It’s been quite some time since I last made a blog entry. To be honest, I’ve had to focus souly on survival these last few months. After Adam and I got back from our honeymoon in August, reality hit like a ton of bricks and I’ve been on overdrive ever since.
We got back from our honeymoon on a Sunday, and on Monday Adam was cutting corn and I was working in my classroom. Talk about “honeymoon over”!
My new life has been full of twists and turns plus pleasant surprises. Homesickness has been a real thing for me. Packing up my comfortable life (routines included) and moving it away from a strong support system has been an experience. Not to mention, leaving a place where you’ve worked hard to become an established member of the community to become the lady people know as “Adam’s wife” or “the new teacher” has been challenging.
Add the fact that I wasn’t available to help my family when my Grandma Ray entered her final leg of life before cancer took her, was a difficult weight to carry for a while.
But there is always another season…
In retrospect, August, September and October were a blur. Between me working days and nights trying to build as many lesson plans as I could, and Adam cutting corn, soybeans, and milo to finish the harvest, we’ve been going non-stop.
It was unfortunately a rare occurrence this fall, but I was able to ride in the combine a few times to keep Adam company while he ate his brown bag dinner that I would pack (with love, or course) for him while he kept cutting corn. I rode with him in the tractor too while we ate our brown bag dinner in the moonlight (very romantic) that I packed for us while he worked the soil. It was nice to take a break from textbooks, Beowulf and Chaucer to go for a ride those few times (on school nights nonetheless!!).
I’ve joined a women’s Bible study group that consists of women from surrounding areas—all have some connection to agriculture. It’s been nice to meet some nice women and make some time for myself (let’s be honest, to have something scheduled that makes me get my head out of school work—even if it’s just for a few hours– is what I’ve been needing).
I was able to help Adam and his dad the other day doctor a heifer. I willingly jumped into my coveralls and helped push calves into some working pens in order to give one little gal some shots after her not-so-pleasant trip back to McPherson County from Southern Kansas where all of the cattle have been pastured on good ole’ grass on the range. The dust may have sent me into a sneezing fit, but I really enjoyed helping out the guys. The heifer doesn’t have a name just yet, but she is black (my favorite bovine color) and I ask Adam how she’s doing everyday (since I’m usually at school until almost dark, I can’t go out and check her myself).
The 2010 Harvest is officially done. All corn, milo, and soybeans have been cut and sent on to the elevators. There’s a lot of wheat in the ground too and the brown (what seemed to be barren) fields are now turning a beautiful shade of green. According to Adam, things should start to slow down now, as he’ll be working more in the shop than in the fields. Now we can hopefully settle in for a long winter’s nap (or at least play some card games, sit down and eat together, and let the honeymoon recommence).
Alive & Well in Kansas 