Day 7: The First Weekend in December - Friends, Food, & Farm Bureau

My farmer was re-elected to County Board.  If you are local and voted for him, Thank You.  We are humbled. 

He finished harvest.  We celebrated with friends. He finished tillage.  He gets re-elected.  Can this week get any better?

Yes it can!

Last night my farmer confirmed that we will be spending the first weekend of December in Chicago at the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.  For me, this means great food and great friends courtesy of a great organization.

We've done this nine of the thirteen years we've been married (give or take a year).  During the first five or so, my farmer was active in the Farm Bureau Young Leader group.  At the Annual Meeting, the Young Leader group hosts special sessions devoted to topics younger farmers and farm families are concerned about.  They also host a hospitality suite for networking.  It's always very loud. 

Our farmer BFFs are a product of this group and these trips to the city.  We became closer to friends from college.  We made new friends.  Even though we live over a hundred miles apart, the six of us have grown up together.  We went from childless couples to parents of seven kids between us.  We've bought houses.  We've remodeled houses.  We've vacationed together in Hawaii, Kentucky, Bloomington, Peoria, and Michigan.  Two of us have talked about a trip this summer.  I'm hoping we can convince the third to come, too.      

When my farmer announced the end of harvest Saturday, his farmer BFFs above were on the distribution list.

In one of his books Michael Pollen writes about Farm Bureau as if it does more harm than good to farmers.  I couldn't disagree more.  The Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization that ensures farmers have a voice, locally and nationally.  Farm Bureau helps farmers find their voice.  It's a bit surprising to me that the people, who I would assume to be supportive of labor unions, social justice movements, and community organizing, would have such a negative view of the Farm Bureau.  It seems to me that Farm Bureau is just a mature and successful form of these three things.

We've all aged out of the Young Leader group.  Thankfully the Annual Meeting has sessions that appeal to more mature farmers and farm families.  And, thankfully we'll get to spend time with at least one of our BFFs who we just don't see often enough the first weekend in December.

The First Weekend in December - Friends, Food, & Farm Bureau - One of the 30 reasons why I love being my farmer's wife.

Stay tuned for the 23 other things I love about my life on the farm and 23 more things that converted this Sycamore girl into a small town girl:).

And, check out my friend Holly's blog and the list of the other 30 day bloggers at 30 Days on a Prairie Farm.

Day One: Grandma Millie
Day Two: My Clean Car
Day Three: He's helped me be more flexible
Day Four: Our little church
Day Five: His Servant Heart
Day 6: Farmer Humor

Day 6: Farmer Humor

It's been a good week.  We finished harvest on Saturday.  Woot Woot!  I knew because my farmer sent me and six other farmer friends a text.  It read: This is why harvest takes so long.

One row at a time.  That's persistence.

Farmer Humor - One of the 30 reasons why I love being my farmer's wife.

Stay tuned for the 24 other things I love about my life on the farm and 24 more things that converted this Sycamore girl into a small town girl:).

And, check out my friend Holly's blog and the list of the other 30 day bloggers at 30 Days on a Prairie Farm.

Day One: Grandma Millie
Day Two: My Clean Car
Day Three: He's helped me be more flexible
Day Four: Our little church
Day Five: His Servant Heart

Day 5: His Servant Heart

My kids watch way too much TV. I know this because yesterday they recited all the reasons we shouldn't vote for either candidate in a congressional race. From millions mis-spent on a sign and a road to a country club to shipping jobs overseas, the only redeeming factor they could find was that one of the candidates owned a pizza place. They are now decided voters.

If only it were that easy.

Tomorrow, my farmer is on the ballot as an incumbent in a local race.  I'm not supposed to campaign.  We didn't make signs.  Beyond a write-up in the local paper, no one would know that he's running.

He's not in it for the name recognition or power, just to make a difference. He knows we are here for the long haul, and if we're lucky, our kids will want to settle here, too. His reasons for running go well beyond ego. His reasons have a whole lot more to do with his servant heart.

He's not the only one. When you take a look at our school board, community organizations, and industry groups, you’ll see a lot of farmers giving their time and talents freely.

I think it's partly a small town thing. When you grow up with 40 kids in your entire grade, almost everyone has to participate in order for an activity to happen. You learn to communicate and get along, even when you disagree. It's hard to sit on the side lines or hide with so few kids. Decisions need to be made and work needs to be done.

I've seen this in action this past week. My kids have been filling me in about the debates in their classrooms over our presidential candidates. Oh the civil discourse! They aren't the only ones watching a lot of TV.

I think it's also a farmer thing. They have broad perspectives. Their families have lived in our community for generations. They realize the importance of stewardship and contributing now to benefit future generations, not just the here and now.

His servant heart - One of the 30 reasons why I love being my farmer's wife.

Stay tuned for the 25 other things I love about my life on the farm and 25 more things that converted this Sycamore girl into a small town girl:).

And, check out my friend Holly's blog and the list of the other 30 day bloggers at 30 Days on a Prairie Farm.

Day One: Grandma Millie
Day Two: My Clean Car
Day Three: He's helped me be more flexible
Day Four: Our little church

Day 4: Our little church.

When I started dating my farmer, I knew his family attended church regularly.  This was not part of my upbringing so it took me awhile to figure out why.

In our small town, church is more than the service.  It's a community.  It's a place where people gather for worship, stay for fellowship, celebrate, serve, and comfort one another in bad times.

Each week a different family serves treats in our church basement after the service.  This morning the basement was packed.  After visiting with some good friends, an old neighbor, a long time family friend, and the grandmother of one of my son's best friends, I wanted to run home to do a few chores while the kids were in Sunday School.  I had to drag my farmer away from the other four farmers he had been talking with.  This is a common occurrence because: 1.  My farmer likes to talk and 2. 95% of our congregation has ties to agriculture in some way, giving my farmer a lot to talk about.

The relationships we have with the people with whom we worship are important.  From time to time we've talked about trying churches in one of the nearby larger communities.  The people and the relationships we've formed have kept us at our little church.

Our church is also our home and an important link to our past.  Three very important events in my life have happened in that building.  Forgive the pictures.  It was prior to digital photography so I had to scan photos.  Am I really that old?

We got married on a very snowy day in front of 250 of our friends and family.

We baptized our son.

We baptized our daughter.  Both were wearing the family baptismal gown that their grandmother and great uncle wore in that very same spot years before.

For my farmer, there are even more moments. 

One of my favorite things to do is roam around and look at the memorial plaques attached to the stained glass windows and other objects.  See the baptismal font above?  It was given in memory of my husband's Uncle Ralph.  There's at least one window that bears his mom's maiden name.  There's a bench out back that honors a little girl from our play group who was taken way too early. 

Our little church - One of the 30 reasons why I love being my farmer's wife.

Stay tuned for the 26 other things I love about my life on the farm and 26 more things that converted this Sycamore girl into a small town girl:).

And, check out my friend Holly's blog and the list of the other 30 day bloggers at 30 Days on a Prairie Farm.

Day One: Grandma Millie
Day Two: My Clean Car
Day Three: He's helped me be more flexible

Day 3: He's helped me be more flexible.

I'm a planner and I like structure.  I like knowing what is going to happen next.  I think it's important to stick to a schedule and be prompt. 

After 13 crop seasons with my farmer, I've learned that's all fine and good, but things happen and you have to adapt.  You can throw a tantrum or you can figure out what is really important and roll with it.

Like when a combine falls through a field bridge during harvest.  We may have lost a morning, but no one was hurt and no major damage was done to the combine. 

Or when your baby girl is due at the end of October and there is still corn to pick.  There are some things worth leaving the field for. 

Or when two Illinois schools play football in late September.  Who would choose harvest over the chance to tailgate at a Big 10 game, show their kids their campus, and gloat over their wife's team loosing?

Flexibility and farming go hand in hand.  For farmers' wives, too.  You still have to plan.  You still have to have the structure in place to deal with normal situations.  But you also have to keep your priorities in line so you can adapt appropriately when things come up.

In our 13 years, I've learned not to ask when he'll be home.  Instead I ask, "What are your plans for the night?"  I've learned not to make weekend plans from mid-September to Thanksgiving.  I've learned that there will be many fall sporting events I attend alone.  I've learned that my little family is part of a bigger operation and it's not only about us. 

This has helped me be more understanding and supportive in my personal and professional roles.  I am grateful (as are my co-workers).   

He's helped me be more flexible - One of the 30 reasons why I love being my farmer's wife.

Stay tuned for the 27 other things I love about my life on the farm and 27 more things that converted this Sycamore girl into a small town girl:).

And, check out my friend Holly's blog and the list of the other 30 day bloggers at 30 Days on a Prairie Farm.

Day One: Grandma Millie
Day Two: My Clean Car

Day 2: My Clean Car

I originally titled my series 30 Days and 30 Reasons Why I Love Being a Farmer's Wife.  After I started writing, the academic side of brain started nagging.  Should I assume all farmers are like mine? Probably not. So I changed it to 30 Days and 30 Reasons Why I Love Being my Farmer's Wife.  Hopefully that will save any unsuspecting farmers from living up to high expectations based on what I am about to write.

My farmer is obsessed with clean vehicles - trucks, cars, tractors.  If it has wheels, he wants it to have clean windows, dust-free dash boards, and spotless carpets.  We'll have to ask my mother-in-law, but I think it's how they kept him busy as a child.  Child labor?  No.  Character building?  Absolutely.  Dirty vehicles drive him crazy, so he cleans them.

This is not how I grew up.  For example, one night after driving our babysitter home, my dad fell asleep at the wheel and drove into our neighbor's pond.  He woke up, swam to the surface, the walked home to meet my very confused mom at the door.  The next morning, divers came out, hooked the car, and brought it up.  There were minnows swimming on the floor boards alongside floating french fries.

There may not be french fries hiding in my car, but  on any given day, you could probably find more than one piece of granola.

Weekdays, I spend at least an hour and half in my car.  In the mornings, I drink my coffee and eat my breakfast (granola) on my way to work.  If I have to run kids to practice, which is two or three days a week, it's two and half hours and we sometimes eat dinner on the way home.  I spend way more time in the driver's seat than on the living room couch. 

My farmer may not always be happy about cleaning my car or about what he finds, but he always does it.  I appreciate not having one more thing to clean.

A couple years ago, my friend Jen came out to take family pictures.  He denies it, but I know I told him I wanted a picture with a tractor.  He chose our four-wheel drive.  At the last minute, he had the spray bottle out and was cleaning the huge tractor. 

Can you tell where Jen used Photoshop to remove it?  She worked her magic on the digital image.  The one that hangs in our office, it prominently displays the glass cleaner.  He cringes.  I laugh.  It says a lot about the personalities in our family.

My clean car - One of the 30 reasons why I love being my farmer's wife.

Stay tuned for the 28 other things I love about my life on the farm and 28 more things that converted this Sycamore girl into a small town girl:).

And, check out my friend Holly's blog and the list of the other 30 day bloggers at 30 Days on a Prairie Farm.

Day One: Grandma Millie

Day 1: 30 Days and 30 Reasons Why I Love Being my Farmer's Wife

In case you haven't heard me say it or seen my Facebook posts, my friend Holly rocks.  She's a mom, farm wife, writer, photog, believer, agriculture advocate, and friend.  Personally and professionally, she is one of my role models.  I wish I had half her talent, grace, style and faith.

For the past couple years, Holly has blogged to a theme during the month of November.  Last year, she featured farm families.  In 2010 she blogged about ag things to be thankful for. 

This year, she wants others to join in on her thirty day blogging adventure!  So...my theme, for my very limited readership, is 30 Days and 30 Reasons Why I Love Being my Farmer's Wife.

To kick the month off, I give you the first reason I love being my farmer's wife: Grandma Millie.  She's the tiny blond below.  My husband's Grandma Millie grew up on a farm in central Illinois, fell in love at 4-H camp, and married a farmer.  When she moved to our small town, her new mother-in-law told her she wasn't to be sitting around playing cards and drinking pop.

Instead, she worked in the fields and at home.  She often talks about tilling fields with an open tractor, taking care of lambs in her kitchen, going door-to-door collecting for the American Heart Association, and cooking huge hot meals for the "men."  She makes a great kuchen and an even better pie.  Grape pie is my favorite.

The changes she has seen in agriculture are mind boggling.  When I read or hear idealized views of the past, I think of her.  I can't imagine she would give up a heated seat or auto-steer for that open cab.  Nor would she give up the tools we use to manage the physical and financial risk we take each time we plant a crop.  She is our link to the past and a reminder of why our modern tools were developed in the first place.

My kids are lucky.  For most of their lives, they've lived a quarter mile away from their great grandma.  They've gone to church with her on Sundays.  They've gotten off the bus at her house every school day.  They've heard her stories, laughed at her jokes, eaten her cookies, and felt her love.

Our Grandma Millie - One of the 30 reasons why I love being my farmer's wife.

Stay tuned for the 29 other things I love about my life on the farm and 29 more things that converted this Sycamore girl into a small town girl:).

And, check out my friend Holly's blog and the list of the other 30 day bloggers at 30 Days on a Prairie Farm. 

Day One: Grandma Millie
Day Two: My Clean Car
Day Three: He's helped me be more flexible
Day Four: Our little church
Day Five: His Servant Heart
Day Six: Farmer Humor