Harvest has begun

As I watched Tony leave this morning, I found myself almost tearing up at the thought that he would begin harvesting his bean fields today.  The emotion of knowing that we had made it through a move, planting of crops, settling in to our new home and life and finally harvest was almost more than I could handle without at least one cup of coffee in me.  I could tell that he had a little more zip in his step today.  The combine would be out and harvesting would officially begin, today, Thursday, September 26.  Hallelujah!

Now begins long days and shorter nights, racing to get the crops picked before the first frost sets in.  Prayers will continue that we have a great yield and that somehow prices of corn will bounce back up to where they were earlier this year.  Prayers that our farmers stay safe and healthy.  What I know is that I can't control any of this and THAT is something that I have to remind myself of day in and day out.  Just because you do the work and work harder than most people doesn't mean that you are guaranteed financial success or even survival. I am nervous and worried but know God's great plan will carry us through.  Blind faith, complete faith and hope.  So proud of the Hinkle men.

Just trying to find my place

While driving to Fort Branch yesterday, which is about a half an hour south of Vincennes to drop off play yards that kept the twins contained and me sane for many, many months, I found myself thinking and reflecting (always dangerous).  With much joy and sadness, my little tornadoes have outgrown those North States play yards and now another wonderful soul can enjoy the benefits of containment of little people who make our heads spin, our hearts leap with joy and cause us to collapse completely exhausted at the end of the day.  It is amazing how much one can process when you don't have kids screaming, tractor videos going on in the background or rounds of twinkle, twinkle being sung at a level that could be heard two counties over.

I LIVE IN KNOX COUNTY.  I LIVE IN VINCENNES.  

MY HUSBAND IS A FARMER.  

Yep, that is what kept shouting at me this time in my car.  How the heck did I get here?!  Oh, right, I made that choice a little over a year ago.  We made the choice to leave our lives in Indianapolis for better opportunities for our children and us.  Small town life, family and fellowship.

So...many of you have asked how we are doing, how is the adjustment, what is small town life like...?  So many questions and I love how mysterious our life seems to be to the outside world.  Well here are your answers from my perspective.

TONY - My husband is amazing.  He is thriving and happy.  His work is hard, never ending, challenging and also boring, annoying, exciting and fulfilling.  He gets to work day in and day out with his brothers and dad.  I can honestly say that I have never seen him more relaxed and happy in my entire life. Tony is your classic introvert, yet here he is my social butterfly.  He makes the introductions in social settings, he has the connections...talk about a role reversal.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't know that he is where is suppose to be.

EMILY - My adaptable child who can fit in no matter where she goes.  She seems to really like Franklin Elementary and has made a few friends.  She misses Greenbriar and her buddies but I think she is making her own little spot in Mrs. Allen's 1st grade class.

Em with her 1st Vincennes buddy, Caden, and Olivia, her oldest and dearest friend from Indy.

Em with Mercedes, her new friend from school.

She has joined the Vincennes Swim Club and is like fish (I think that we have found her sport).  What I realize is that everything she does, she does with purpose and persistence.  Time is on her side and she will continue to find where she belongs.

MAC and HARRISON (Tractor/Combine as we like to call them).  I think that if you asked them, they would say, "why didn't we move here sooner?"  Tractors and trains, lots of mud and cows and pumpkins.  What else do little boys need?

Seeing the boys and also Em with Tony's family just makes my heart smile.  So much love and support and I can see just how happy and blessed not only the kiddos are but also their parents.

ME - I am just trying to find my place in this town.  I feel like that new kid in gym class when you are picking teams, praying that I won't get picked last or that no one wants me on their team.  "Pick me!  Pick me!" my inner voice screams. Vincennes is a great town and the people are friendly and nice.  I know that with time, I will make connections and find where I am suppose to be and what my purpose is.  Right now, I am a mom and a wife, trying to raise 3 kids and support my husband in a job that few would ever take on.  God has put me here for a reason and I do believe that we are living out his plan for us.

SO I have to put on my big girl panties, be brave and ultimately have faith that I can let go of my city girl self to embrace the beauty that a country girl can see, live and love.

SO...

TRACTOR SHOW!

From the moment that Mac wakes up and raises his sweet little head, two words will ring out from his tiny little mouth.  TRACTOR SHOW!  It will start off soft and almost like a question, "tractor show?"  As I carry him down the stairs in the morning, the words get louder.  By the time we reach the hallway on our way to the family room, he has broken out into a full on chant including arm movements.  "Tractor show, tractor show, tractor show."  You feel like you are at a rally for tractors and this is a routine that we have gone through for the past two months or so and it continues today.  He never waivers on his request, even if I suggest music or possibly Curious George.  He will just look at me like I have three heads, cock his head and respond very flatly, "tractor show."

Well, when several members of our family suggested we take the kids to Elnora for the 29th Annual White River Valley Association Antique Show, you better believe we jumped at that chance (Elnora is another wonderful small town in the county over).  Trent, my brother-in-law, said that it would be a lot like the State Fair but with more local fare.  Man, was he spot on with that description.

So, let's just say that I spent the first half hour in complete and total amazement.  I have never seen so many tractors, combines and other farm equipment in one place in my entire life.  The little boys have been enjoying John Deere tractor videos and I felt like I was living them right then and there.  I saw tractors from 1914, a Johnny Popper Model D from 1924, John Deere 1954 tractor...man, I could go on and on.  And if you thought I was excited, you should have seen the little boys.  You would have thought that they would have gone crazy but they just stood and stared.  So many tractors in one place...what was a little boy to do?!

We arrived just as the tractor parade was beginning and spent a good half hour watching all different types and brands of tractors, combines, mowers and other equipment go by.  One word, AWESOME! 

We spent most of our afternoon with the tractors.  The boys and Em finally warmed up, literally, and wanted to get on every tractor that they saw.  Thankfully, a few kind souls allowed our children to live out their lifelong dream of sitting on an antique tractor (ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration but you can see the joy on their faces).

So excited that Aunt Penny could join us!

We did walk around a bit but it was hot and really, really crowded so our trip was a little shorter than I had hoped.  I had to laugh at this picture below because I look like such a city slicker with my sun hat and big glasses compared to the rest of the folks at the event.  Silly Leigh!

The event did not disappoint and we can't wait to go back next year.

Pumpkins, Pupkins, Pokins and Putkins.

So I have tried to write this post about 100 times but find myself struggling to get it all down on paper.  Not because I don't have anything to say about pumpkins but because I have too much.  I LOVE the pumpkin fields around my families' homes.  Every time we go out to the farm, we see hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins.  The boys start screaming "pupkin, pupkin, pupkin" or "pokin, pokin" and sometimes even "putkins".  Yeah, I find myself screaming the same thing too.  How silly is that?!  I mean they are just pumpkins, we see them every year in a store, we buy them, put them on our porches, sometimes carve them and that is it.  But this is different, so different.  I have seen these pumpkins grow from seeds, to vines, to blossoms and now full on pumpkins.  It might be the coolest thing I have ever experienced.  Seeing them doesn't get old and I find myself looking forward to the next time I will be out in the pumpkin patch.

Migrant workers pile up the pumpkins so that workers can load them in buses
and wagons to be transported back to farms and eventually to grocery stores
and markets across the country.  Thanks Tammy Yochum for this great pic!

Mouzin Farms rented the land around the Hinkle compound to grow pumpkins this year.  In June and even July, the fields weren't that impressive.  With all the rain that we had, it took awhile for the pumpkin crop to get going.  Even after the the vines came up, I wasn't sure if there would be a lot of pumpkins to look at. The pictures below were taken on July 19th (we have pumpkins, a little green but they are starting to grow).  The fields still look pretty bare.

Harrison touching a "young" pumpkin.

Oliva and Thomas Weintraut enjoying the pumpkin fields on their visit in July.

Once August hit and the heat settled in, the pumpkins took off.  Did you know that farmers put bee boxes near the pumpkin fields so that the bees can pollinate the pumpkin plants?  Without pollination, we would not have pumpkins.  Did you know that the state of Illinois grows over 90% of the processed pumpkins in the US.  I personally believe that number is lower because there are more and more pumpkins being grown in southern Indiana.  Here is a fun link to learn more about pumpkins.  http://urbanext.illinois.edu/pumpkins/facts.cfm

What I am blown away at is how much labor is involved with harvesting these orange wonders.  The workers harvesting the fields around my sister and brother-in-law's home were from Florida.  These men would take what looked like hedge clippers and walk through the fields and clip the pumpkins that were ripe and ready to go.  Another group would pick and line up all the pumpkins.  Finally another group would form an assembly line, pick and then toss one by one the pumpkins to the man next to them until it got to the wagon or bus.  Once there, one man was responsible for stacking, very carefully, all the pumpkins for transportation.  I have been told that this is an art and takes much skill to maximize the number of pumpkins on the wagon or bus while making sure that none fall off during transportation.

A bus load ready to head to Mouzin Farms for processing.

Pumpkins up close in the bus.

The little boys and I have especially enjoyed the pumpkin fields this year.  Harrison is OBSESSED with pumpkins.  He will pick them up and carry them around like a baby.  He runs from one pumpkin to the next, each one seeming more exciting then the first.  Mac follows right behind, touches the pumpkin and yells, "pupkin!".

Tammy, my sister-in-law, told me that they are planning on picking the fields three times and then will be done.  Let me just say that the Hinkle house will have more pumpkins then they know what to do with this year because I have a feeling there will be plenty of pumpkins left after Mouzin Farms is done with them. The invitation is open if you want to come to Knox County to pick your pumpkins :).  The more the merrier.  No worries, I will post a picture of all of our pumpkins on our beautiful front porch once we are done.  This city girl can't wait for fall to officially be here to celebrate her favorite time of year.  But, I think I may be able to celebrate a little early since the pumpkin crop is in full bloom.  Cheers to the BEST time of year!