Finally, some rain!

It rained 7/10 of an inch yesterday here at the farmstead!  I wanted to take a picture of it but was afraid I'd jinx it.

Kerbers gave us a cat and now she's got 4 kittens (one was in hiding when the picture was taken).  They're very entertaining.

Here's the injured motorcyclist climbing a ladder in the barn!  Actually, the doc gave him a clean bill of health (which was a good thing because Tom had already ditched the crutches). 

Our road was freshly chipped the other day.  First the township road crew comes through and puts down a coat of oil.

Then they spread chipped gravel on top and smooth it out. Kerber is driving the township truck!

And away they go!

Summer fun

Have you ever tried tereré? This Paraguayan beverage made of yerba mate is consumed in communal fashion.  An acquired taste, tereré is quite refreshing on days where the temperature is 100+ degrees. Stop by for a taste!

You can see how dry the grass looks.  It is a serious drought for everyone!

Dan learned from exercise physiologist Laura that he is a lean machine. His percent body fat measured a mere 7.6%. 

Testing his VO2 MAX.  His scores on this test were also excellent.

 Laura does an excellent job with the fitness assessments.  She's very informed and upbeat which makes the experience very enjoyable! 

Brother-in-law, Dennie, and I did our first organized bike ride together - Pedaling for Kicks.  We rode 25 miles in 90-100+ degree heat!  His wife Cheryl didn't know what to think of us. She's used to running races where you stop long enough to drink some water and maybe eat an orange wedge.  On bicycle rides it's customary to drink some water, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, eat homemade cookies, use the bathroom, visit a little, and eventually continue on your way. You see, bicycle computers don't keep track of time spent at the food stops (heh, heh)...just a few reasons why I love bicycling! 

Lucky Tom

 My niece Teri (top row, center) graduated from high school this last weekend. Today she turns 18 years old!  I hope she is getting registered to vote!  Go ahead and take the day off, Teri, because you deserve it!

 Here is Dan with Grandma (left) and Great Aunt Harriet (right).

 Grandma and Grandpa are already sporting University of Arizona wear in support of Teri's college choice! 

 Here are the skid marks from Tom's motorcycle wipe-out.

 You can see how close it happened to home.

Initially he was instructed to keep his knee immobilized for a week. Then he had an MRI last Friday.  

 Meanwhile, the farm operation continues. Here is Dan emptying the Koehler bin of corn.

We went to hear the results of the MRI today. The doc said, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first.  Tom said he wanted the good news. The doc then said, "Well, the good news is that I saved a lot of money on my car insurance."  (He really said that!).  The bad news was that the MRI showed a fractured tibia. The doc thinks that the femur slammed into the tibia during the accident. The fracture is at the top of the bone. Tom was instructed to keep weight off the leg for 3 more weeks so that the fracture can heal.  And that was it!  No surgery, no torn ACL, no cast!  Tom is very lucky.  He asked me for a murse (male purse) so he's sporting an ISU bag to carry his belongings. 

I need some sympathy

Last week Tom collided with a deer on his motorcycle about 1/4 mile from our house.  He was looking at the crops didn't see the deer until it was too late. He estimates he was going between 45-50 mph judging from the 35 yard long skid / metal marks on the road.  The deer survived and ran off. Tom somehow picked up his motorcycle off the pavement and rode it the rest of the way home. Upon seeing him in the doorway it was pretty clear to me that we needed to go to the ER...although he wasn't totally convinced.  Within seconds, however, his right knee started swelling and smarting so off we went to Champaign. Sister Cheryl came to the ER to check in on Tom (and she was a wonderful support to me as I am a wimp). Miraculously he only sustained a right knee injury and lots of scrapes on his legs and hand. Dan had been at a ball game (and did GREAT!!) at St. Joseph so his Aunt Jeanne met us after the game so Dan could ride home with us.

The patient ran out of patience today.  He is supposed to be keeping his knee elevated and iced until he sees the doc on Thursday.  And, for the most part, he has followed those instructions.  But today he was convinced that he could drive both the SUV and the 4 wheeler (in order to check his bean field). 

Meanwhile, Dan has been having his own adventures at American Legion Boys State @ Eastern Illinois University.  Tom waited in the lobby while Dan and I got him checked in, found his room, and made up his bunk.  I started opening his duffel bag to put clothes away when Dan simply said, "Mom, you're killing me."  This was his polite way of saying I'm 17 years old and you don't need to be unpacking my things.  So I backed off and good thing I did because suddenly his roommate arrived.  He went in the room, set down his stuff, and started to leave without saying a word.  Next thing out of my mouth was, "Well, I'm Barb, Dan's mom, and you must be..."  And the nice looking young man said Connor.  So Connor and Dan shook hands and introduced themselves.

Dan walked back to the lobby to say goodbye to us and that was that.  I cried once I got to the car. I doubt Dan cried, and I know Tom didn't. Getting Dan to respond to a text message (from his mother) is also a stretch. Dan's buddy, Kyle, is also at Boys State so I texted Kyle's mom and asked her to ask Kyle to ask Dan to send his mother a text indicating whether he was alive or not. Within 10 minutes Dan sent a text that said, "I'm alive."  This is why mothers go grey.  He sent some follow up texts indicating that he is doing fine.

You know summer is almost here when...

We had a commencement reception for our graduates this spring.  Here's a picture of Dan, Colleen (grad), Zach (grad), Brent, and Markus (grad). 

Here is Lisa at her birthday party where her age ended in a zero!  ;) We're laughing extra hard because of the remark she made to the  photographer (Tom)!

Memorial Day
The PC Marching Hawks travel to 4 towns in the school district to play patriotic songs at all of the Memorial Day Services.  Dan is in the center of the picture playing the mellow-phone which is the marching band equivalent of the French horn.

The American Legion and the Community Choir.  Tom and I always sing with the choir.

Taps

Spring 2012 Corn Planting

Corn planting season.








Getting the trailer ready to go. I'm hardly impressed with his unconventional farming footwear.








Two boxes down, 14 to go!

















Getting some sound advice from the farmer.


























Tom likes to dig up some seed corn after he plants it to check for soil moisture, depth, and probably just to see if the planter is really working!








Hey! Isn't corn supposed to be yellow?





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Just a few more instructions while the bags and Visqueen burn. I remember being so outraged when Tom would burn the plastic wrap along with the paper bags. I'm over it now.







Banana cream pie in the making.







Ready for the frig!

Home on the farm

After being away in Argentina over spring break, it was great to come home and enjoy a home cooked meal of grilled salmon, salad, and my mom's mac-n-cheese recipe! You can see the Charango I brought home from Argentina on the wall. It is a 10 stringed instrument used in Andean folk music that is tuned kind of like a ukelele.



The kids all came home to surprise their parents for their birthdays in late March! The dining room was transformed WI-fi work space one morning. Tom thought there was more visiting and coffee drinking than there was work getting done.





It was Ann's and my turn to make breakfast for the baseball team a couple of Saturdays ago. We made biscuits-n-gravy, egg casseroles, and sweet rolls. No wonder they won!!






Dan had quite a cheering section that morning!

















Checking out the farm...

















The farmer offering commentary...



























Tom had to check his corn in the bin.









Joel and Tom talking some ag issues.









Love is in the air!