Wheat Harvest Widow

Well it’s that time of year again- harvest has began.  In agriculture every year we experience the same things- it’s a cycle… Wheat harvest is the first of the harvests and seems to always catch me by surprise. 

I grew up in agriculture and I understand there are busy times of the year and not as busy times of the year.  Harvest time is one of the very busy times on the farm. When it’s time to harvest, there is an extreme urgency to get the crop in.  Everything else stops, doesn’t matter what’s going on, it stops.  Long hours and shorter tempers usually surround the event. 

As a Farmer, I revel in the beauty of the crop and the joy and sense of accomplishment of harvest. It’s the reward for hard work and perseverance and although we don’t do it enough, we do try to at least have a small celebration at the completion of each crop harvested. Which sometimes is just a home cooked meal and a bottle of wine. 

As a Wife and a Mom, I hate harvest!  The world doesn’t stop turning for the kids and I during harvest.  It keeps going, but access to My Cowboy stops.  We go to bed without seeing him, eat our meals without him, work 4-H livestock without his important help, and try to be on our best behavior when he’s home because we know he’s tired. There- I’ve complained enough! 

So as a farm family, we try to make the most of it, riding in the truck with him, waiting as long as we can before we eat supper at night, praying for rain so he’s around to help. 

This year I tried really hard to prepare myself for harvest. About the second week of July, I figured that we were 3 weeks out. I kept telling myself that. Yet, I signed Cowboy & I up for a golf tournament for end of July.  The morning of he said to me, ‘Now, we’re starting wheat harvest today and I’m probably not going to be able to golf.’ I only golf with him, since I really suck at golf I don’t subject any one else to my horrible playing.  Let’s say that Cheryl was a wonderful partner and the two hits I made to help us out was very appreciated. ugh.

We’re all counting down the days until Wheat Harvest is done. Knowing that our days until soybean harvest starts are numbered. But we're thankful to have crops harvest.