Home on the Farm

This weekend we spent part of our time at “The Farm”, where I grew up. This is where my parents have lived for over four decades, and where my brother and his family also live. My parents built their house while I was a baby and we moved there from town when I was about a year old or so. Then about 10 years ago, my brother and sister-in-law built their own house on a separate piece of property on the farm. Both my Dad and my brother farm together, raising corn and soybeans on about 1,350 acres of farmland.

It was a super relaxing Friday evening and Saturday morning, which I have to admit was much needed after, as usual, another busy week. We had dinner with my parents, spent time just catching up on what was new, took my parent’s dog and ours for a walk – yes, even Old Man Earl the Pug went for a short walk! – and I checked out the crops along the field road when I went for a run.

Joe and I took Earl the pug for a walk along the soybean field on Saturday. Walks for this 12-year-old pug don’t come as often as they used to – he’s got a bit of arthritis in his legs and sounds like he’s going to have an asthma attack if we walk him too far. (The latter has more to do with the squished pug nose than his age, actually. Pugs are extremely noisy breathers!) But the weather was perfect for him on Saturday – not too hot, not too cold – and he held up very well for his advanced pug age. 😉

This is one of the grain storage bins on The Farm and I thought the circular stairs was kind of a neat picture. Growing up, I really didn’t give these bins a second glance – they were just part of the farm. Now I see them a little differently and can appreciate how they look in the landscape of the farm.

It’s always fun for Joe to check out the big John Deere combine, so we veered off the field road take a few photos by the shed. Combines are used to harvest the corn and soybeans that my family raises on about 1,350 acres annually. It won’t be too long and this one will be working hard to get the crops in before winter.

Another close-up view of the headers at the front of the combine.

On our walk, we found a small rock pile on the edge of the grove. Joe – with all the wonder of a 9-year-old boy – exclaims, “Ooooh – sticks!” and proceeds to hunt for the best one. I always find it reassuring that Joe can visit the farm and just be a boy.

This was my running path on Saturday morning – what we affectionately call the “field road” for obvious reasons. You can see soybeans on the left side and plenty of corn on the right. The road is about one mile from the beginning of the driveway all the way to the end of the field road. And on Saturday, it was a brilliant blue sky as far as my eye could see. I would run this same field road during high school to get in shape for the volleyball season. That was nearly 30 years ago (gulp!) and I didn’t particularly enjoy the view or the run back then. Now I see things differently – and I’m actually in better shape – so it’s a totally different experience for me.

My mom is the most amazing gardener and my success in my own gardens is in large part due to what she has taught me. This is just a tiny part of her beautiful artistry on The Farm.

Joe and Earl the pug in the backyard – you can see in the background another one of my mom’s garden areas.

I couldn’t resist a “selfie” by the soybean field on Friday night.

A Minnesota sunset on The Farm – and if you look closely, you can see my hometown – Hector, population 1,000 people or so – in the distance. The tallest buildings are the grain elevators, which is pretty standard for small agricultural towns. A beautiful end to a great night on the farm – and it reminds me of how my family is very blessed.