These are a couple of my brother's beaves - I love that word. It used be be in common usage out in Kansas 100 years ago. Don't know about now but I've taken to using it. My brothers property is an old homestead that sat abandoned for years. He and his wife built a new house, a couple of pole barns and repaired one of the old stone buildings that was part of the original homestead. In addition to the beaves, he raises sheep and a few chickens. It's a really nice small farm/ranch on the edge of the Flint Hills, so the ground is rocky but rolling and very scenic. This was our first trip out to see him since he moved out that way and the farm was pretty much what I figured it would be from out conversations at holidays and the pictures he had shown me. That is, functional but still needing some things. The important stuff has been taken care of but some of the cosmetic things still need a little tending. Basically, just what one expects from a working grain and livestock operation run by a guy who routinely puts in long hours at his day job. He recently cut back from his university position to only three days per week which will free up the time for him to see his master plan to fruition.
On our last trip to Kansas, the wife and I followed the Santa Fe Trail west and I was reading the book Prairie Eryth by William Least Heat Moon while traveling. In the book he comments on the old tires hanging from fence posts that you occasionally see out there. When we crossed into Kansas I mentioned to the Missus that I hadn't seen a tire yet. However, when my brother and I went to the sale barn with some sheep, sure enough, not only was there a tire but a five gallon bucket to boot. The trip wouldn't have been complete without one.
That's my brother trying to make hay while the sun was shining - something that was pretty rare while we were out there (In fact, they had just had some snow a couple of weeks previously). He bought a round baler while we were out there. I was hoping to see it's maiden voyage but the weather didn't cooperate. He did custom baling when he was young and I used to help him out. Because it was his equipment, he always drove the tractor and ran the baler but I made enough money stacking bales to buy my first motorcycle. The round baler will ease the labor requirement for him so he can utilize his time more efficiently. All part of the master plan.
My brother has been involved in agriculture all his life. He farmed when he was in high school, became an agronomist, and has kept the dream of having his own farm even though he has had a very successful career in academia. Most people who dream of farming look at it as a very romantic vocation. Working the fields, tending crops and animals, raising a garden, picking fruit from your own orchard. It's romantic. But it's also hard work. From my way of looking at it, I'd say it's about 90% hard work and only about 10% romance. But I guess that's why I'm a welder, not a farmer. My brother, on the other hand, he's happiest running the tractor or tending his flock, regardless of the physical labor, the long hours involved, or the vagaries of the weather. Now that he's semi-retired, he'll be able to really enjoy the fruits of his labor and continue to follow his farming dream.
I need to say a word here about my sister-in-law before closing. My brother didn't do all of this on his own. He and his wife have been married for 45 years and like most couples, started with nothing and worked together as a team to get where they are today. Knowing that I'm now a vegan, she made sure I was going to get fed and even found a place that makes vegan pizza prior to our coming out. "Behind every good man there's usually a better woman."
Thanks to them both for their hospitality. It was nice being able to spend some time other than the rush, rush of a holiday visit.
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