Lindsey Sterkel
We had another great day of corn harvest in the OK/TX panhandle!
This morning started off a little rocky. I could feel my throat getting scratchy yesterday so I knew this morning it was going to be hurting. Between the cold, headache and sore throat, I was not wanting to get up. Turk made me tea and turned the heater on. After an Advil and my tea, I was feeling a million times better.
We started right away and trucks weren’t sitting long at all. We have a little longer haul than we’ve been used to, so right when the trucks get to the field there is a load ready.
One full bunker!
Today, I was a little off with my shifting. The high and low switch (which I call my flip switch) was pretty random all day long. For some reason, I’d be in the middle of my high gears and flip my flip switch to my low gear and was wondering why the gear wasn’t taking! All was good though, I got from the field to the elevator without grinding and breaking anything. I just took a little detour around my gearbox! 
Also, if anyone was passing me today, I’m so sorry for the odd looks I may have given you!! All day, I was a sneezing machine so the look of needing to sneeze was my expression all day! 
The oddest thing was around 5:30 tonight. It was such a nice, perfect day. There was no wind, it wasn’t too hot; it was a perfect fall day. All of a sudden, I looked to the north and there was a big brown cloud. Turk then came over the radio and told the trucks there is a wall of dust coming and if it got too bad to see to pull over on a little country road and wait it out. It came in really quick but wasn’t bad enough for us not to see so we kept rolling.
Our mini dust bowl!
So windy it was blowing the corn around!
The elevator ended up closing half an hour earlier than normal because of the wind. It was blowing the grain everywhere.
I’d say after over 200 miles today, we were pretty darn productive!!
Happy fall, everyone!!!!
1. Be ready to go at the drop of a hat...sometimes without a lunchbox.
2. Has removed the word impossible from her vocabulary!
3. Can hold a baby, take care of a toddler and drive a tractor or combine all at the same time.
4. Must be able to cook for a crew - large or small.
5. Must be able to read minds.
6. Must be able to banter with a parts man until he realizes you DO know what you're talking about.
7. Must be the entertainment director for those rainy days.
8. Be a wife, mom, friend, helper, cook, problem solver, taxi driver or extra crew hand at all times.
9. Can handle the call that makes you react, "You need what? When?" Dropping everything you're doing to make it happen.
10. At the end of the day say, "I really do love this life".