Wild Turkeys

Last week when I left the farm I saw wild turkeys out in the field and stopped the van to watch them for a couple of minutes. I wish I could have gotten better pictures! I used to have wild turkeys come up in my yard quite often so I was glad to get a glimpse of these birds after living in the city for 3 years.

13 on Thursday

            

1.  This trip to Oklahoma was nice because I had a “guest” rider! My friend Ellen rode along with me to visit her Dad in Enid. I will say, the trip went F.A.S.T!! Lot’s of talking! – no Music Man! So I did miss out on my “sing along” but that’s okay!

2. My parent’s were doing well and that is always a relief. I do wish they would let my brother and I get them someone to help with house keeping. They don’t want us to help and they won’t hire someone and they are getting to where it’s not up to the standard I wish they had.

3. My Dad has cut down tremendously on his wheat farming. But he still plants a small amount and he finished planting the wheat earlier this week. And he is very pleased about that. He is praying for rain. It seems as if the rains always miss their part of the woods.

4. The are getting siding on their garage and that looks nice. I’m glad to see they are making some improvements. It seems as if you blink and years have passed and things get run down. Where does the time go?

5.  While watching Gunsmoke with them, my brother and I sent texts back and forth. He asked me to name the characters of Gunsmoke, which I did. Kitty, Marshall Dillon, Chester, Festus, Thad, Doc and I said Clint but learned later it is Quint. I think he was impressed! Then he asked me When Gunsmoke started – well, Randy and I had just talked about this a couple of weeks ago and so I even knew the answer to that! 1955.

6. It’s been a year since my Mom broke her hip and she is doing much better than I thought she would be. Very thankful for that.

7. Steve, my parent’s minister, had been visiting earlier in the week. My dad really enjoys having him come by. I appreciate him visiting with them because they aren’t able to attend services anymore.

8. I had intended on asking my parent’s some “interview” questions. Just things I am curious about – what’s their favorite Bible verses, their favorite hymns. I would like to know their favorite childhood memories. But the time didn’t seem right. I need to work on making the time right because these are memories I would like to have recorded.

9. My Aunt Doris called while I was there so I got to talk to her for a while before I turned the phone over to my Mom. That was nice.

10. I went to pick up Ellen when I left the farm. I got to meet her Dad, Marvin and I had such a nice time getting acquainted with him.

11. We went Godfather’s to eat dinner and continued our visit. Such a nice man and he retired from Gold Spot Dairy which used to be one of my favorite places to eat a sandwich on lunch – years ago!! - In the 1970's.

12. It rained on us coming and going this trip. Very seldom do I come home after dark. So was pleasantly surprised when we were south of Caldwell to see that the Chisholm Trail Silhouettes are lit up at night. Not sure why that surprised me but it did.

13. When I got home, The Husband was already home from his fun evening at Trunk or Treat at our church!

It is so good to be home!!

13 on Thursdays

My friend, Debra at Prairie Songs does a post on Tuesdays called "Ten on Tuesdays." She publishes ten things that have happened that day or recently or random thoughts she has been having. I've always thought it would be fun to join her on Tuesdays but I have never taken the time to do it.

Every other Wednesday, I go to Oklahoma to visit my parents. At one time I intended to post about my trips to Oklahoma but ... well, just never know what to say because we just do what parents and adult children do.

On my way to Oklahoma, I had the idea of taking Deb's idea from Tuesdays, doing it on Thursdays and talking about my trips to Oklahoma. But I need a clever name - Deb has "Ten on Tuesdays" "Ten on Thursdays" just doesn't have the same ring so I decided on "13 on Thursdays!" Okay, I realize it's not very creative but I just got home from Oklahoma and I'm tired!

13 on Thursdays

1. One thing I always notice on my trip is that Kansas always tells me when I'm leaving her. Then once I enter Oklahoma I always wonder why her sign is shot up and the Kansas signs aren't...

I mean, really. Is it Kansan's shooting the Oklahoma sign out of - what - spite? or is it Oklahoman's shooting it out of - what - ignorance of respect? I always wonder this as I pass these two signs.

2. This trip I saw 3 dead deer beside the roads. Uh oh. Someone's vehicle is smashed. Been there, done that... But this trip I noticed one of the deer had been beheaded. Which means it was sporting a big rack and someone wants to show it off. (even though this is illegal) However, isn't the whole idea of hanging a deer head on your wall to show off your hunting skills? I would think it would defeat your purpose if when someone asked you where you "hunted" that big rack you had to answer "well, I chased it with my truck for 3 miles before I could run it down."

- Just wondering again....

Which leads me to #3

3. I've always liked quiet when I drive alone. Very seldom do I listen to the radio or anything. I think this is a "side effect" from having 4 kids. Well, I've noticed when I travel to Oklahoma, I'm always wondering about things - you know, like the signs, the reasons someone would WANT a deer head they hit with their car, etc but also, the memories pour in. Not always the good ones. That can get so tiring. It could also get so depressing but I won't let it. So when this starts I  start playing "Music Man" in the DVD player. NO... I don't watch it, I am driving after all. The DVD player is in the back of the van. BUT I love the music (plus I have most of the lines memorized...) So I put it in the player and SING along with Robert Preston, Shirley Jones and The Buffalo Bills! I have such a good time!! (I can't carry a tune in a bucket so be thankful I'm in a closed vehicle!!)

4. Every time I pass the log house (it's too big to be a cabin) their black dog greets me and runs down the road with me to the corner where I turn. I always talk to him. I don't want him to get too close to my tires. Farm dogs do this. I wonder why? Is it because I'm driving down HIS road? 

5. Mom and Dad always like for me to bring lunch. Mom likes hamburgers, Dad likes chicken. So I try to trade back and forth between them. More often than not, Mom will say - when I bring chicken - "Oh, you brought chicken." It's not a question. She's just making a statement. (my favorite is chicken!!)

6. After eating lunch, we always go into the living room and Dad turns the tv to Gunsmoke. We watch 2 episodes of Gunsmoke, 1 of Bonanza and Inside Edition and then Jeopardy! My brother and I always joke that we really enjoy "bonding" with the folks!!

And that leads to #7

7. There is a depression on Bonanza. People are out of work, no food, they are rustling cattle - But it's not effecting the Ponderosa... Which makes me wonder, do you suppose Ben Cartwight took Dave Ramsey's course on how to manage his money? Or is he like Joseph and had a dream where God showed him to "store" up his crops in preparation of this depression? Just wondering.

8. When Dad brings in the mail he always gives Mom the newspaper first and when she finishes it she gives it back to Dad. I've noticed - since she broke her hip- that he shows respect to her often in these small ways. This is very sweet to me.

9. When Bonanza is over, Mom looks at her watch and then looks at Dad and he switches the channel to Inside Edition. Neither of them says anything, they just work together - as if they've done it for years! :) This too, is sweet to me.

10. My Mom started smoking when she was around 20. - give or take 2 or 3 years. She stopped smoking when she broke her hip in December. That's over 50 years of constant smoking. Now, I listen to her cough. Please - if you smoke - do whatever it takes to stop now. It's not worth it. 

11. I love my Dad and Mom. I know I'm not any different than anyone else but it is hard to watch parents age. The decisions that may need to be made. I  just pray.

12. As I left the farm, I noticed the man across the road still has watermelon in his watermelon patch.

13. Ahhh. Home. Another Wednesday over. Another trip to the farm. Time with my Dad and Mom. Sometimes, I dread going. No special reason. I'm a home body and this is a full day away from my favorite place. But as I leave Wichita and head south, I start looking forward to spending time with them. I enjoy eating with them, sharing news of Ringwood and news about my kids and grands. I enjoy watching tv with them. I'm so very thankful I have the opportunity to spend time with them on a regular basis. 

Then I click my heels and I'm back in Kansas.

Oklahoma

Made a short trip to Oklahoma to see my parents - then on to Weatherford to see my youngest son.  

The wheat is getting ripe but my Dad didn't plant much this year. My brother will help him out again. Not really enough for me to go down to help. 

My brother and I were raised in this environment of farming.  Working the ground. Planting the seeds. Harvesting the wheat. It's a crap shoot at best. I've been told all my life (not by my Baptist Father - but others) the biggest gamblers you will ever meet are wheat farmers. I agree. 

Being the girl, once I was an adult I married and went another direction. My brother, though has always lived close to my Dad and Mom and it falls on him to help every harvest season. My Dad is "tight" - to put it mildly and my brother does this work for "free" - If helping parents is something you expect compensation for. - Other than the whole feeding and raising for 18 years! : )  - Then once I moved back in the area, I helped several summers. Not sure it relieved my brother any - but I did my best.

The thing is, loving the land isn't as simple as it sounds. There are many layers in loving the land. True, sincere loving the land comes from sweating and bleeding in that soil. It comes from taking a chance year after year. It comes from listening to the storms rolling in and praying your crop is safe. It comes from repairing and sweating - and again bleeding over the old equipment.

Being proud of my Dad and his constant risk taken year after year is one of the ways my brother and I love that land. We help, but we don't have the love of it that causes us to take that yearly gamble with all we have. We love that our Dad has given us a heritage of "land." But when we (and I really mean my brother more than me) but when we sweat and bleed in this soil, it's because we love our Dad and all that he stands for. We respect the land, we respect our Dad's work on that land. But to give all I have to take a chance on a living isn't in me. 

I greatly admire people  who truly sincerely have this love.

I am proud of my Dad and all he stands for as a wheat farmer. He truly LOVES the land, not just ownership. Not just being an overseer. Not just having his name on a deed but he actually loves that land.

I'm proud of my brother and all he stands for as the son of a wheat farmer. He loves Dad and therefore, respects his land and all it stands for.

There are many layers of "Loving the Land." I don't want to take for granted all that my forefathers did for me in "loving the land" - inside their layer. - Or my Dad's layer. - or the layer my brother and I live in. It's all important. It's all a part of living off the land. Living on the land. 

It is a gamble. 

It is also a heritage.