Now we Reap the Harvest

The weather turns cold. Family from all around start arriving. My favorite farm boots are put on (and no, Gary, they are not irrigation boots, and no I don't want to move pipe, they are way hip and trendy wellies!). The tractors are started up. The first whiffs of dirt and potatoes are smelled. That's right. There is nothing like the smell of a potato cellar. If it only could be bottled. Aaaah yes, the smell of harvest. Harvest has Arrived!

And there they are, Bonnie and Clyde. Always up to no good when they are together. It all started with shopping secretly together for my wedding ring, and has never stopped since. You never know what those two little devils will do next!

My Dad was going to take a crack at taking the old potato truck for a round or two. But when the Boss was floundering trying to load under the digger he decided to sit this one out. We are definitely going to get him behind the wheel next year and see if there is any farm boy left in him!

We were so excited to finally meet little Ascher. What a cutey. I think he even liked the tractor ride.

In between all the harvest craziness we decided to bless Jory and Ascher. It was a very special day. Lots of family, unfortunately we were missing my sisters and brother. The spirit was so strong. We are so blessed with such a wonderful family and kids. Thank you all for all your love and support. These moments are what life is all about.

Great Grandma LaRee with the two new additions to the family.

Great Grandma Boosa and little Jory.

Thanks Mom and Dad for making this such a special day. I could not have done it without you.

Rhett's side of the family.

And my somewhat smaller side of the family.

The two guests of honor.

Jory John and Ascher Kai.

No these are not pictures from last winter. These are pictures of Jett and Rhett making a snowman when they should be out harvesting potatoes! Mother Nature is sometimes a hard women to deal with! We can't complain though, she was real agreeable this summer. She can be unpredictable. . . . Hmmm is there a reason nature is named after a woman????

This year there was some competition over who got to ride with Dad. When I would drop off Jett, Sawyer would start crying and say "go . . go." I couldn't resist those puppy dog eyes that he so expertly uses against me. He got to be a big boy this year and ride all by himself with Dad.

One of my favorite places to be during harvest is in "the pit." I love to get in on all the action. Who is broke down, who got their but chewed by Gary, talking and telling jokes. And of course, the smell of dirt and potatoes, with a hint of fumes from the trucks. Oh yes, all those lovers of harvest know what I am talking about!

This year we had a scary thing happen to Matthew. He was working in "the pit" and he somehow got his hand stuck in the piler. It was very scary. They shut it down and had to get his hand unstuck before seeing what real damage had been done. Thankfully he had all of his fingers and no open wounds. He came out of it with only a chipped bone in his finger. Wow, that was a close one. He was blessed. That is one thing about farming, it can be dangerous.

With the same amount of acres planted in potatoes we had our three cellars filled to capacity. Plus, we had enough potatoes to fill another whole cellar. Rhett set a new record for this farm. Rhett has one big fat green thumb! He attributes his success to; great weather, good fertilizer, watering just right, and a little TLC!

The moral of this story is . . . . . EAT POTATOES!!!

More potassium than a banana, more vitamin c than an orange! How could you go wrong?

So please go to the local grocer and pick up some Idaho Russet Burbank potatoes today!