Here I am out of the rain cooking breakfast for my people here. Got a fire going in the woodstove to take the chill off. Got strong coffee going and bacon afrying. Folks starting to stir.
But really thinking of our dear friend in the heartland who is deep in the corn harvest. That is Pilgrim Farmer John who has been very faithful at sending in tremendous comments to this blog. They are tremendous because they are one energetic, two soulful and three challenging. So we like John and his talk.
Now, he is deep in an important part of his and his family’s livelihood, the corn harvest. There is a combination of plant disease and wind that is working against him. The stalks are weakened so they are falling over before the ears can be picked. I don’t know the details but it sounds like a nightmare. We pray that he works his way through this gracefully. Or that he works his way through it period.
Of course being a Marine, which John and I share, is helpful in these situations. Just yesterday I was talking with one of my Marine buddies that I saw on the ferry and hadn’t seen for a year or so. I was describing my relationship with my cancer and we were laughing the way guys joke their way through things. The end result, our conclusion, is that why Marines do so well in dire situations is that we are just too dumb to grasp we are in trouble. So we just fight our way through it unburdened by a fearful brain and get to the end and say, “What’s the problem?” I think that it might be that easy. Sure John will have something to say about this when he surfaces, stay tuned.
Prayers for John and his crew in the heartland. OK, off to today’s adventures here, best to you, love, Felipe.
I may never meet Pilgrim Farmer John but I sure like him and his talk too. Makes me grin. Am working out some extra effective prayers for him and his harvest. Lit the candle on the porch this morning for you all.
J~ Gracias dear one. Prayers all around. Felipe.
Amigo, Compadre, Fellow Grunt, etc!
Wow, what a shot in the arm your blog was today! This old Gyrene needed it too. More than once today as I yet again lost my way thru the wilderness that is supposed to be my corn field, I said to myself, “Self, I need a few prayers for this crap”. And, Wah Laaa! When I come in for a quick bite for supper (cold pizza is good any time of day), there’s my “prayer partner”, PFFelipe, stirring up the broad band to God on my behalf. Truly appreciated any day Felipe, but especially so today.
Commenting to your old Marine side kick you probably both remember the DI’s chastising us to make our columns look like “rows of corn”, as in perfectly parallel and even and unwavering. I’ll have to send some pix to the DI School in old San Diego and show them just how screwed up “rows of corn” can be given the wrong set of circumstances.
Bless you amigo, for praying for my small problems when you’ve got a ton of big ones on your shoulders. Sincere promise here that You and I are going to share a brew or two somewhere in the not so far distant future and let the good times roll. Your buddy was right, we Corps Brothers just aren’t sharp enough to know when we’re in a lot of trouble til it’s over, and by then, the trouble doesn’t look so bad.
Love you Man,
SF,
PFJ
PFJ ~ trust you are navigating through the harvest as best as possible. My duty here these last few days is hosting my oldest friend and his wife just in from Buffalo, NY. Hikes, a picnic, restaurant dinners, archery practice, conversation; tough stuff. And they are fresh ears for my millions of Camino stories.
How long will it take to untangle the harvest situation? How extensive is the damage to your neighbor’s crops? Ages ago I worked for a farmer who came here to Vashon from the big sky of Alberta. Here he got involved with growing apples and cherries. The farm had a construction company to supplement their income and I worked for them learning how to bend nails. Anyway I remember making the mistake of asking Robert if he ever went to Vegas or Reno to play the games there. Yea, this precipitated an informative lecture which boiled down to how agriculture was one big gamble in the first place and he didn’t see the reason to drive anywhere to get further kicks. Right, can you picture it?
OK, off to the races here. Talk to you soon, Felipe.