Chuck’s Chat Welcome to July!
Sorry for the tardy post, but I’ve been on a family vacation, and away from the necessary technological devices which help make this possible. Quite refreshing, to be honest.
We drove to the Florida panhandle region for a week of fun in the sun. I’ve been there three times, and it has rained every time. It is known as the “Sunshine State”, and it truly is, except for the frequent pop-up downpours. Nonetheless, the white sand beaches, palm trees, and assorted shades of blue water served as reminders that we weren’t in Kansas anymore. And the bridges. I’m not necessarily afraid of heights, but a guy can only take so many trips around Pensacola and Mobile in a short amount of time. Just sayin’.
Being the farm kids and active agriculturalists that my wife and I both are, we delighted in the panoramic views the windshield and side windows offered along the way. We enjoyed the Missouri and Tennessee delta regions with rice, cotton, corn and soybean fields that seemed to go on forever. The endless miles of Longleaf Pines in Mississippi nearly created a tunnel vision effect. Extreme northeastern Louisiana had some of the best looking irrigated corn and beans I’ve ever seen. It was there we also saw about a quarter section of peanuts beginning to set on their yellow flowers. The rocky and tree lined hills, mountains and valleys of northwest Arkansas were quite a contrast to its delta plains to the southeast.
Nonetheless, I’m glad to be home. 2300 miles and ten days away from the routine daily grind is almost too much for this old man to handle. It’s good to come back to find that the tractor is still in the repair shop. The lawnmower is still in the repair shop. The truck is still in the garage, but was supposed to have gone to the repair shop. I don’t know how much rain we received along the Northern Sycamore Urban Boundary during our absence, but the Bermuda grass had taken over much of the lawn. The electrical work that was to have been completed between a local contractor and Evergy didn’t get done. And, last but not least, the second set of gutter screens for the shop did not get replaced as promised. However, the cattle were all present and accounted for, the grass thick and green, and the creek fence still in place. Oh, and the cat came back as well.
So now its back to reality, and back to work. Glancing at the calendar I see that fair season is already upon us, and if you’re not already directly involved, get out and support our local youth. Or volunteer to help. The prohibitive restrictions are essentially gone that affected so many last year. It all starts this week with the Cherryvale Youth Fair. The Montgomery County 4H Fair will be held the 22nd through the 26th. Hope to see ya there!
God Bless America
Until next month,
Chuck Voelker