Continuing The Harvest... Very Very Slowly...

Got another four days in I think... We were whistling along gettin' it done... the ground was drying so we could really pile the beets... and then yesterday morning it snowed.

First it was rain, so we waited... then it immediately went too hot to pile, so we shut down early... then more rain and more waiting... and now it snows. This is turning out to be the toughest Harvest of the bunch.

Was only supposed to be cold and some showers... A dusting we can work around... but when it just kept on we had no choice but to pull the plug. When the trucks can't turn away from the pilers... and start getting stuck even trying to pull up into them it's not a good situation.

Even if it IS sugar for Grey Goose Vodka and Hershey Chocolate! ;) it ain't worth getting somebody tore up over it.

Only put down maybe an inch, but it was wet heavy slop. You mix that with this gumbo clay and it'll stop equipment cold... and it shore enough did.

Slip slidin' away was pretty much the deal.

So now we've sat another day and a half. Got so cold last night the surface froze which makes it hard to dry up very well. Since it didn't warm much today.

They'll let us know in another couple hours if it's dried off enough to go back to work in the morning. I'm hoping.

It has for sure taught me, even if I am busted up a good bit... I ain't quite ready to take up the rockin' chair... The sitting is making me a bit stir crazy. I can only read for so long and then I need to get up and DO something... buuuuut... eastern Montana ain't exactly a tourist mecca. ;)

It's sure got me restless and dingy, but that fur ball that lives in my "house" is goin' stark raving bat shit crazy waitin' all day on me. At least the bad weather gives him a break so he can get out in the daylight for a couple of good runs.

The good part of it has been that this year we've worked the weekends which makes that O.T. pay. Though I'd rather just get it all done and get south. It's looking strongly like the forecast of an early and tough winter up here is going to work out to be fairly accurate.

*The Sidney Piling grounds with a coat of snow*

*The snow makes that hard right turn away from the Piler a tough go when it's slick*

*Ground crew building a snowman on my pipes*

Only a quarter done... so if anybody has an "In" with momma nature... whisper in her ear to give it a rest for a tad... ask her to pretend that global warming is real and let the weather soften for a few weeks... so we can get done and get Gone! ;)

...gonna go walk in a circle now... and let the dingy dog run bigger circles around me... to burn off some restless...

-Brian