As harvest time rolled around this year, Caleb excitedly talked about the opportunity to "go pick corn" again at Ronnie's farm. We have watched the lone remaining farm by our house in the suburbs these past 12 months and discussed and learned together about more parts of farming than I would have imagined possible for a 2 year old. From plowing to planting, to seeds sprouting and growing, to finally the combine coming out of the farmers shed in preparation to pick "the brown corn stalks because they are dried out now". (That was an exciting day.)
We have sat alongside the road in our van watching (you might call it [corn-] stalking, pun intended) the farmer as he went up and down his field with his massive "Red Case Combine" picking soy beans and corn. We have moved closer to watch the farmer empty his load into the wagon. We have done a u-ie to follow the tractor down the road to the grain bin. All this because I love my boy and my boy loves to farm!
The farmer we have been stalking, I mean watching closely, was finishing up his harvest around the same time we got the call from my dad to say Ronnie only had 50 acres left. We better come soon. So I packed the boys up and we drove to Iowa to pick corn. And Caleb's dreams came true :) And he hasn't stopped talking about it.
Here are some pictures of our day at the farm, well, more precisely, our afternoon and evening on the farm-- nighttime only added to the fulfillment of dreams. To drive the combine at dark with the lights on, WOAH! What a blessing to make memories with my little farmer man! Here are the best shots of our time with direct quotations from the man himself. He sat on my lap and told me what was happening in each picture and I wrote exactly what he said! Enjoy.
"I'm driving in the skid steer. I was scooping Grandpa Kenny up using the orange levers and the black levers. And I lift it up and dump Grandpa Kenny. And Grandpa Kenny said Uncle Ronnie could give me a ride in the skid steer but I said no I didn't prefer one."
"This is me standing by the bean head. I just saw it right there. It was this big" (motioning with his arms.)
"Me driving a tractor."
"Look! There's the combine right there. CORN HEAD! COMBINE! And there is a cat and Lady under the corn head. "
"Now I'm climbing up the ladder."
"COMBINE!!! I'm just staring at it."
"Look there's me driving a combine! Pretending to drive the combine. And I'm just driving Elliott. Look, Mom, I'm pretending to drive a combine."
"Grandpa, Elliott, and me. We're in the combine."
"Picking corn in the field. Look, I'm picking corn. When I was in the field I saw a tractor bailing hay. A John Deere. Grandpa said it wasn't John Deere but it was green so it was a John Deere."
"Elliott is just standing in the corn cobs."
"The shoot is coming. The auger. We're getting ready to shoot the corn out into the wagon in Uncle Ronnie's pick up truck."
"The corn is coming out."
"Why is the door still opened? I'm driving the combine."
(He had nothing to say about this one. At one point, Grandpa Kenny, Grandma Lou, Caleb, Elliott and myself were in the combine picking corn. This is Elliott thinking "What in the world is going on?" He doesn't share the same affections for combines as Caleb, at least not for riding in them. I think it was too loud for his taste.)
"Look there is a night combine. It has a corn head on. And I'm in it."
"The night combine still."
"That is the corn coming out of Uncle Ronnie's wagon and going into the grain bin. It goes through and then up up up up."
"Uncle Ronnie and me and Grandpa.Dear Uncle Ronnie, Thanks for letting me drive your combine. Thanks for letting Grandpa drive your combine.
Dear Grandpa Kenny, Thanks for letting me come to your house.
Love, Caleb"
1 comment:
I think you need to tell Caleb that, his friend-that-he's never-met, Ruth Ann LOVES him so much!! He just seems so sweet. And SO SMART! Love love love him.
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