Taking the Scenic Route

Rockstar and other fun

11th December 2010

Rockstar and other fun

Robert and his kids spent the night.  Fun was had by all.

They brought the rockstar and the kids all jammed out

The girl’s interest waned and they found better things to do.  The leaves, the sun, and a beautiful autumnal day.

posted in Autumn, Friends, Play, Video Games, Zane, Zora | Comments Off

24th October 2009

Fall on the Farm

Last Saturday we went out to the farm for a few hours while Zach worked on their computer. Dad was helping one of my cousins with harvest, but Mom made it a special day for the kids.

Waiting impatiently for us to finish putting lunch on the table. Mom made a pork roast, carrots and potatoes, and, of course, her incredible Zweibach. (She makes the BEST Zweibach)

After lunch, Zane is ready to be outside.

It was like the kid’s own personal “play with big machines” day. First they convinced Grandma to take them for a ride in the new John Deere.

Then they played around with the grader. (but didn’t take this one for a spin this time)

Then the old crane. I am not sure if this even runs, but it was fun to climb on.


A fan bigger than Zane

And the evening winds down.


Wonderful, relaxing day.

posted in At the Farm, Autumn, The 2 Opas (J's Parents), The Kids | 1 Comment

13th November 2008

Late Day Sunshine

Calm winds, relative warmth, and a lazy hour in the backyard.  I had to bring warm tap water to the sand table so she wouldn’t get too chilled, but it was still warm enough to feel the grass under bare toes, at least for a little while.

Zane found solace in the small square of sunshine in the corner of the yard, watching his shadow, playing with the soccer ball, and humming.

posted in Autistic Life, Autumn, The Kids | 1 Comment

15th October 2008

And, the results are in…

Neither of the kids need new coats this year. WooHoo! Zane still has the mittens and hat I knit him, and Zora will probably actually fit into her mittens that match her coat this year. I might knit a hat for Zora, but she does have a hood, so it isn’t pressing.

We will need new boots for each. I can’t find Zane’s old boots, and even if I could, I know we were broke broke broke when she was his age, so they probably were really cheap and likely not in good shape anyway.

We got Zora a pair of shoes last week from Target, so that she has something with closed toes, and she is wearing an 8.5 already. I am holding off on buying her much right now because she is eating anything not nailed down, cranky, and starting to get just a bit of a pudge, so I am expecting another growth spurt any day now. I suspect she will grow into 3T a little more solidly, but I want to hang out a bit and see if the prices go down a little more with all of the economy stuff going on.

posted in Autumn, Money, Zane, Zora | 1 Comment

26th September 2008

Harvest at the Farm, part 3 (end of series)

When Zach and I pulled up to the farm after work, we saw the grader going down the drive and laughed. The kids talked Grandpa into a grader ride too. We found out later that Zane had also been in the backhoe and moved a lever and some residual hydraulic pressure caused the bucket to move just a little…he was thrilled. (the backhoe was off). They had also ridden on the 4 wheeler with Grandpa a bit too. (He goes really, really slowly)

The bike is turned off here, but mom got a great picture that shows one of the interesting ways he contorts and balances on top of things.

Steve’s truck was there when we pulled onto the farmstead, but he was in town dropping a load off at the grain elevator, but the kids were starving (ok, so were the adults), so we sat down to a great supper of roast, potatoes & carrots. He came in to eat after a while, then the two guys headed out to keep working, each on a different combine.

The kids goofed off for about an hour before heading home.
Zora occupied herself by giving the cat a ride in the wagon, loading the goose and goslings (garden decorations I used to play with at my grandparent’s house) in with the cat, and then trying to feed the cat.

Zane was “digging for treasure”, and specified “gold”. He made a pretty decent size hole too.

Zora checking things out and wanting to “help”

A beautiful, full day.

posted in At the Farm, Autistic Life, Autumn, Extended Family, The 2 Opas (J's Parents), The Kids, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

26th September 2008

Harvest at the Farm, part 2

After taking a quick break, we load up to go to another field, this time the beans. The combine is a lot smaller, without the buddy seat, so only one kiddo at a time. Zane rode with his Grandpa in the combine, and Zora went with her Grandma out in the truck. This round soybeans are going to be hauled into town as the loads finish up.

This is how they always did it when I was a kid, except that when I was little, it was a combination of trucks and pick-up trucks with home-made sides that made the bed higher. They prefered the trucks because they could haul more, but I loved it when harvest was going fast enough (and the lines were slow enough) that we got to take the pick-up truck. I thought it was a lot more fun to dump the pick-up truck in the elevator because you had to drive on a lift and then they lifted up the front of the pick-up to get the grain to dump out the back (instead of the hydraulic lifts that trucks have). It was like a carnival ride to me as a kid. lol. I used to go with mom to the elevator a lot and remember that one of the best things about harvest was the bottle of cold pop we could get at the co-op, a rare treat.

Zora wanted to drive. She tried to convince Grandma to get in the passenger side. lol.

Shelby hoping for a ride.

Heading out to the field.
This is the more typical type of header on a combine to me. We didn’t grow corn when I was growing up (the new hybrids do a lot better in Kansas, the prices are better, and my Dad’s allergies are under better control so he can handle it now). This header will cut wheat, soybeans and milo/sorgum. It cuts the stalk and drops the grain into the bin and the chaff out the back.

In the foreground: Grandma and Zora. In the background: Grandpa and Zane in the combine.

Shelby

Watching Grandpa head back out into the field

The famous Zane lean. He does this all the time…puts his full body weight against you.

Zora was pointing out all of the tracks made by the combine and trucks all day.

And, back to the house so I can go get Zach from work and mom can get supper ready.
During the walk back Zane was very concerned when Shelby went out into the field or off the path. He kept working to herd him back into the group to walk back to the house.

(will continue…)

posted in At the Farm, Autistic Life, Autumn, Homeschool, The 2 Opas (J's Parents), The Kids | Comments Off

26th September 2008

Harvest at the Farm, part 1

The time of year where a “field trip” is actually to a field. (Split into a few posts because of length.)

Zach had to work in Mac yesterday, and it happened to coincide with the beginning of harvest for my folks, so Zach worked the morning here in town and picked us up after ST to head out to Mac, then I drove the kids to the farm.

They were cutting both soybeans and corn. The entire field isn’t ready to cut, but some parts are. (they weren’t all planted at the same time)

The corn combine has a “buddy seat” in it so that another adult can ride along. My Mom rode along this round to make sure the kids stayed safe their first ride on a combine.

Turning around at the end of the row and picking me up.

Because corn is so specialized, you can only use a corn combine for corn. The machine doesn’t cut the stalks, instead, it strips all the leaves and husks of corns off the stalk, leaving the stalk mostly in tact. Inside the machine it strips the husks off, strips the corn off the cob, and then spits the leaves, husks and corncobs back out and the corn goes into the bin.

Watching the stalks being stripped and the corn going in.

At the end of the row, the bin was full, and the semi truck driver had arrived, so we headed back to the driveway where Mom and the driver were waiting. The semi truck holds 3 loads of corn, so two grain trailers plus the corn still in the combine bins all fit into the truck. With the price of gas, it is cheaper now to hire a semi to come out rather than truck it into town yourself. (plus the hour or two it takes while waiting in line at the elevator to dump the load). The following picture is the process of emptying the trailers and combine into the semi truck. The kids stayed in the cab of the combine.

You can see the corn in the trailer as the process starts (taken from the stairs landing at the combine door)

Waiting with Grandma

The grain trailers are empty, so Dad takes the combine to empty it.

Off to take a quick break inside and get a drink.

(will continue…)

posted in At the Farm, Autumn, Extended Family, Homeschool, The 2 Opas (J's Parents), The Kids | 1 Comment

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