Country Roads

The country roads are busy as wheat harvest is underway. Like all harvests, the farmers are anxiously getting to reap their rewards for all their efforts and costs of planting their crops. Though wheat harvest isn't like it used to be, it still is an exciting time. With the larger combines, semi trucks and tractor-pulled grain carts, harvesting moves much faster these days. There isn't as much wheat planted as there used to be. The crops most planted in recent years are corn and soybeans.

Thoughts of wheat harvest in the past brings back memories of my father, Gerald Boyles, who not only farmed in Jewell County, but he also did custom wheat harvesting. After getting his feed and milo planted, and putting up his hay, the excitement grew as calls began to come in from his customers in southern Kansas, telling him of the wheat conditions and their thoughts about the fast approaching harvest. Dad had a hired young man from the local high school coming to help him as soon as school was out, and they would make plans for the custom wheat harvesting. My sisters and I knew what preparing for the custom wheat harvest meant and understood Dad would have his hands full getting the combine, truck and pick up ready. From sun up until well past sun down, Dad and his hired guy would work away. It became panic time the day before they would leave.

Our big driveway became the main hub and the sides of the truck bed removed and the hoist raised. Dad would carefully drive the combine upon the truck bed. The header stayed on the combine and the hired guy stood next to the truck cab, giving Dad the signals. My sisters and I were warned to stay a distance from the loading area. We followed the orders but stood where we could watch the action. Mother was busy getting all of Dad's clothes marked with his name so they would not get mixed up with those others going on the harvest run. Clothes, tools and the fuel barrel were loaded into the pickup. The combine was checked and double checked to make sure it was securely fastened down on the truck bed. The last thing loaded into the pickup was Dad's guitar and amplifier.

The Jeffery brothers and their crew would also be going to work with Dad in cutting the southern Kansas wheat. Their main customers were friends of the Jeffery family and that family down south would be preparing for the custom cutters and their crew. On Sunday, no cutting was done. All attended a local church there. Since the Jefferys were well known singers and so was Dad, they were expected to share the special music each Sunday.

Back home, we missed Dad but it kept us busy checking on the cattle. Mother also monitored the fall crops, reporting to Dad whenever he'd get free time to call home.

It was such a memorable time for the Jeffery family and Dad. When it was rainy there and they couldn't cut wheat, they would travel to the nearest larger town to get malts, dine out and do some sight-seeing. Those trips and custom harvesting incidents, would become favorite harvest stories told over and over again. My family and the Jeffery family well remember those harvest stories. They were repeated many times and always brought laughs. Those stories lasted well into their retirement years. I wish I had recorded the stories as they told them, but most of them are still ringing in their family members' minds.

Friendships made through custom harvesting years have lasted for years and those stories have been shared over and over again. The last of the oldest generation of those custom harvesters recently died and his celebration of life ceremony was Tuesday. I imagine they are joining up in heaven and sharing harvest stories, along with all hymns they sang together.