When I re-read the previous post, it made me wonder why I don’t just remain a little more committed to writing. It’s always so much fun to go back and see what the heck we were up to at the time.
And feel the emotions all over again.
After the previous post was created, we made the second trip to Kansas. And the 2020 wheat harvest began.
Last summer, I wanted to keep a daily “diary” via video. Words are great but it’s always fun to WATCH and really relive as though you’re there all over again. For the most part, I did post something daily. And Jim and I have had a lot of fun re-watching our moments over the past winter months.
Speaking of past winter months…it was a bit difficult at times. But, we made it! And, here we are again looking at the beginning stages of yet another wheat harvest. This will mark our 39th year of owning a combine and making the harvest lifestyle our life.
Back to the daily videos. If you’re at all interested, you can view all past videos AND subscribe for the 2021 summer journey by visiting ourZeorian Harvesting & Trucking YouTube channel. I’ve had several followers of the channel already contact me and ask me whether or not I intend to share our daily adventures again for 2021. My answer is, ABSOLUTELY!
Why am I here now? Well, because I completely walked away from my blog since last June, I didn’t share any of my pictures. I print my blog every year and it just wouldn’t be right to have only six months of 2020 in the book. So, I’m going to do a condensed version of the last half of 2020 in pictures and very few words to be sure my book is complete.
So, here goes…
June 2020
We left the house with our second trip on June 10. The final hours and minutes of getting the house shut down, saying goodbyes and actually leaving the driveway is never easy.
Eli refused to be part of the picture this year. He got in trouble and was boycotting being involved in any way.Making the final walk-around the yard and the house before we take off.Callie and her vehicle.
Callie was able to help us with the second move. It was so much fun having her along with us. Made it feel like the “good old days”.
She finally received her diploma from The University of Nebraska – Omaha. Not quite as exciting or grand as getting to walk the stage and claim her few minutes of acknowledgement of a job well done (thanks COVID). So proud of her!!Checking oil and tires.The first night was spent in the parking lot of a gas station outside of Great Bend, Kansas. Jim trying to figure out how to park our pieces so they wouldn’t be in the way of other traffic. Our home for the next 10 days – Medicine Lodge, Kansas.After we arrived in Medicine Lodge, we got the trailer house set up, gathered our stuff and headed for the farmyard in Chase, KS. We had left the car there for Callie to continue home in and we would take Frank and the header trailer to Medicine Lodge. One more goodbye to say. Jim giving Callie the “Dad talk” about the car and the road. Arriving back to Medicine Lodge. We unloaded the equipment in Sharon, Kansas. We were lucky to have a couple of days to get some things done that were put off…like change sickle sections on the header. The trailer park we were in was located just down the hill from the Carrie Nation Home in Medicine Lodge. One evening, we decided to take a walk and was able to get a brief tour of the house and the museum. We started cutting wheat on June 15. Our last day of cutting wheat near Sharon was June 18. Clean up after a job is always the worst because it never fails to be so bloody hot. We take quite a few iced tea breaks before the job is complete. The day after we finished cutting, we got 4″ of rain. And the job at Chase also got rain. So, we decided to take a day and do some touring. We ended up near Murdock, Kansas and stopped in to see Leon and Carmen. We used to stay on their farm when we helped with their harvest. Their place is one of the girls’ favorite memories. Fueling the trucks before making the next jump north. We moved the combine and Frank to Chase on June 21. The dark clouds you see are what we ran into just as we were entering Great Bend.Great Bend, KansasWe were literally trying to beat the storm. This is what it looked like just as we were entering the farmyard. Headed back to Medicine Lodge. This is Great Bend again. I didn’t use any sort of filter for this picture. What you see is what it looked like. We stopped at Braum’s for something to eat. The storm hit just as we entered the store. One of the worst storms I remember being in!After the storm and headed south again. I took this picture just to have as a reminder in case something happens to this collage. These pictures were taken the summer of 1975. This was Jim’s first summer with Grandpa and Grandma. While they were cutting wheat north of Lodgepole, Nebraska, a photographer with the National Geographic stopped and took these pictures. They’ve hung in our trailer house every year. And…yes…that skinny young man is Jim. Leaving Sharon for the second and final time – June 25. Unloaded the combine and began the process of getting ready to, once again, cut wheat. This is the facility in Chase that we unload our trucks. They call this the “hoop bin”. Quite a bit more wheat in this “hoop bin” than the last picture!These old elevators didn’t take into consideration the size of trucks getting bigger in the future. When I was finished dumping, I had to back out of the elevator because there wasn’t enough room to turn if I went forward. The nightly chore – blowing off all the chaff and dirt with a leaf blower. A picture from home, home.
Good to see you’re back! I’ve seen that collage before bur love the Massey and Jim as a youngster of course! So sorry you all left twitter, you have to see through the politics on there and use it simply to keep in touch! Good you didn’t leave facebook too! Well I still love to follow you guys and still hope to meet you guys on the harvest run in the future! We won’t make it to the US again this year because our vaccination is very slow in Belgium!
Some days I do miss Twitter. I deleted when I had just had all the political BS I could tolerate. Who knows, I may set up another account. Some days, it’s just all too much!! Thanks for the note!
I don’t seem to feel like I should write like I used to. Maybe it’s because it’s just Jim and I again and life is a little bit more boring than when the entire crew went with us. I think that’s why I like the videos. I can share what’s going on around me. Jenna was good at her job! She had very large shoes to fill. An ex-custom harvester…someone who knows what the heck I’m talking about! So glad you left your note Allen.
Good to see you’re back! I’ve seen that collage before bur love the Massey and Jim as a youngster of course! So sorry you all left twitter, you have to see through the politics on there and use it simply to keep in touch! Good you didn’t leave facebook too! Well I still love to follow you guys and still hope to meet you guys on the harvest run in the future! We won’t make it to the US again this year because our vaccination is very slow in Belgium!
Some days I do miss Twitter. I deleted when I had just had all the political BS I could tolerate. Who knows, I may set up another account. Some days, it’s just all too much!! Thanks for the note!
Always nice to see the memories! Best wishes for the coming season!!
Thank you, Norm!!
Good to see you blog. Have fallowed you since Jenna blogged on All Aboard Harvest. Being an ex custom harvester I enjoy seeing your blogs. Thanks
I don’t seem to feel like I should write like I used to. Maybe it’s because it’s just Jim and I again and life is a little bit more boring than when the entire crew went with us. I think that’s why I like the videos. I can share what’s going on around me. Jenna was good at her job! She had very large shoes to fill. An ex-custom harvester…someone who knows what the heck I’m talking about! So glad you left your note Allen.