Gearing up for harvest

This is the cutter bar sickle on the combine soybean head.  Don't worry, I don't know what any of that means, either.  Basically, Tom replaced all those little snippers which open and shut to cut the soybean plants.

This is a corn crib I came across on one of my bike rides.

And this is 2.1 miles from our house along the slab.

Tom's sisters and brother-in-law came by to pick apples, sit a spell on the porch, and have some dinner!

Tom is using his big boy toy, a dirt mover, to prepare the ground for his new farm driveway and shed addition. Dan and I highly disapproved of him taking out all the grass but we were overruled. The shed will be built this fall.

This bag of FORB is really wildflower seeds from the federal government. Apparently the government doesn't want it to be known that they are in the business of doling out wildflowers seeds as cover crop, so they call it FORB.  This is an experimental sample Tom will plant in the tall grass around the house.  

Less laundry, more butter: Adjusting to the empty nest...

Maddox was born on Monday, August 26th to Noelle and Brock!  Congratulations!

Dominic was born on Tuesday, August 27th to my niece Erin and Dustin. Dom ended up with pneumonia and had to spend several days under the oxygen tent, but it sounds like he'll go home tomorrow. Congratulations!

Dan is always wondering how the cats are doing. They love to give the impression they are grossly underfed.

Dan sends pictures from college to make us jealous. One day he sent a picture of his walk to class which featured the beautiful quad and mountains in the background. Another day he sent a picture of a baby bear hanging out in a tree in downtown Boulder. So I try to counter with pictures of things that will make Dan jealous like these beautiful and tasty homegrown tomatoes.

A farmer out standing in his organic field.

Sunset on road 600 North next to the organic 80.

Empty nester tending to the wine cabinet.

Empty nester trying to figure out what to do with all those tomatoes.

Salmon sushi

My YELP app directed us to this spot in NW Illinois for a little swill and sustenance.  No, we didn't ride a motorcycle here...nor did we get tattoos.

Is this a hummingbird or a moth?  Whatever it is, I feel like a skilled cell phone photographer snapping this pic!

The mighty Mississippi with Iowa in the background.