Christmas Memories

As I prepared for Christmas 2009 I could not help but to reflect on Christmas Traditions from my Youth. I recall that in the late 1940s and early 1950s when my Brother and I helped our Dad on Christmas Eve. We lived on a small Farm in Northeast Iowa in Jefferson Township, Clayton County which has as it's Eastern Border the Mississippi River.

Our Family always attended Chruch on Christmas Eve. The Farm Chores were complete. The Animals had been fed and the cows milked. All was well with the Farm. However all the barns, stalls and sheds for the livestock had to be cleaned out and new straw in place so that at Midnight the Farm Animals could bend a knee to show their respect and adoration to the Christ Child. This was a Tradition for my Dad and I suspect that His Dad had established this as a Family Tradition when he was a Young Farm Boy.

I can not verify that information now because my own Dad died on Christmas Eve 1999. He had lived a long complete life and had just celebrated his 86th Birthday.

As I grow older I often look back and realize that my Dad, and also the Dad to my five Siblings was able to instill a sense of pride in all of us. Yes, He expected us to work and to perform to our best ability and Yes, we can all reflect back now and acknowledge that He gave us the guidance and tools to live a successful life.

Was it easy to be a Farmer's Kid? Of course not, but then I consider myself well Blessed because I was a Farmer's Kid. I can state that none of use grew up self centered. There were six of us and we quickly realized that not one of us was the focus of our Parent's Affection.

In fact, a story I am quick to relate is we all enjoyed the same bicycle. We could take turns riding it.

Please enjoy a Blessed Christmas 2009!!

Life With A Snow Blower

It is certainly nice to have an operational Snow Blower after the snow storms dump an abundance of snow. This farm lane scene in Jefferson Township in Clayton County Iowa shows how nice it looks after an Iowa Tractor Boy comes through with the snow blower.

Food

for

Iowa Tractor Boys

In an earlier post today I focused on fuel that many Iowa Tractor Boys use to heat their homes. This post of course will be about food. As you can tell this ten point buck was recently harvested during the opening days of the Iowa Deer Hunting Season for rifle hunters. With the abundance of crops grown each year the Deer thrive and the venison is choice meat.

Home Heating

in

Tractor Boy Country

Many citizens in the Great Upper Midwest have acquired alternative sources for heating their homes. This heating system with the firebox remote from the house burns wood. In the case of this application the home owner resides near the Mississippi River which has an abundance of timber areas in addition to ample areas for cultivating cereal crops. If the land owner has a mix of crop area in addition to timber area the supply of wood is only limited by the ability to replant the trees. In this case the landowner has a plan in place to replant the trees that are harvested for lumber and using the tree tops for a fuel source to heat the home. Certainly an excellent source of furl and certainly cost effective.

2009 Corn Harvest Report

As a former Iowa Tractor Boy now residing in Georgia I know that once the Corn harvest is complete that there is a feeling of accomplishment on another year of crop production is complete. A satisfying feeling to be sure. My Nephews in Clayton County Iowa reported that the last corn stalk was run through the Harvester on Sunday afternoon, November 15, 2009.

Even though there is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction on a Crop Season being Completed the focus soon changed to preparations for the 2010 Crop. Here you see one of the Nephews operating a Green Tractor, a John Deere of course, with a chisel plow. The seedbed for the 2010 must be prepared when the weather is cooperating such as right now.

I post this blog entry to simply let my city friends know that a Farmer's Work is never done. In order to be successful in the business of providing our foodstuffs they must constantly work within the parameters of the weather to also be ready for the next season.

As a former Iowa Farm Kid and now living in the City I can appreciate the labor and committment of our Nation's Farmers.

Thank You!!!

Corn Harvest

Clayton County, Iowa

Recently I posted an entry regarding the fact that it was too wet to harvest. Here you see two Iowa Tractor Boys, even though they are not visible engaged in the 2009 Corn Harvest in Clayton County, Iowa.

Note the climate controlled Operator Stations on both the Tractor and the Harvestor. This equipment allows the operator to breath dust free air and also contributes to the well being of the farmer when the weather conditions are such as the almost freezing temperatures during the early days of November each year.

It now appears that us City Folks will have ample supplies of corn so that we can enjoy our Corn Flakes and Corn Bread.

Thank You, Iowa Tractor Boys.

Harvest Time In Iowa

Most Iowa Tractor Boys are patiently waiting to get on with the 2009 harvest. The soybeans are ready and of course the corn crop is next. But as of October 7th, 2009 it was simply too wet for the harvest. This scene is from Clayton County, Iowa and duplicates the situation in far too many areas of Iowa.