There is so much to be thankful for this year. On November 9th the crop was put safely in our bins. The moisture content of our corn and beans were good, and bushel counts were outstanding.
During the growing season there were timely rains and the weather was great for raising grains. During the harvest there were a couple of rains that slowed us down for a few days, but not enough to cause the gnashing of teeth. It was a very dewy summer and fall, but the dew dried off every morning so there was little slow down to our combining.
On the last day with the last load of beans for the season, a tire went flat on a wagon that was FULL of beans. (That’s close to 18-20 tons.) We are thankful that it happened in the farmyard on a flat surface, not on a road, or at the end of a far away field. Thankfully, we saw it when it happened and were able use a 20-ton bottle jack to jack up the wagon. Snow was predicted. So we climbed up the wagon and covered the load of beans with plastic and weighted it down with boards a few hours before it snowed. Thankfully, a mobile tire repair unit was able to come to the farm the next morning. Within an hour the tire was fixed and back on the rim! This scenario could have been much worse! Thank you Dear Lord Jesus!
We are thankful that there was an unseasonably warm day with 30-40 mph winds blowing from the east. I was able to mow the lawn one last time, and the wind blew every leaf in our yard towards a field across the road. With 14 very large trees, we have piles of leaves in our yard! Now, when it snows, and most likely it will snow a lot this winter (it always does in Iowa), there won’t be a soggy leaf mess in our yard in the spring. Thank you!
We are thankful that we are still able to climb ladders. The farm has a wide variety of ladder-climbing experiences. There are ladders up and on top of our grain bins. (Our grain bins are the source of the aerial photos of the farm featured on this blog.) There are hatches only accessible by tiny ladders to the top of every grain bin to allow augers to drop grain into them. Those same hatches need to be opened and closed to the weather, either to allow more airflow when drying grains, or to be shut to keep out moisture before a rain or snowstorm. We have to climb ladders to clear out gutters, clean machinery windows, and change light bulbs in buildings. It sometimes seems we spend more time in the air than on the ground! We are very aware of where we are when on a ladder. We always spot each other and hold onto those ladders tightly!
And of course, we are thankful for all the bounty we have been given to take care of by God, but most of all for our families, health, and friends.
According to Wikipedia, Great Is Thy Faithfulness is a popular Christian hymn written by Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960) with music composed by William M. Runyan (1870–1957) in Baldwin City, Kansas. The phrase “great is thy faithfulness” comes from the Old Testament Book of Lamentations 3:23.
As a young person I got the title and words all wrong, and inserted My Thankfulness for the words Thy Faithfulness. I still sing it like this. So here’s my rendition of Great is My Thankfulness!
Great is my thankfulness, O God my Father.
Great is my thankfulness!
Great is my thankfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is my thankfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to my great thankfulness, for your mercy, and love
Be Blessed!