We were going to test the corn again today.  By that I mean we would gather three ears of corn from each corn field, keeping them in separate buckets, bring them in and shell the kernels off the cobs into their bucket, then run (each bucket separately) through the corn moisture meter tester.   If the moisture content was low enough, Terry would then take the three buckets down to the elevator and have THEM test each bucket.  (Remember each bucket represents each field).

It doesn’t NOT matter what your moisture tester says, it only matters what their moisture tester says.  They buy and store and sell the corn so they know what they want in their silos.  We have our moisture tester set to match theirs, but we are always erring on the side of caution.  To combine a huge load of corn and have it turned away would be not be a very good thing.

Anyway, that is what we were GOING to do.  But not anymore.

It’s snowing again. Snow is a good thing for January.  Something we have prayed for in the past, enjoyed when it was here, and just plain understood, that is winter after all.

Until this year…until this very strange year when the corn doesn’t dry down in a normal way and is harvested by late November and/or early December.  This year we are eagerly waiting for the snow to dry off (or fall off) the corn shucks; then we go out and hand check the shucks for dryness.   If everything is looking just right we get our buckets set up for the next day…and wake-up to more snow.

So for now we wait.  Even if the corn is dry enough, the shucks are not, maybe next week.  Only time will tell.

As I was hauling in wood to fill the wood stove this morning, Terry was standing at the back door looking out, “Snow,” he mumbles. ” Well, I guess it is January.” Turning around he headed to his spot on the sofa, feet stretched out toward the wood stove; matching Boomer’s four paws toasting on his side of the wood stove.  “I guess we wait some more.”

I guess so.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda