I've created this blog to, as the title says, ramble on about things that interest me.  And there's plenty in this life that interests me.

The world around me interests me.  I live in a small rural community surrounded by corn and bean fields and in this area of central Illinois you really see the change of seasons, driven home by the farming process, planting season, growing season, and harvest season followed by the winter months of barren fields.  I find it all beautiful in it's own way.

Spring reminds me of getting ready for a race but this one is with Mother Nature.  Watching the farmers scurrying around prepping the fields and getting ready to plant.  Then all the machinery moving on the local roads going from field to field to get the seeds in.  Is it too wet, is it to dry, will this get in before the next storm coming across the plains.

The soil right around here is extremely good and in recent years the crops have been good.  It's amazing to watch how fast the corn grows.  Remember the old adage "when the corn is knee-high by the 4th of July?"  Around here the corn is usually over 5 feet tall by the 4th of July.

Right now, early September, the corn is starting to dry out, turning from the rich green color to a dry yellow and most likely in about three or four weeks they will start picking depending on the moisture in the corn.  Once the harvest starts it's like the end of a race.  You'll see two combines  working a field with, in some cases, semis driving along side the combine and corn being transferred as they continue down the field.  It's an awesome sight.

It's going to be a while before they get into the fields to begin harvest but here's a pic from a couple of years ago.

I'll continue rambling another time.