Kylee DeBock – DeBock Harvesting
I am writing this post from my camper in Larned, Kansas.
We just got here yesterday and as the saying goes, “hurry up and wait”. That’s just what we will be doing. Kansas had gotten some rain before we left home but it takes us two days to move, so we decided to go ahead and get the process started. However, once we got here, we realized the fields are not just rain wet they are still a little green. So now we wait!
Since Dillon went to North Dakota to help plant wheat this year, we knew we wouldn’t be able to go to Texas. So, for the first time since we started cutting in 2004, we didn’t make the trip down. Instead, we started cutting in Waynoka, Oklahoma.
Last year, our Oklahoma harvest was less then desirable because of so much rain. We fought mud so bad that we had to have a dozer come and pull us out a few times. (I hope that never happens again.) Thankfully, this year was all sunshine! We cut for three solid weeks with no weather delays. It’s amazing how many acres you can get through when the weather cooperates. The rain did come, but we were fortunate enough to have finished our last field the night before the rain storm. We all enjoyed sleeping in, having a late breakfast and then an afternoon nap!
While cutting in Oklahoma, we had a photographer come and take family pictures. We’ve been harvesting for seventeen years and never had any professional pictures taken. Amy, with A Taylored Image, not only took pictures, she made us a video that I will cherish for a lifetime. Check it out on our DeBock Harvesting Facebook page!!
This year’s crew is a bit different then years past. We normally have at least two hired hands, if not three. This year, however, we only have one. His name is Jeff and he is from Brazil. Colston, our twelve-year-old, has been running the cart since he was eight, but has been bumped up to a combine this year. (He’s really excited about this.) Dillon runs the other combine and our eight-year-old, Riggin, is running the cart. Jeff and I run the trucks. So, as you can see, it’s all hands on deck this year!
Since I am not home to cook and take dinner to the field in the evenings, I cook dinner in the morning. I bought some insulated bowls and I just make a casserole and a dessert. I put the casserole in the bowl at about 10:00 in the morning and we eat around 7:00 in the evenings. It’s not steaming hot, but it is still good and warm. That has worked pretty well, so far, and being home in the mornings also gives me a chance to catch up on laundry and clean the camper. I would like to say “thank you” to Melissa, Jane, and Lois for taking time out of your day to bring us a hot meal to the field. We appreciated that so much!
We have another four-legged pet with us this year. Usually our cat, Eve, goes to “Kitty Camp” at my sisters for the summer, but we decided to bring her along this year. I’d say, so far, she really likes it. I have let her outside a few times but she only stays about ten minutes then she wants back in. I think she is enjoying the pampered life of a house cat…or I guess I should say camper cat! The boys have enjoyed having her along, too, and surprisingly, her and our dog, Zoe, are getting along quite well!
Since the wheat is not ready, I think today I will take the kids for a picnic in the park and then the swimming pool for some “real” summer activities!
Thanks for reading my posts and following us on our harvest journey!
God Bless,
Kylee DeBock
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Psalms 27:14 NIV
