damage as possible. That is why I was pulling it wagon out of the field. I was then in the process of pushing it further when Laurie and Howie joined me. We got it turned and hooked up to the Massy. I pulled it to the farm with them folling me this time. With the heat index in the 100's I was whiped. We quit there so Howie could get to bed, Laurie off to her busy day and Me to cool off for a bit.

Dave got home from the PO and went to Greens Bottom to get the planter. He said there is quite a bit of water in the field. While we were gone there was a heavy rain. Our rain guage had 4" of rain. The one at the farm had 3" but it could have evaporated some out.

As you can see we are slowly getting some of it moved back.

I will post more pictures later in the week.

Love,

Mickey

Slowly Moving Back In

2008-07-21T11:58:00.006-05:00

Today Dave and I started off going to Black Walnut. This is the corn there. Can you find Dave in the corn? The corn had growing quite tall around the tractor.

Dave got the JD4440 back to the farm.
Once he got there he put the blade on and started to scrape the driveway. Here is a brief video of it. Now we can at least get a truck in there.

While Dave did this Dachser and I took a walk to look around to see what the rest of the farm looked like. We walked up to

the Old Lake

and New Lake.

Before we left we went to the East Lake an looked around.

Here are a couple of pictrues of those fields.

We are on vacation next week. I will post new pictures when we return, unless we go out to the farm and get more pictures before we leave.

Happy Summer,

Love,

Mickey

Flood Update 7-18-2008

2008-07-18T21:03:00.007-05:00

Dave and I went out to the Bethmann Farm today. The first thing we noticed the how much the water had gone down. We were able to drive in on Hwy C. It was clear of water until just north of the Busch farm. Check out the shed and house pictures.

Then I went closer to the house and found an orange sticker on the window. Condemned! Imagine that. I guess that is what happens when it has water half way up the walls.

The basement is still full of water. We can't pump it until the water level is down a bit further.

Here is a look at the fields behind the house.

This is looking south toward Silvers Rd.

The fields on the east side of Hwy. C are about clear. They aren't dry yet. That might take a bit longer.

We went for a ride toward Hwy. B. Dave wants to move the tractor from Black Walnut so we went to check out the water situation. This is what it looked like at Hwy. B and Hwy. C.

This is a picture of the Ballwin Farm. We didn't make it much further that this. The water was just around the corner so we turned around ad went back.

That is it for now. Check back soon.

Dryer Summer,

Love,

Mickey

Flooded Farm House

2008-07-11T18:00:00.010-05:00

Sorry for the late post. The electric has been out and just came back on.

We went back out to the Bethmann Farm today. Here are pictures of the house and shed fron Hwy C. You can see how much the water has dropped since yesterday.

Today Dave and I wore our waders and made it into the house. In the garage the steps going into the house were missing. They ended up in the kitchen by the back door. The window in the back was broken out too.

We went in the front door then because the deck was still there.

Here are those pictures.

Front room

Kitchen and Dining Room

The Basement, watch that first step!!

This is the Back Bedroom

& the Bathroom.

Dave is standing on the back porch checking out the river front property. He is missing his fishing pole.

Here is a side view of the shed. You can see the water line. The one door is off it's tracks too. The Basement is still filling from the outside too.

Look!!! You can see dirt on the east side of Hwy C. First time in a very long time.

Dave is exploring and checking out the burn pit. The fire is out. Imagine that.

That's all for now. More pictures when I get them.

Good-night!

Happy Summer!

Love,

Mickey

Almost Able To Get In

2008-07-10T19:55:00.009-05:00

Dave and I got a little closer to the farm. We were not able to get any further than the levee around the farm but it is closer. Here are some pictures we took on the way.You can compare most of these pictures to earlier posts.

This is Hwy 370 looking north at the soccer park. The concession stand is still about 1/2 way under.

This was taken on Hwy C just past Schulte Farm and before Capehart's. The water was to deep to go this way. We turned around and went down Silvers Rd.

We ventured up Silvers Rd. to the farm. The water was fairly deep but Dave did a great job getting us through. It had been 20 days since we were last able to get here by truck.

We got through the water and these were taken on the southwest corner of the New Lake.

This is looking north up Hwy C. from Silvers Rd.

Our first look at the house and shed.

This is the East lake on the east side of Hwy C. Dave says the water will be off of it before it is off the levee side of the farm. We will see.

We came along the critter just hanging around checking out the visitors.

This is a view of the farm from over by Busch's driveway. The tank was by the shed and floated over here.

Tomorrow we will bring our waders and see in we can walk in and check out the house. If so I will post those pictures for you too.

For tonight that is all.

Happy Summer,

Love,

Mickey

House & Shed Pictures

2008-07-07T17:50:00.000-05:00

Today Dave got a ride with Keith Capehart in his boat so he was able to get some pictures for you.

The water is still running out of the farm. It is going over the driveway for the shed.

There is the shed. The door to the shop moved over a little bit. We had them both pushed to the shop side so the current wouldn't pull them off.

It looks like the grain bin is still standing. You can see the water line on it.

From the picture it looks like the water was 1/2 way up the windows. We can't get in there yet to see the damage.

This is the east side of Hwy. C.

Well that is about all the pictures for now. I will post new ones when I get them.

Happy Summer!!

Love, Mickey

Flood update 7-6-2008

2008-07-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

We went out to the farm but only made it a little further down Hwy C., just at Schulte's place. Here are a few pictures.

This is looking toward the Bethmann Farm. This is just southeast of the farm.

This is of the Schulte farm. Look at the water line on on the barn.

This was taken on Silvers Rd. Looking northeast toward Hwy. C.

This is the Other Bethmann's barn. It across Silvers Rd. from Jim's house. Look at the water line and how far the water has receded.

These last two wer taken on Silvers Rd. lookung northeast toward the farm. This is at the sharp curves. The fatm is in the very, very far right side. Well if we could see throught the houses and trees. Any way it is still to deep to drive in. I will post more pictures when I get them.

You can click on any of the pictures in the blog to enlarge them.

Getting Drier,
Happy Summer!
Love,
Mickey

Water Leaving Slowly

2008-07-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

I went to Lake of the Ozarks with Jeanie Bethmann along with Mary and Linda Iffrig. We are all flood women going to escape the water here and do some shopping. We all found a few thing we couldn't do without. Mine was a Prada purse. I love it. Here are some pictures I took on 7-2-08 when we got back in town.

This one is on Silvers Rd. looking north at the first curve. Jim and Elaine Bethmann are just pass the curve.

This picture is of the Chipley's house and barn.

Dave and I took a ride out toward the farm. Here is what Hwy 370 looks like today.

Then we went down Silvers Rd. This is the Other Bethmann's shed on Silvers Rd. across from their houses. You can see the water line on the shed.

This is Silvers Rd. at the 2 sharp curves. The Bethmann farm is way down there on the left.

We are still on Silvers Rd.

Now we are on Hwy. C. This is just past the train tracks looking north.

This is at the "S" curve. Look at all the trash on the road. We still can't make it into the farm this way either.

Straight ahead is at Schulte's corner.

We hope to be able to get in, maybe by tractor, this weekend. More pictures when I get them.

Happy 4th.

Getting Dryer!

Happy Summer,

Love,

Mickey

Other Flood 2008 Pictures

2008-06-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

We haven't been able to get out to the farm but I have taken other flood pictures for you.

This picture was taken on Hwy 370 looking north. Those were the soccer fields off of Huster Rd.

This picture was taken on Hwy 370 looking south between Cave Strings and Elm St. exits. The Cave Springs

exit is closed due to being flooded. Elm Point Rd. was also closed from Huster Rd. to the train tracks at Zumbehl Rd.

This is a picture of Hwy C at the train tracks looking north toward the farm.

This is a picture of Bethmann Rd. Grandma's old house and the grain bins.

These pictures were taken today on Hwy 79 close to Busch's ground.

Dave and I went for a ride up to Cuiver River State Park. It was a great day to go see the sights.

I will try to go out to the farm next weekend. The water is suppose to drop down to 32' by Saturday. More pictures when I get them.

Wet-Wet-Summer!!

Love,

Mickey

Still Under Water

2008-06-24T07:04:00.000-05:00

We haven't had a chance to go see the house and shed yet. We haven't found a boat to go down there to see it. I did see a picture someone took and the water was just inches in the house. That was several days ago.

These are pictures from Laura taken on 6-12-2008.

These are at the storage unit. We formed a line and passes everything from the truck to the storage unit.

Laura took this picture of me. Looks like I had a rough day. It started early and ended very late. That shirt is now a rag.

Thanks to this whole group, and some who are not in the picture, we were finished for the night. The house was mostly unloaded. The shed was the next day.

We would like to thank everyone who helped us in any way: phone calls, physical help, internet river stage checks, use of their trucks and ATVs, bringing food & drinks, driving for us, storing items in their garage, money, thoughts and prayers. Dave and I are so Very Blessed to have all you in our lives. THANK YOU!

Wet-Wet Summer,

Love,

Mickey

Flood Update 6-21-2008

2008-06-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

Dave and I went out to the Bethmann Farm to see what the water situation was like. I will let the pictures tell the story.

This is the corner levee on Silvers Rd.

View of the house and shed from Silvers Rd. levee.

This is the house from Busch's d

driveway on Hwy C.

This is the house and shed from Busch's driveway.

The water is still raising. The prediction is 36.8'. The 1973 flood was 36.9' which was the 2nd highest flood for the area. That one was 1/2 way up the picture window. Look at the posting for "Higher River Forcast" for and idea of what I am talking about. I will post more pictures when we go out again.

Wet-Wet-Summer,

Love,

Mickey

Lots of water

2008-06-20T07:44:00.000-05:00

Dave and I went to the farm at 10:30 last night. Thee was a lot of water. We were still able to drive in by going in the field at the corner of Silvers Rd. I took some pictures but it was dark.

This is the driveway for the shed. It blew the sandbags out and was rushing in.

This is the levy south of the driveway for the house.

When we got to the cross levee we could see water in the field at the edge of Hwy C and Silvers Rd. The further we go the more water we saw. The ditch that drains the New Lake to Hwy C was full and filling the New Lake ditch. When we rounded the bend for the shed we saw water. Dave drove through it and parked in the shed where it was still dry. We were able to get some pictures using his headlights.
We will be going out there in a little while. I will post more pictures later.
Very Wet Summer.
Love,
Mickey

The Mighty Mississippi Arrives

2008-06-19T20:35:00.001-05:00

I went out to the Bethmann Farm for a look see. The water is running over, around and through the sandbags. This morning when I went out there there the water was still 8 steps away. Doug Ruff said it jumped a foot at his place.

This is a video of a boat ride across the east fields toward the 80 Club. Doug Ruff and his son, Dustin, picked me up off the levee and took me for a ride.

We will have more pic tomorrow.

Wet-Wet Spring,

Love,

Mickey

Flood update 6-19-2008

2008-06-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

So far the farm is dry. I was down there this morning and it had raised only slightly since yesterday. They are still forcasting 39.3' and cresting on the 23rd. Several major levees broke up Hwy 79 at Winfield, Elsberry, and Louisanna. I don't know if it will make much difference for us. It is still above 34.5', which is what we can hold. We will check the forcast to see.

This was taken 6-18 @ 6:02 am.

This was taken 6-18 @ 5 pm.

This was taken 6-19 @ 9 am.

Dave is about to finish planting at Greens Bottom. There is seep water there. I came VERY close to getting the tractor and planter stuck. Because of that we are planting the upper end and lower ends and saving the middle for a while. I took this picture on 6-8 2007. There was only weeds growing there then and are even taller now. We need to get it sprayed.

Wet-Wet Spring,

Love,

Mickey

Higher River Forcast

2008-06-17T20:21:00.000-05:00

Laurie and I went out to the farm this morning to get the drywall sheets out of the garage and to shut the shed door where the duck decoys are kept. We also threw the circuit breaker for the house. We too this from inside the house looking out the front window. The water had not gone over the driveway yet.

This is at the southwest corner of the farm at Silvers Rd this morming.

This a picture of the East Lake at 7:30 this morning.

This is the levee on Hwy C. looking north at 6:15 pm.

This is Silvers Rd at the southwest corner of the farm at 6:30 pm.

This evening Dave and I went by and it still hadn't gone over the levee. It is filling in at 80 Club and Dardene so the level will jump fast when they are full. It should be filled in by tomorrow. They have now raised the level to 1993 stage of 39.6 and cresting on 6-24. Hwy C and Silvers Rd. is quite busy. Some people are sandbagging and others are putting up earth levees around their houses. It is a frenzy around there. Here is a picture of the Other Bethmann's machine sheds and houses. We all moved our tractors up there because they are dry. Might have to move them.

We moved to Greens Bottom to plant there. No pictures of that.

I will post more pictures when I get them.

Soggy-Soggy Spring,

Love,

Mickey

Flood Update 6-16-08

2008-06-16T20:04:00.000-05:00

I went down today and went to the Other Bethmann's to get sandbags to fill to seal off the driveway. I was hoping to buy some time to get the rest of the equipment out.

Jeanie Bethmann and her son Andy helped me.

We had to move a few implements out yet. The only way in or out is in the Southwest corner of the field on Silvers Rd. We took the pump Dave uses to pump off the fields and the grain wagon. Dave took the pump while I took a small load of corn to St. Peter's elevators in the grain wagon. I then took it up on the hill with all the other implements. We went back to the farm and took off the water pump for the well and got it out. All that was left was the soap, TP, hand towls, a lamp and a cooler with drinking water. Whatever is left there will stay there now.

Here is a picture at 4:56 pm.

Wet-Wet- Spring!

Love,

Mickey

Here Comes The Water

2008-06-16T06:54:00.000-05:00

Here are the pictures from Sunday. This picture of the hat in the road was taken at 6:25 am. Howie and Rick were there early to get things rolling. With the water coming up we were all pushing it. We had a caravan running to Jim & John Bethmann's farm and up on the hill with the other equipment. All implements went on the hill but if it had an engine we left it at their farm due to fuel theft and vandalism. They are starting to build a levy around their place too but the equipment will be dry for awhile. It bought us a few days to move it again if we have to. Oh , there was a cycling event going on yesterday too. Since Hwy C was flooded they sent them all down Silvers Rd. That made things very interesting.

This picture was taken at 10:15 am.

This one was at 2:19 pm.

This is at 3:50 pm.

This is at 5:18 pm.

This is at 6:42 pn.

This is Hwy C looking north from Silvers Rd. at 7:30 pm.

Dave just called and we have about 1 foot before it runs in the driveway. We still have the grain wagon with corn on it, the planter and the pump to get out. Along with the JD4440 and JD8630. Everything in the house is gone except for the pump whice we will attempt to get today. The shed is as cleaned out as we can get it. This is before we took the last minute tools and such. Cookie was out there all day helping me get all the last minute things done. Susie and Laurie also came out and helped. Jus when we thought we were not going to make it because we only had part of Dave's pickup truck to use, due to fuel tank and tool box, here came De to the rescue.

I forgot to tell him to take Silver's Rd. so he drove in Hwy C. He said it was a bit deep. We had him loaded to the top with fridge, hot water heater and trash. We would like to thank all my family and all our wonderful who showed up to help. We could never have accomplished it without you. Also thanks to all who couldn't make it but were able to help in all the other ways. We reallly appreciated everything.

Well got to run. More pictures and info to come.

Love,

Mickey

Flooding

2008-06-15T00:24:00.000-05:00

As I said in the last posting it is flooding. They are now predicting 39.2'. That is only .4' less than the Great Flood of 1993. My family and our friends have all been spending a lot of long hours with us.

On Thursday we got the house and some of the shed unloaded and moved into storage. My family all helped. Some called for sandbags and storage units while others helped pack or watched the river stages. We also had friends and a duck hunter and even my cousin Chuck showed up. We are so very blessed to have so many people help us. Here is a picture of us after we unloaded the basement. It was breaktime.

Dave is busy planting to beat the water.

This is the International loaded with duck decoys.

Here are some of the people who were there on Friday to unload at the storage place.

Here is a picture of the water at Hwy C toward 80 Club 4pm today. Our fields are going under. To late to plant.

Dave. Howie and Rick Seamen are getting the dual back on the tractors.

Howie and Dave are moving the Dodge to high ground by Hwy 79.

Well I am going to bed. We are meeting everyone out there at 6 am. I will post more pictures when I can.

Love,

Mickey

Replanting The Duck Lake

2008-06-11T21:14:00.000-05:00

We are replanting the New Lake. I don't understand it but with the river coming up we have to beat it. Here is Dave planting the New Lake with soybeans. Yesterday we both took turns and sprayed the field and today Dave replanted it.

I was busy discing the field behind the shed with the Beast!! It takes some getting used to. There is no such thing as a sharp turn in the JD8630. Dave took some pictures of me.

We are keeping a close eye on the Mississippi River stage crest for next week. Yesterday the forcast was at 36.?' and then today at noon it was at 35.0'. When we got home this evening it is at 37.7' on 6-22. Let me clear up what this might look like. In 1973 the water level was 36.9' and 1993 flood was 39.6'. On the house the '73 flood was half way up the windows and '93 flood was up to the rafters. I guess you get the picture of this, right? You can see a bit of the house at the far right of the picture. (This picture was taken on Memorial Day.) Tomorrow we will be loading up the truck I have rented and move everything we can to a storage unit I still need to find. Our girls will be out there along with my siblings and any of their kids that can make it.

Here is a link for the river stages,

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=lsx&gage=cagm7&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1&toggles=10,7,8,2,9,15,6

Then select "River at a glance" tab

Next check "Winfield" and "Stage/Forecast Text"

At the bottom of the page select "Make my river page".

You can follow the river with us.

More pictures when I get them. Got to look for storage units.

Wet-Wet-Spring!

Love,

Mickey

Black Walnut Is Planted

2008-06-09T08:45:00.000-05:00

Well Dave worked all weekend and got Black Walnut planted with corn. He had to go around to plant the other side of the slough but it is finished. YES!!! The next step is to have it sprayed if it ever stops raining long enough to get that done. The ground needs to be dry enough to drive on and then no wind to carry the chemicals off and no rain to wash it off. Yes it gets a bit tricky. There are chemicals that will prevent it from drifting in a light breeze but it won't help if it's gusty or rains. And rain has been our problem this year. It rained again last night .1"-.2" according to my rain guage. I was suppose to move the tractor back to the Bethmann Farm if it didn't rain. I need to haul fuel in for the trip and if the ground is wet I will get stuck. I will wait to see what happens when Dave gets off from the PO job. We might go get it if the big storm hasn't moved in yet. Oh yeah, they are saying more rain this afternoon. At least he got one farm totally planted.

I met the Insurance agent at the Bethmann Farm on Friday. They took some pictures to turn in with the claim. Dave is planning on replanting it in soybeans if it dries up enough. He will still need to put in corn strips for the ducks. It is still to wet to work the ground there.

The rivers are going back up. I went down to Greens Bottom. There is still water sitting in the field in several places. We can't get in there yet or get it sprayed either. We will check it out again later but we can't do anything for now.

I went to the Bethmann Farm and mower the yard and levy tops. It started to rain so I went inside the house. I thought about empting some of the boxes but with the prediction of the river coming back up I opted to wait a bit longer.

See you soon.

Soggy-Soggy Spring!

Love,

Mickey

Planting Black Walnut

2008-06-06T07:57:00.000-05:00

Dave moved the planter to Black Walnut to start planting today. We aren't going to work the ground. He is just going to plant and then spray for the few weeds that are there. Everything has been so wet even the weeds aren't growing. You can see how small they are in the pictures. That field was horrible with mares tail last year and there are only a few this year. Last year we had it sprayed and we still had to go out and chop them.

Here are pictures of the slough which, according to Dave, is full of water. No surprise there. I didn't have time to walk all the way there because it was getting dark.

More Black Walnut pictures to come.

Well got to go meet the Crop Insurance lady at the Bethmann Farm. Here are a couple of pictures to refresh your memory of the 5.2" rain on May 25th.

Soggy, Soggy Spring,

Love,
Mickey

Laurie's Graduation

2008-05-31T21:13:00.000-05:00

This doesn't have anything to do with the farm but it does with the Bethmann Family.

Laurie Graduated On 5-29-08.

Here are a few of the pictures we took that night before we went to the ceremony.

Laurie with Paw-Paw.

The whole Fam Damily.

During the ceremony.

After the ceremony

With the Whole Fam Damily!

With Paw-Paw!

With the Extended Family- Howie and Shawn!

We got them all out of school. Whew!! I wasn't sure somedays if we would. All 3 had rough spots here and there. LOL!

Enjoy,

Love,
Mickey

5.2" Rain

2008-05-26T23:44:00.000-05:00

We made it out to the farm and here is the rain guage.

5.2" of rain in the guage. Dave said he
didn't remember the fields ever being this flooded from rain.

These are pictures of Dardene Creek at the "S" curve and in Old Town.

Here is the scene driving into the farm.

We went for a ride on the 4 wheeler to check out the farm.

This is the Old Lake.

Here is the New Lake.

That is our corn trying to swim in the field.

Hwy C is closed again at the the North end of the farm.

There is more rain in the forcast.

Will post again when I can.

Soggy-Soggy Spring!

Love,

Mickey

3" of Rain

2008-05-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

Well the last 24 hours we have gotten 3" of rain. That will keep us out of the fields for a bit longer.
No pictures yet of the farm. Dave is getting ready to go out there. I will send the camera with him and hopefully he will get some for you.
Wet-Wet-Wet-Spring,
Love,
Mickey

It's Still Raining

2008-05-25T09:48:00.000-05:00

On May 9th Dave was pumping more water off of the fields. The water was over Hwy C only about 4-5" in front of the house but you had to take Silvers Rd to get in. The ducks are enjoying it.

The water never made it over the levy in the lower East Lake. Because it didn't get that high all the corn stalks floated to the southeast corner blocking off the drain. This last week Dave was out there moving them. You can see in the pictures how deep they were. If you can see the long pole layin on top, he used it to push the stalks that were cloged in the drain out the other end. This opened the the drain so the water could run off the fields again.

With it being so wet out there we have had a chance to get some areas that have been negelected cleaned up. The pile is getting smaller. Looking better.

It is so wet out there even the weeds aren't growing. Dachser and Dave are checking them out. We haven't even sprayed yet and at this rate we wont for a while either.

This is a picture of the corn we planted on May 1st. Some of it came out. Mostly on the walkways to the duck blinds but a lot of it in between the blinds is either still trying to come out or not there at all. We would like to replant but with the rain we are getting we can't even get in ther fields to work the ground and plant let alone replant. It is very frustrating but we can't do anything about it. I have been busy working with my brother rehabing a house he got. At least that is keeping me busy.

When I did get a chance to work in the fields I must have run over a Thorn Locus because the 4440 had a thorn stuck in it's tire. My bad. Dave and I started to put a new tube in it. He finished it and I tilled my garden and planted my tomatoes in the mud. I couldn't wait any longer.

This morning it rained another almost .3". Another day out of the fields. Oh well.

Soggy, Soggy Spring,

Love,

Mickey

Yet More Rain

2008-05-07T20:49:00.000-05:00

On April 27th my family came out and helped us to get ready for the water. As you can see in the pictures we got everything boxed and set up off the floor or ready to load up and haul out. Corrine, Nicki, Susie and I worked in the house while Dave, De and Howie worked outside in the garage and shed. Dave found 3 kittens in a box. I got them to a kitten rescue so they wouldn't get hurt or killed.

Finally we had a few dry days. Dave was using the JD8630 to disc. Howie and I took turns using the JD4440 with the field cultivator and cultipacker. On May 1st Dave started planted the corn in the New Lake. You can see his "Poor Mans GPS". Look for the orange flags in the field.

On Friday May 2nd another storm came in. Howie and Dave got out there to pump the water off the fields on the west side of Hwy. C.

Look at that wall cloud.

On Saturday there was a Blue Herron standing in the East field. Dave and I both said that is a bad sign.

On Sunday the river came up enough that the East fields started to flood. We can still drive in to the house and shop by way of Silvers Rd. The water is flowing fast over the driveways and still raising. It is suppose to crest in the next couple of days. We got more rain today. I hope that doesn't change the river stage much.

Happy Spring,

Love,

Mickey

And More Rain

2008-04-24T23:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome Everyone!

We took advantage of the rain to burn some of the ever growing burn pile. It had either been to wet, or the wind was too strong or maybe even blowing in the wrong direction. Well all things lined up for us so we burned about 1/3 of the pile in a couple of days. An old duck blind became our burn bin. I was throwing an arm full of brush in the bin when the winds changed directions. I now have a very thin eyebrow and shorter eyelashes on the left side. Thank goodness I had on a hat and gloasses . LOL!

We worked at removing a very old stump. Dave said it had been there since the late 70's. Howie was out there helping us that day.

We put the duck blind Dave moved up on blocks. Even Dachser helped. Then Dachser and I burned the grass they used to dress the blinds with. Everything was so wet there was no fear of starting any unwanted fires.

Dave and Howie went and started the Massy and pump to get the water off the lower East Lake. Howie was amazed at how the fish swimming the ditch were trying to swim up the water from pump.

Dave and I rolled up the irrigation tubing that was used to keep the lake from freezing up during duck season. Dachser caught 2 mice and tried to take on a non-vemomous smake. It was to quick for him. Dachser went right and it went left. His tail was really moving while he tracking. LOL!

Tuesday Dave tried to disc the fields. It was a bit tough in the weedy section of the New lake. He was even using the JD8630. Then on Wednesday Dave and I both were finally able to work in the fields. He disced and I used the field cultivator. I had the tires spinning a few times and had to tap it up in the wetter areas. On Thursday we got a rain shower and they are calling for more rain on Friday. Enough already. Here is a picture of the Dardene Creek on the road to 80 Club along the south side of the East Lake. It is about a foot from coming over. I didn't go out to the farm to see how high it is today. Stay tuned, more updates to come.

Hope you enjoy the update.

Happy Spring,

Love.

Mickey

Rain-Rain-Go- Away

2008-04-18T21:26:00.000-05:00

Well it is still raining. We had a few dry days but not enough to get much done in the fields. Dave worked hard at digging out a willow tree grove and roots in the Old Lake. I showed up in time to hook up the tow chain to the roots and to the JD8630 for Dave to pull it out. That tractor is so big it didn't give Dave too much trouble. It took quite a few attempts to get them all out. Then he moved the duck blind over on top of the remains of the old concrete blind. Now they are all back in alignment.

We also took advantage of the fields being dry enough for me to drive over and apply fertilizer in the Old and New Lakes. It was still plenty wet in the corn stubble. The weeds are getting so big I had a hard time counting the row on the west side of the New Lake. Dave finished spreading the last few rounds while I put the JD away and got the camera to take a few pictures.

Then we went to the East Lake to pump water out on the lower end and along 80 Club Driveway. While we were hooking up the tractor a herd of around 25-30 deer appeared at the cornor by 80 Club. I got a few pictures but my movement sent them running. I mostly got white flags in the pictures. I hope you enjoy the picture of Dave getting the pump running.

There were Carp and Gar trying to swim up the water we are pumping out of the field. For a minute I thought the Salmon got lost and were puddle jumping. LOL!

This is a picture of a haze around the moon which means rain. We can do without that. I guess we will be pumping more water out or learn to plant with a motor boat. LOL! And Dave thought my rows were crooked with a tractor!

Enough for now.
Happy Spring,
Love,
Mickey

Wet-Wet-Wet!!

2008-04-12T10:45:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been keeping it updated lately. I have been busy and not much happening at the farm. I made a trip to Houston and had a chance to see Matt and Maxine and spend the night with them. There is never enough time to visit.

We haven't been able to get into the fields. Dave and I worked on the sprayer. I guess we will have to spray the weeds and mud in the seeds. LOL!

You can see how weedy the fields are in the pictures.

New Lake.

Hwy C and Silvers Rd.

East Lake.

They were predicting the Mississippi River to crest at 31 ft. That would just be minor flooding. Dave raised the levy a while back on the East Lake so he thinks it will hold it out. We wish it would stop the raining. The tempature is also suppose to drop below freezing tonight and possible snow tomorrow. Great Missouri weather. Mother Nature has a strange sense of humor. Good thing we don't have any corn planted yet.

By the way, Dave found the antlers in the Old Lake back by Busch's levy. Nice!!

Enjoy the pictures. Hope to get more soon. Maybe we will be planting.

Happy Spring,

Love,

Mickey

Dardene Creek 3-19-08

2008-03-19T22:35:00.000-05:00

The rain finally quit here last night. Most of the heavy rain went south of St. Louis. Thank God! That means Bennett Springs got more rain than here. Dave and De and the kids are going tomorrow afternoon. They might need a boat rather than waders. LOL! I have a link of pictures for you.

http://www.missouritrout.com/weavers/report.html

Dave went out to the farm today and took some pictures of the creek and river water.

Here is Dardene Creek at Old Town.

Here is the road to the 80 Club.

Here is a picture of Hwy C looking north of the Bethmann Farm. Blue Wing is on the right and Busch's driveway is on the left.

Dave got a couple of pictures of the S-curve on Hwy C. The water was running over the levy top and they put up some straw bales to keep it in the banks.

The water had dropped some by the time Dave went back to town so it is going in the right direction. I guess no sandbagging this Easter. Thank God! '93 flood was enough for me.

Well this is the Very Last Time I get to say this----

Happy Winter!

Love,

Mickey

Rain-Rain-And-More-Rain

2008-03-18T19:49:00.001-05:00

We have gotten 2.3" of rain at the farm since yesterday and it is still raining slow and steady. Here are a few pictures we took about 3:30 pm today.

This is Dardene Creek by Old Town- _

Dardene Creek by "S" curve-

This is a picture of the Bethmann Farm front yard looking south toward Silvers Rd.

Hope it stops soon.

Dave was going to fish at Bennett Springs with my brother and some of the kids. They have been doing this since the kids were young. But it is flooding there too. He will keep an eye on the web site and make up his mind later this week on if they can go.
Here is a link to Bennett Springs State Park.

http://www.missouritrout.com/weavers/report.html

Rain-Rain-Go-Away!!

Happy Winter! I got to write it one more time!

Love,

Mickey

March-Week 3

2008-03-17T00:42:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone,

I finally made it out to the farm today. There was a little cleaning to do out there. I hadn't made it out there since the first of Janurary. Dave has been going out there and working on the sick decoys. They are the ones that are sinking because someone shot them instead of the real duck. He has to drill holes in them and then fill them with foam to keep them afloat. Not much fun. He was playing with them in the bathtub. There was so many he couldn't fit in with them. LOL!! I think he has them all about done.

Dave saw several deer on the northwest levy. He managed to get some good pictures for you.

I took the pictures of the solar battery maintainers for you.

It is sitting in the cab with the wires running through a window and to the battery.

This is the brain, which has to stay dry.

Here is where it is attached to the battery.

This is the over all picture from battery to cab.

This is the last time I get to say this for a while--

Happy Winter!"

Love,

Mickey

March-In Like A Lion...

2008-03-04T21:37:00.000-06:00

I haven't written much about the farm lately so I will tell you what is going on out there.

Dave has been working on the sick duck decoys. This past Sunday Howie went out to the farm and he and Dave installed solar battery maintainers on the JD8630. They are suppose to keep the batteries charged. We will get pictures of them for you later.

Then they worked on the grain truck to fix the axel that broke when I was hauling a load into town last fall. Now we need to locate a new one to replace it.

Yesterday Dave took some pictures of the geese feeding in the fields on the west side of Hwy. C. I hope they pick it clean.

I have been busy rehabbing a house with my brother and sister-in-law so I haven't been out there since the end of duck season. Spring is just arround the corner and I will be out there a lot then.

Today we got 5" of snow at the house. Dave went with Susie to the doctor. What should have been a 20 minute drive from St. John's Hospital took 2 1/2 hours to get back to St. Charles. They said there was 11" of snow at the airport. That is a lot of snow.

Enjoy the pictures.

Happey Winter,

Love,

Mickey

Grandbaby Update

2008-02-29T00:17:00.000-06:00

Not much happining at the farm for me. Dave is still unloading a grain bin. So the only new thing happening with us is Xavier's new pics. He is now 2 weeks old. Hard to believe it is already 2 weeks! MY-My-My!! How the time does fly by! These pictures were just posted Mandy and Buddy's blog. Enjoy!!

Happy Winter.

Love,

Mickey

Our Trip To Alexandria, VA.

2008-02-23T16:07:00.000-06:00

Xavier Allen Staats

The road to see our new Grandson, Xavier were a mess. As you can see in the pictures they were snowy and icy.

We would have to stop to scrap the windshield and the headlights.

Some of the roads only had one lane clear andthe other was snow packed. On those we only got up to around 40 mph.

As you can see the trip was well worth it.

It was wonderful to hold him in my arms. It brought back memories of his mom being that small.

Grandpa is enjoying his time with him. He got up early this morming with Xavier and Mandy. After Xavier nursed, Mandy went back to bed and Gandpa and Grandson bonded.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. More to come later.

Happy Winter,

Love,

Mickey

Xavier Makes it Home

2008-02-20T20:41:00.000-06:00

Here are the newest pictures of our Grandson, Xavier. We are getting ready to head up there so we haven't gotten any pictures from the farm. Hope you enjoy them.

Happy Winter!

Love,

Mickey

Xavier Allen Staats Arrives!

2008-02-18T06:30:00.000-06:00

Good Morning everyone, We are now Grandparents!!
Mandy called and woke us up to tell us. She said........
Contractions started about midnight. They went to the hospital around 2 am.

Xavier Allen Staats was born at 4:48 am EST.
He is 8 lbs 4 ozs and 20 inches long.
He has black hair.
All are doing fine. Hope you enjoy the pictures. You can check out more at their blog.

http://buddyandamanda.blogspot.com/

There is a link in the top left of this page.

Don't know when we will head up there. I will let you know.

Love,
Mickey

Still Waiting for Baby Bear

2008-02-17T23:31:00.000-06:00

I have been busy rehabing a house with my brother, Dan, and sister-in-law, Corrine. If it sat still we painted it. LOL! We have been working long hours there so I can take off for D.C. when the baby arrives. Baby Bear was due on 2-16 and we are still waiting. I guess someone forgot to set the alarm clock for her/him. We are eagerly awaiting to become Grandparents. Here is Mandy's last picture. As you can see she is more than ready to have Baby Bear. On 2-15 the ultrasound shows the baby to be about 8 lbs 10 ozs. I will keep you posted.

Dave got the Massy running to unload a grain bin. He is just waiting for Jim Cobb to bring a truck and trailer down. Corn is up so Jo Ann wants to sell some she has in the grain bins. Better luck next week.

Look At The Ducks!!

2008-02-03T15:08:00.000-06:00

I guess someone told the ducks that the hunting season is over. They found the corn that was left in the fields. There wasn't enough for Dave to pick in the East Lake so the ducks are having a feast on it now. They also found some corn in the New lake that was missed by the combine. That will be that much less volunteer for us to spray next year.
Dave is still busy working on the sick decoys. Not much to do with the snow on the fields. Last Thursday/Friday we got 6 1/2" of snow. The farmers with the wheat fields needed that a week ago when we had the very cold temps. We don't have the wheat to worry about. Anyway it won't be long until we are busy again in the fields.
Dave took these pictures on Sunday. It was raining. The snow won't be here for long. They are predicting warm temps on Monday.
Here are pics of the

Old Lake***

New Lake***

East Lake***

Mandy is due on Feb. 16th. We are planning on going to DC to see the baby. I wll post pictures of our first grandchild when we get some. Well we already have the ultrasound pictures but I will wait and put on pictures when the baby is here. The baby is already 7lbs. 6 oz. and growing. I can't wait . Only 12 days to go. This picture she is 34 weeks pregnant. That was almost a month ago.

More next week. Well maybe if I am not in DC.
Enjoy.
Happy Winter!
Love,
Mickey

Old Pictures of the Farm

2008-01-30T22:44:00.000-06:00

Dave hasn't taken the camera out to the farm for any new pictures. However Nick has sent me some to post. See if you can guess who is in the picture and what year.

Picture #1

Picture#2

Picture #3

Picture #4

Picture #5

Enter your guesses in the Poll or comment section.

Enjoy!

Happy Winter!

Love,

Mickey

Our 3 Beautiful Girls

2008-01-24T10:40:00.000-06:00

Our 3 beautiful girls had their pictures taken for us for Christmas. Thought I would share our gift with you.
The duck season is over so Dave worked on the combine to thaw it out. He said he had to put the charger on it for quite awhile to get it started. By this time it was time to go home. Monday he got it up and running. He picked the New lake and Old lake and hauled a couple of loads by tractor and grain wagon to the elevator. He then tried to pick the East Lake but the ducks ate well there this year. Dave said between the ruts and so little of corn it wasn't worth the effort. He made a round and couldn't see any corn in the hopper. When he picked the strip of corn by the parking lot he had more corn than the 1 round down the field. This means the 2007 season is officially over. He didn't take the camera so there is no new pictures of the farm for now. I haven't received any pictures from anyone else either. Maybe next week.
Happy winter!
Love,
Mickey

Wanted-- Your Pictures

2008-01-14T22:43:00.000-06:00

If anyone took pictures (farm and hunting pictrues not like this one, I just threw it in to show off the quilt I just made) and would like to see them on this blog please e-mail them to us at the contact on the left side of the blog. Please add info like names, date, and discription. We look forward to seeing them. Thanks!

Happy Winter!

Love,

Mickey

2nd Week Of Janurary

2008-01-12T16:15:00.000-06:00

With duck season over Dave is busy picking up the decoys and emptying the lakes. He had warm weather so the lakes thawed and he was able to get them all out. Here are the pictures of the East Lake draining. Some of the guys are still out there goose hunting. Roy was out the this pass weekend. I hope hunting was good. Dave opted to stay in the house to work on the decoys that need repair. I haven't been out there lately but from what I hear the breezeway and kitchen are full of sick ducks.

Here are new pictures of the New Lake. You can see the water coming out of the drain pipe. If it freezes we might be able to get in there and pick the corn that is left. They are talking about possible snow by Thursday. We need the temps to stay low long enough for the ground to freeze hard. I don't think those new rice tires will make it through the mud very well. I really don't want to help Dave pull a combine out of the mud. I would be the one in the combine and he would be in JD8630.

Dave has been great at taking these pictures for you. Enjoy.
Happy Winter!
Love,
Mickey

2007-Last Day of Duck Season

2008-01-04T19:17:00.000-06:00

New Years Day! The last day of the 2007 Duck Season. The weather was bitter but Dave and Laurie went out any way. They had to break the ice. Here is a picture of the ice froze to their waders. Tom and Paul braved the cold too so I heard. I opted to stay home in the warmth. In the other pictures you can see the sun was shining, water froze solid, except for the area they broke to get open water, and the ducks were moving on.

Dave and Laurie didn't shoot any ducks that day but it was another good year. Goose season is still on for those who hunt the geese but we are finished. We are waiting for the weather to warm up so we can pull the decoys and drain the lakes. They say the temp will be in the 60's on Saturday. I guess we will be pulling the decays then. Next we will finish picking the corn that is left in the lakes. Hopefully it is still standing and not laying down. Last year it was like match sticks laying in the field. It made things a bit more interesting for me to pick. Bye for now. Happy Winter!! Love, Mickey

Last Week of Duck Season

2008-01-01T01:32:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone,
Well another great year comes to a close in more than one way. Dave and Laurie went out hunting on 12-31 and Laurie did very well. Tomorrow is the last day of duck season. There is still goose season if they wish to hunt. We had a lot of great hunter this year. I hope they enjoyed themselves. Dave will be taking the camera out for some more pics. I will add them later.
Happy New Year!
Love, Mickey

8th Week of Duck Season

2007-12-29T12:52:00.000-06:00

My how the time is flying by. Eight weeks down already. I made it out on Friday with Dave and Dick. I shot my first duck this year. I was starting to worry because I almost ran out of days and shells. Ha-Ha!! Leaving the lake I was #4 to slide off the road. OOPS!!
My Handsome Prince on a Green Deere showed up to rescue me. Aww-Aww!!
Dave and Dick continued to hunt and did well.
Hope you have enjoyed the blog. I will post more next week. Well , I wish you all a Very Blessed New Year.
Love, Mickey

Duck Season 7th. Week

2007-12-20T09:05:00.001-06:00

Well Dave got you some great pictures to see this week. These are pictures of the New Lake. The temperature has been cold and the lakes are iced up. This means the hunters need to stomp on the ice and break it into big chunks. Then they push the chunks under the large sheet of ice. The duck want open water to land in. This work out is better than any they would get at the gym. Dave used irrigation tubing and had the water running trying to keep the water open in the East Lake. (Go back and look at week 5 for those pictures) The temperature has gone up the last couple of days. It's in the 50's and raining. This will melt things and open it up a bit.
Here is a picture of the Old Lake. As you can see the water is opening up a bit.

Here is a picture of the East Lake. The water is open.

Here are some pictures of the Canada Geese flying over.This is a very large string which is unusual. There are plenty of them if they would only come in. It is awesome sitting in a blind and seeing large groups like this go over. They are quite noisy too. Well if we can get the water open they might slow down and look a bit. Ha-Ha!!

Happy Holidays!
Love,
Mickey

Duck Season 6th Week

2007-12-15T10:43:00.000-06:00

I know I am a little behind. Things are a little busy this week. We got some pic finally.
Early last week things were great for hunting. The weather changed, sleet, rain, and snow. Dave and I went out hunting on Tuesday. We were working on a new type of foot release for the screens. It is hard to hunt and work on blinds. Dave and I did get a couple of shots off but didn't hit anything. The guys in the New Lake, blind 1, did great.

Here is a picture of the East Lake. Visibility was low and it is hard to see the ducks before they are right on you.

Have a Wonderful week.
Happy Holidays!
Love, Mickey

5th. Week of Duck Season

2007-12-06T13:13:00.000-06:00

Welcome to week 5 of Duck Season.
Laure is enjoying this year of duck hunting with her dad. Thank God this isn't a beauty pageant. She could never win with an outfit like this.

She took some pics of this eagle flying while they were hunting.

The weather is changing with temperatures dropping. Dave ran the irrigation tubing out to #5 blind in the East Lake to keep the water open. We thought yesterday, 12-5, was going to be good but the afternoon on the East Lake was slow. Dave and I had a shot at 2 ducks. Tom called them in wonderfully but they wanted our side of the lake. I think my shells must have been old because I didn't hit anything. It couldn't be operator error. Ha-Ha!!

The guys on the New lake did better. They got several ducks and a goose too. Way to go!!
Today snow, freezing rain, and sleet moving
in. I hope it is better hunting in the East Lake today. Dave is headed out now.
Have a good week.
Happy Fall! It feels more like winter now.
Love,
Mickey

4th Week of Duck Season

2007-11-28T11:33:00.000-06:00

Well I finally made it out to the farm. Susie went with me. She is doing a little better. She said it felt good getting out of the house. When we left the farm we stopped by Cosco to get snacks for the hunters. By the time we got home she was exhausted.
Today the sun was out, the temp was in the 50's, and the duck were gone until dusk. I did get a few pics to show you the water in the lakes and the trees are naked. We had a hard freeze so the trees dropped most of their leaves. These are pics of the New Lake

Old Lake

East Lake.

Dave row tilled the fields and put on fertilizer. He is getting ready for next year.
Look back at the last 2 postings. I have added pics of Susie at the hospital, Laurie and her duck and pump pics.
Hope you are enjoying the blog. Please post your comments. I enjoy reading what you have to say too.
Happy Fall!!
Love, Mickey

3rd. Week of Duck Season 2007

2007-11-24T23:06:00.000-06:00

Well 3 weeks down.
I didn't make it out there again this week. Susie hasn't been feeling well and Thanksgiving and Mandy's baby shower kept me busy too.
The pump got fixed on Monday.
There was a burnt wire at the base of the pole. They had to replace it and run new wiring up the pole. That was better than a new pump or well for that matter. Water is running once again. We are trying to get the East Lake full yet. I guess we might need to check out a new and bigger pump or well for next season though. At least we have a few months to make a decision on which way we want to go.
Dave said every day has been good hunting. Wednesday we had cold and wet weather come in. Dave and Laurie went out hunting.
Laurie called me to tell me she got a duck. Dave said everybody did good that day. Friday was good hunting too. The weather has been cold and the ducks are moving.
We enjoyed the ducks for Thanksgiving. Good thing I fixed a turkey too. Dave's blessing didn't help in the multiplying of the 3 we had. Laurie and Dave only keep the breast off the ducks. Then Dave takes the breast and wraps them in bacon and puts them on the grill. They were wonderful.
I have pics of Laurie's duck in my camera. I will add them later when I can go through all the pics on my camera. We had a baby shower for Mandy today so there are quite a few pics on it right now. God Bless!!! Happy Fall!!
Love Mickey

Week 2 of Duck Season

2007-11-18T14:59:00.000-06:00

Sorry I have no new pics to post this week. I have been very busy and no time to get to the farm. Here is how my week went.
Dachser had surgery on Monday. He had a tumor that turned out to be cancer so I had to have him neutered. I will find out on Monday if they got it all. He just turned 2 a week ago. I figured if I could live without a body part due to cancer, so could he. Ha-Ha!
Tuesday I took an 83 yr. old friend, Ann, to the Dr.for her pre-op check-up and on
Wednesday I took Ann for her procedure.
Thursday I did Ann's and my grocery shopping. I took care of my Thanksgiving shopping. The store had a sale and it was their coupon day. If you spend $50 you get $10 off. Also they had spend $50 you get your turkey discounted. The store was packed. I was pushing 1 cart and pulling the other but I did get $20 off and 2 cheap turkeys. We will eat the other one for Christmas.
Friday Susie had neck surgery. They had to remove a disk in her neck, add a donor bone and put it together with a plate and screws. The Dr. was very encouraged that she didn't have the numbness in her fingers and arm that she had had before surgery. I spent the night with her and on Saturday I brought her home to my house to take care of her. She is in quite a bit of pain and just catching cat naps. Dave stayed up with her last night so I could get some sleep. She needs to wear a neck brace if she is up and moving around. No driving for her until she sees the Dr. in 2 weeks.
On Friday Dave went out to the farm and the pump for the New Lake and Old Lake had a blown fuse. Dave said it was very hot. On Saturday he said the pump burnt up. He has someone coming out tomorrow to see if it can fixed and also about having a second well dug. This would help in the filling of both the lakes. Each lake would have their own pump, if it can be done. Dave could also put a pipe from the Old Lake pump to the New Lake so we could fill it a bit faster by using both wells/pumps for one lake. That lake is much bigger than the old lake. We will see tomorrow.
Dave is busy putting on fertilizer at the Bethmann Farm with the row till. Always getting ready for the next season. Howie has been out there helping him.They had to get a new alternator for the JD8630 and put in new wires to it too. There was a small fire. Howie has been a great blessing to both of us. Thanks Howie. You are a wonderful second husband.
Well I hope to get you new pics for next week.
Happy Fall!!!
Love,
Mickey

First Week Duck Season

2007-11-10T13:31:00.000-06:00

Well these wonderful pictures are brought to you by Howie. Dave and I were in Vegas for a APWU meetings so Howie was kind enough to keep a check on everything. He came out and moved the pipes for the Old to the New Lake and started to fill the New Lake with more water. With the drought we had it is taking awhile to fill them. We haven't had any rain to help either. He took these pictures to keep you all up to date on the Duck Lakes. These pictures are from the New Lake. Howie said there was a thin coat of ice on the lake which melted pretty fast when the sun came up. Look at the color of the trees. They look beautiful. I love fall. I guess with the sun shining like that there wasn't many ducks flying. Maybe the evening hunt was better for them. Enjoy the pics. Happy Fall!

Opening Day Duck Season 2007

2007-11-04T19:34:00.000-06:00

Well it was another sucessful opening day. The hunters started to show up at 5 am. There was plenty of ducks for a bit. Once the sun was up things slowed up a bit. It was sunny and warm, not the best weather for duck hunting but the hunters were so excited it didn't seem to bother them at all. I had white chili and red chili for lunch and dinner. Here is a few pics of sunrise on the East Lake.

They spotted a couple of Eagels over the Old Lake and New Lake. I didn't get any pics of them but I did get a few pics of sunrise for the house on the back porch toward the New Lake.

Laurie took the camera out with her and Dave for the afternoon hunt. I am posting some of her for you.

Susie and Dachser joined in on the fun too.

Enjoy the pics and I will post some more next weekend.

Love, Mickey

Bennett Springs

2007-10-30T20:29:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-26T17:58:00.000-05:00

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

.

Duck Lakes

2007-10-23T11:51:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-18T12:27:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-16T21:18:00.002-05:00

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

2007-10-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

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