Late Harvest

It has been a "weather breeder" sort of day. The sun has been hidden at times by clouds of pale grey.  Within moments the whipping wind shifted the clouds and the sun hung for a time in blue skies.  Leaves have rattled down from the trees to be whirled across the ground.

Mid-morning the combine rumbled down the road and began to harvest the dried ear corn in the 15 acre piece which J. leased to a neighboring farmer.

J. meanwhile had a final cutting of hay to "turn" and then bale, while keeping a wary eye om the changing aspects of the sky.

Pebbles was excited by the variety of noisy activities, loping from the front pasture to the back of her lot to keep up with the progress of the day's work.

At one point she was stationed in the back of her portion of the barn [the side ell which shows on the left side of the main structure in the photo] with her neck craned out the half door, head swiveling to follow the movement of the clattering combine.

I was delegated to steer Snort'n Nort'n around the field while J. loaded on bales.

Although I've driven many a "stick shift" truck I don't find Ole Nort'n user friendly.  The seat likes to stay in the far back position which suits J. and D. with their long legs.  I feel that I need to wind myself around the steering column in order to reach the clutch.

I bumped and lurched over the rough ground, trying to choose the easiest course amongst the scattered hay bales. This photo, taken through the truck windshield, shows the corn field after the combine made several rounds. The sky to the north was blue, but there was a distinctly unsettled feel to the windy day.

With the hay loaded and awaiting delivery to Dory the Cow [who lives at the Yoder's place]

I was free to check on the garden.  The late cabbages have reached a good size to begin harvesting.  We've had broccoli which needs to be eaten at its peak, and another picking of green beans, so cutting a cabbage will be postponed for a few days.

This strange autumn weather has prompted an unseasonal flowering of the blackberries.

These are so pretty with the delicate shadings of pink and green on white.

In the kitchen I packaged and labeled herbs dried in the oven on its lowest settings.

These were tucked into a box of goodies G. mailed off to her daughter in Colorado.

Note the packet included for Smokey the Cat!

The herb garden looked tired and bedraggled at the end of summer's heat, but has responded beautifully to rain and cooler, sunny days.

I wonder if the scents and flavors are a bit milder than earlier in the gardening season.

The kitchen still holds the fragrance from the trays of herbs spending time in the warm oven--and my cats have sampled the catnip and approved.

By late afternoon the corn plot had been shorn of its ears and the empty stalks rustled stiffly in the wind.

Pebbles grazed, ignoring the now silent machines.

A zoom shot of the harvesting machinery. Note the heaped kernals of shelled corn in the wagon.

The corn harvest is hauled away to storage.

We don't know yet when it will be marketed or what our share will be.