Monday, May 12, 2025
Another rainy morning in SWIN. It’s getting to the point where the novelty of the rain is wearing thin! We had hoped to have a big week this week, running the planters… but several periods of rain have come through this morning, and those plans are pushed back again. In between showers, we were able to top off the seed tanks of the JD 1910 air cart. Brandon D is refilling the seed tender truck over at the nearby Nutrien plant.
Hasn’t rained a lot, but enough to stop us for today.
In good news, I found one field last Saturday that was dry enough for planting! I went to the Holscher farm down southeast of Wheatland, and planted those 70 acres in soybeans. It was fun. The beans went into the soil quite nicely, and with the higher temperatures predicted for later this week, they should pop out of the ground relatively quickly. As I was planting I observed a problem with the ‘blockage monitor’ in the air drill. Three of the eight main runs (towers) on the air cart were not showing up on the screen, and I was not able to monitor their performance. I checked the fuses, and found no problem there. So, I called Hutson and John sent tech Brian to the field to help me. He found some water in a few wiring harness connections, and he got those cleared out with compressed air. After Brian’s visit, the blockage monitor and the drill worked without a hitch. Saturday was a beautiful, sunny, and warm day.
Blockage monitor is all fixed. You can see that all 8 of the main runs are working. Thanks, Brian!
We had a wonderful Mothers’ Day. In the evening, we gathered at our church, Wheatland Christian Church, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding. According the records, a group of believers met in the home of Jemimah Ridgeway on May 11, 1875 to organize and establish a new congregation. They met in houses of members for 13 years, until in 1888, a white frame church building was built. That building was upgraded in 1925 with red brick veneer and ornate stained-glass windows. Later, in 1976, that same building was enlarged with the addition of a fellowship hall. In 2002, in an effort to grow, it was determined that it was not feasible to enlarge the facility at its location. The congregation voted to move to a new location and build a larger and more functional building. That building opened on June 15, 2003 to much excitement and enthusiasm. Those lovely, now 100-year-old, stained glass windows were moved into the new building. Plus, the old building was sold to the Wesleyan congregation in town, and they moved in on the same Sunday we moved out of it! That building, with its beginnings in 1888, is still in service today.
The anniversary celebration was well-attended, even on the evening of Mothers Day. We had a wonderful meal together, and afterwards, gathered in the main room of the church to sing old hymns of the 1875-era. Our oldest member (87 yo) gave her memories of her Sunday School teachers, and the preachers she recalled. She reported on her observations of how the church had changed over the years. Others spoke of their memories. My sister Sheila came all the way across the state from SEIN and she spoke, too, of how she had been affected by the ministry of WCC in her growing-up years. It was a sweet, sweet evening of fellowship, sharing memories, and praise for all God had done to keep our church going… for 150 years now!
I hope you had a wonderful Mothers’ Day. If you still have your mom around, I hope you made her feel special. For those of us who have to remember mom, those memories grow more precious as the years go by.
Have a great week.
