First, we carry on with all sorts of additional discussion about the crops. This discussion topic receives plenty of air-time already, but in a year like this it garners even more attention. All summer there were discussions about how well the corn was developing, what everyone thought the yield would be, and when everyone would be in the fields. Early on, predictions spun out around the second week in August. As we enter the last week in September with much of the crop still in the field, it would appear that arm-chair analysts weren't completely correct.
Conversation now turns to "stand-ability." Will the corn be all right long enough to harvest without large losses? The feeling was a little different with beans. The people I've talked to put beans in later than they would have liked and aren't as optimistic as they are about corn. I'm sure you noticed I didn't speak in absolutes in the last few sentences. As an Iowan, my entire life (even when I was living somewhere else), I know there is always some part of the state, or some group of farmers experiencing the exact opposite as the majority. I am in no way trying to speak in absolutes here, as I know there are none.
Second, when you get high temperatures like this, everyone just gets a little edgy. You see it in the way people drive. You can tell it in the way team members interact with each other. "Iowa Nice" has just a little more of an edge than it usually does. I work every day with people doing very physical work, almost completely in the weather - either the hot of summer, or the bitter cold of winter. The heat of summer is the time of the year that gets to them the most. Things that wouldn't even be bothered with the rest of the year are BIG and need to be fixed right now. The depths of the summer are the times we have to take the most care of others as everyone is at the end of their rope.
Third, and this is my favorite, people talk about how severe the winter will be. Some believe a severe summer means you will have a equally severe, or worse winter. Some believe if you survive the heat of a really wicked summer, you will be rewarded with a moderate winter. In the middle of nearly every conversation, out comes predictions from the Farmer's Almanac - the true go-to for everything weather and planting related for the agricultural community.
IT only takes a few moments looking at "The Old Farmer's Almanac" https://www.almanac.com/, and we discover the word is, our first frost in this area should be around October 8 and the winter will be the mild side. One interesting note: I've already had people tell me they read the Almanac and it calls for a very cold winter. Are there multiple Farmer's Almanacs?
With all of this said and thought about, the greatest thing right now is that today we are in one of the two perfect weather patterns the State of Iowa has to offer. Of course that's a completely personal, subjective opinion. Weather like we're having right now - with highs in the seventies and lows in the forties is just great. It offers the best. The good days are bright, clear and comfortable, and the nights are perfect for sleeping. The only way to improve it would be an early frost to take all of the allergens, pollen, and mosquitoes away. October 8th isn't very far away, so maybe it's right around the corner. We'll have to wait and see.
Things in the Toybox have been busy. I am working to finish another library space here in Des Moines, working with a person I have worked on in the past to do this type of work. This time we are doing twenty four feet of shelving, each section with five shelves. It should work great. Then I need to finish a project I am working on for YESS and finish the Arts and Crafts inspired bed frame I built for my daughter. At that point, I will try to get back to the Teardrop trailer as I need to move that project forward.
I hope all things are good with each of you. Enjoy the fall, winter is coming.
