Yes, we are months away from the harvest, however a farmer plants the seeds in anticipation... Forever an optimist... And all farmers know that they do not hold the outcome completely in their hands. Why even one wonders how a farmer can really be a complete atheist!

These photos were taken in the late 1950's. My dad and a couple of his nephews shocking wheat on a hot summer day and my mom taking and lending a hand while the guys took a quick break to enjoy a cold drink that Mother brought to quench their thirst. "Shocking" was the process of standing the bundles/sheaves in just the right pattern to protect the heads of wheat until threshing. It also allowed more time for the kernels to completely ripen and the straw to dry.

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All across our region, Farmers are anticipating the harvest... And planting season is a sure sign of that. While we continue to be desperately dry and the drought seems to gain strength, we will plant, and we will pray. And when I question the intelligence of planting seed in dry ground... I will recall what my dad told me, "Well son, my dad always said that the seed won't grow in the bin."

And now, I am sure you won't have to wonder long at the wisdom and insight I share with the next generation of Reinholds on the Lonetree.