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Letter to Dave

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Dear Dave,

If I drift off or lose focus during this letter, I’m just working my
way through some recent head trauma; nothing to worry about. I’ll
write more on that topic as soon as I remember what I was going to
tell you.

I was recently elected to a position as Supervisor for the Soil and
Water Conservation District. I attended my first meeting in January
and really enjoyed it. It is hard to comment on the position yet as I
am really just learning that which it is I have opened myself to
election.
The Supervisor position was a task that played into my
interests as I like the benefits of having water and prefer it to be
clean and taste good. I have already received the commission of
secretary on the board. I don’t plan to be a secretary as in
“Secretary of State” but rather more like the secretary who just
looks pretty and listens intently. I think I may eventually be of
some use to my fellow man at this position, Dave.

Oh yeah, the head trauma, now I remember. Dave, I was recently using
the pick-up and plow to move snow in our yard and driveway. I was in
a hurry and close to complete when I backed the truck into a tree. I
move fast when I plow and this was no exception. I ran my head
through the rear windshield of the cab and destroyed the glass. I
also did the bumper no great favor as it and the windshield had to be
replaced. I have a large and solid head and which was amazingly
useful as a
wrecking ball and the reality is I suffered no great harm, except I
can’t play the violin anymore. I also obsessively scratch behind my
own ears whenever Lisa runs the microwave which I’m sure will pass.
My neck and shoulders really bore most
of the injury and I am still stiff. Lisa suggested I wear a bike
helmet when I plow snow from now on. Lisa is always so casual about
things and when I came in from plowing that night to announce my
accident, she simply said “oh, I was wondering what that exploding
sound was.” I suspect the lower tones of the explosive sound were the
meeting of truck and tree however the middle tones most likely were
my brain softly gushing up against the inside of my cranium. Anyway,
I am okay except I cannot currently remember your name, uh brother.

Our nephew Jamie just recently participated in the repair and tie-in
of the Enbridge pipeline, Dave. The pipeline passes under the Red
Lake River south
of Thief River Falls. The massive amount of men, machines and money
it took to complete this task makes me thankful there are men willing
to
work hard, machines to help them and someone willing to spend the
money. I like driving my pick-up and enjoy the warmth of forced-air
heat derived from petroleum products, so I would like to thanks the
folks who make the pipeline work. I always get a kick out of people
who like to berate the pipeline and wrap themselves in the cloak of
being an “environmentalist” yet they are driving the same vehicle as
I do and have an LP tank sitting out in their yard, same as me.

You’re little bro’

Letter to Dave

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Dear Dave,

We’ve spoke of how I use predator flies to reduce the population of
horn flies on our cattle. The company I purchase them from bases the
frequency of shipments and number of predators on seasonal weather
conditions. I have said the last few years that when I get my last
shipment of fly predators, then summer is complete. I received that
shipment about two weeks ago.

I have spent the last few weeks participating in the most focused
harvest in North America, sugar beets. Actually we were only in
pre-pile mode but the beets look fantastic. I think area farmers are
going to be stressed this year as never before as so many crops will
need harvesting at the same time. However, this stress will be
rewarded with good prices. We fill up the concrete pads at the local
stations with sugar beets and a few days later, they are gone. It is
really such a huge process but is so efficiently run. I like being
part of the process and feel like I’ve earned the sugar I use and the
beet pulp we occasionally give the cattle.

On to world events, Dave. The death of four Americans at the
consulate in Lybia recently was a tragedy. Warnings of travel to this
country are prevalent on the television and so I’m sure we will soon
hear of young college students hiking across Lybia in an attempt to
find themselves. Most people “find themselves” as they live and work
to become a productive part of society. There exist a few who seem to
have the means (or their parent’s means) to find themselves in
indulgent and often dangerous ways. I suspect we will soon see young
adventurers who have gone for a freedom walk and “found themselves”
in a Lybian jail and now need United States resources to get back
home. You know, the resources we all created while we “found
ourselves” at jobs too demeaning and low-paying to pass the sniff
test for the young and arrogant.

Dave, I will soon have the cattle sorting pen and crowding tub
completed. Bryan Steiger built me a palpation cage for the cattle
chute too so this will soon be quite a system. I would say the
difference between my system and most commercial models is that mine
is brown. Brown wood, brown poles and old brown gates; bright red,
yellow and green powder-coated metal was just a bit too expensive for
me. The crowning touch will be the grain bin I plan to use for a
crowding tub. I am to the farming world what the 1970′s Oakland
Raiders were to professional football; a group of misfits. I take the
stuff left behind, damaged or otherwise unusable and use hard work to
make it something of worth. It is a task of which I feel great and
unabashed pride, Dave.

I heard you now have an assistant at Case/IH in Carrington, North
Dakota. I hear that she is tough and organized. I also have heard she
is your daughter, Sara. Considering Sara’s education and work
experience, I must say you did well. Now the three of us can get
breakfast next time I pass through town.

We are remodeling again and Jamie Miramontes and Nate Kolden as here
set to destroy and then create. I like them both and it is nice to
have a little youthful enthusiasm and energy around the place. They
both possess a attention to detail and good character that makes me
think they “found themselves” doing the tough things in life instead
of during hikes across a no man’s land.

Tell everyone hello and I hope your new assistant isn’t too demanding.

You’re little bro’

Letter to Dave

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Dear Dave,

Most county fairs have completed their run, vacation bible school has
begun and I just brought the first steers in for processing-summer is
over. Perhaps summer is not completely done, however it was taken a
turn and headed for the barn.

Dave, I hope harvest has gone well out in Carrington, North Dakota
and that the drought left something to harvest. We have received some
timely rain at home near St Hilaire, Minnesota but there is little margin for error right now. Small grains have largely been harvested but the corn and soybeans are
still in doubt. Anyone can talk about the weather, let’s try
something different.

Lisa and I have been watching the Olympics with some interest. There
has been such a focus this year on the athletes’ reaction to
receiving silver or bronze medals instead of gold. Often times, these
athletes are disappointed in their failure to win a gold medal and
the announcers are so surprised at their reaction. I like it when
people are a little disappointed when they aren’t number one. We live
in such a non-competitive, green participant ribbon sort of culture
that it’s good to see some people who still expect the best from
themselves. Honestly, our culture will not survive if we find comfort
in mediocrity. It’s good to have world-class athletes who remind us
that to strive for excellence is good work.

I had a quick adventure yesterday, Dave. I hauled some culverts from
Downer, Minnesota. I purchased the culverts from Randy Bjornson. I
arrived at eight that morning but Randy and I hit it off and talked
until ten. He is a small farmer who is playing in the rather large
coliseum of agriculture economics, like me. I ran down State Highway
9 which is kind of a forgotten as it sits in the shadow between
Highway 75 and 32. It was a nice drive and I saw some area of the
country I never see. Downer has an old potato warehouse which has
been converted to a bar and convenience store-rugged but unique. I
got coffee for a buck so it was all good to me.

No letter is complete without some farm talk. It is said there is
land for buying and land for selling-most of the fields I see lately
are made of selling land. It is for this reason that I always try to
get as much as I can from the land we already own. I recently opened
a lane through the woods and fenced in some trees for extra cattle
shade. I love building fence-it is a pleasure twice over, once to
build and once to view. In the interest of efficiency I have just
begun research on growing sprouts hydroponically. This sounds like an
expensive way to produce cattle food until you consider the price of
hay. Also the multiplication of a few pounds of barley seed by five
times in one week is reason enough to at least read a few pamphlets
and make some phone calls.

Times always passes quickly when I right you letters, Dave; and
today’s time has now passed.
Tell all hello.

You’re little bro’

Letter to Dave

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Dear Dave,

 

 

If I trail off and leave only zzzzz’s in the middle of a sentence it is because today was the first full day of the sugar beet harvest. Beet harvest is as close as I can come to a good reason to get out of bed at 1:45 in the morning, however there exists no truly good reason to commit this sleep crime.

 

During the harvest, I must always align my truck with a pipe that hangs from the conveyer which loads the sugar beets into my truck. That pipe is my whole world until harvest reaches a conclusion. I will try to find it in the dark and in the glare of mid-day sun and try to never lose track of it’s relationship to me.

 

I work for R and R Farms near Warren, Minnesota. They have already completed all other harvests which means there’s lots of hands to help. It is a good thing because most people who use their vacation time for harvest plan for the first two weeks of October. I’ve heard that some folks have to go back to their regular jobs as we have typically finished harvest by now-and it’s really our first day, Dave.

 

It was nice seeing you and Mary for the wedding of our nephew, Derik Nelson. He and Nan created a sincere and happy day in which we could all participate. Lisa and I spent a few days in October watching Ana Hibbert and Adam Tongen find the bliss of sharing a same last name. Lisa and I have joked with Ana’s mom that we should receive a goat as payment for introducing Ana and Adam. The joke was on us at the groom’s supper when payment was presented in all it’s furry and cloven-hooved glory. I felt an immediate sense of dread brought on by the thought of goat-parenthood but soon realized this an event created only in an effort to demonstrate how my face appeared when I felt my world was coming to an end. The goat went home to it’s owner and next time we play cupid we’ll just ask for an invitation to the wedding or a simple hand shake.

 

Harvest is soon done around here, Dave. Some of the corn has been combined although I believe many await the corn to shed some moisture so they can avoid the expense of extensive drying. Our nephew, Jamie, has been trying to combine sunflowers and I haven’t seen standing beans for at least a week. Our farmers are now participating in a favorite fall sport-ditching their fields. There’s also more drain tile being plowed into the ground, I suspect people are trying to get more production from the land they own as opposed to purchasing increasingly-costly crop land. I’ve heard some crazy land prices in our area recently, I hope those prices are based on a something other than the sweet emotion of the last decade’s commodity prices. I remember the late seventies/early eighties and all the long faces when prices fell and they had to give back all of that high-priced and highly-leveraged land.

 

Wow, I’m a bummer. I’m sure everything will be fine. (that tune you hear is whistling in the dark)

 

you’re little bro

Letter to Dave

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Dear Dave,

I’d like to express my feelings for what currently occupies the
recycle bin of my computer-current affairs that deserve to leave
nothing of themselves except a streak in the toilet bowl. First off
would be the people who complain when Hurricane warnings precede a
storm that isn’t as bad as initially thought. Any Hurricane is
something like the finger of God in strength. If that finger had a
little arthritis this time and was not as strong as predicted, then
be thankful: perhaps the next warning will save your life. Another
fantastic candidate for a good flush is the defense in a local murder
trial in which they allege fear of police is a mitigating factor in
shooting a police officer three times. People don’t fear the police;
they fear justice. It’s like when you’re a child-fear of parental
discipline is the road you walk until you arrive at a place where
you’ve matured and start doing right based on your own good
character. You don’t get to punch mom and dad for making you do right
and you can’t shoot cops who enforce the law that we create. If we
allow the criminal to decide how much justice he or she will accept
then justice will wither and die.

Enough of that, let’s talk weather, Dave. Your recent report is that
Carrington, North Dakota has received approximately 25 inches of
rain in August while other areas close by have right around that
amount. This excess has made your harvest very difficult as evidenced
by local farmers removing tires from their combines and replacing
them with tracks. You explained to me the reason for this is that
tracks exert about ¼ the force on muddy ground as do 20.8 x 42 duals.
Dave, I’m glad you and Erickson Implement were able to help farmers
in central North Dakota by being a major supplier of combine tracks.
The last statistics show you’ve sold 17 sets of tracks while others
suppliers in the area have a combined total of 38 tracks sold at a
price of 59,000 to 70,000. It’s just nice that commodity prices are
high enough to justify extreme harvesting. We are dealing with
water’s excess around here too. There is a large drainage project on
a half section near our farm right now. I have been riding the
‘wheeler down to watch construction but am following our dad’s law in
that I am not getting in the way.

I had a little company this week, Dave. Mark Hayek from NRCS and Tim
Szymanski stopped by for a pasture walk and some cattle talk. I often
feel like I am a Martian among Earthlings when I speak of “grass fed”
or “grass-finished” beef cattle. It was nice to have a couple of guys
visit who speak my brogue. The visit really lit a fire under me as
there are certain techniques such as bale grazing which I’ve wanted
to try and I just needed a little encouragement. The visit really
helped me decide to go for it; it’s sometimes like I already possess
the golden egg but just need a little boost to hatch it.

Anyway, we had three inches of rain here last night so I feel the
pain of rain. I hope your harvest wraps up successfully and you sell
lots of tracks.

Your little bro’

Letter to Dave

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Dear Dave,

I am embattled and tired, but still I stand. Dave, I wish I had some experience to back up that dramatic opening but it’s really just another summer for me. Lots of projects, lots of rain and lots of repairs.

You probably read about my time in the hell and the mud of our own yard. Maybe we shouldn’t have started digging in water pipe that day, but we did and it was a mess. I need someone to needlepoint a doily with the phrase, “never dig when it’s threatening rain.” Although if a person is going spend their life waiting for perfect conditions, you will spend your life-waiting. Another nice project for someone would be a picture of me stuck two feet deep in mud, also captioned, with, “discretion is the better part of valor.” I believe we will finish that project this week, successfully, so maybe time will cover these memories; check with me this winter.

I heard you had some rain the last few week’s, Dave. I know that is an understatement but victims of mother nature need to play-down the importance of her hurtful actions to limit the hurt; perhaps we should have an intervention for this old girl. We could tell her that her actions have affected us negatively and that if her conduct does not improve she will no longer be welcome in our lives. The wheat seems to have survived several inches of rain, however the soybeans look a little peaked. Most of the farmers around here are already spraying deep ruts into their fields as there is no choice but to act when the sun shines.

I like to do a little work after supper, Dave. I recently did a little repair work on the cattle waterer well after dark. Lloyd Noreen always told me to limit my work after nightfall as that is when you break things and get hurt (gotta get that in needlepoint too.) I completed a little work one night that required me to shut off the unit that powers our cattle fence. After completion, I should have turned it back on; I guess I was too focused on sleep to remember fencers don’t work when not plugged into an electrical socket. Two days later, Lisa and a little steer were out on the road having a conversation about respecting boundaries and how the steer must respect his. It was easy to put him back inside the fence but that is not the point. Here’s the thing; I build good fence because I believe strong fences make good neighbors. Twice I have left the fencer unplugged this spring and twice my fences have lacked strength which is really embarrassing. I hope I am still a good neighbor.

That John Deere skid steer I brought home has worked out nicely for us. I know it is the wrong brand but I put that Case/IH sticker you gave me on the side of it which really dressed it up. The lovely field of green against the white Case/IH letters creates an uncomfortable romance that would rival that of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet.

Dave, I am sending my letter in a bit last today because I had to clean the mud from my hands that indicates a finished project. Larry Kruse (Kruse Backhoe-St Hilaire, Mn) was over this morning with his grandson and together we finished our cattle well project. I love it when a plan comes together.

You’re little bro

Letter to Dave

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Dear Dave,

Last week I wrote about our trip to see you which happened on a Monday. I couldn’t get enough of North Dakota in one sitting so I came back alone on Friday. I have been seeking out a skid steer loader for a awhile and Friday’s trip was in that pursuit. The end of my story found me in Bismarck, North Dakota with a relic of the seventies strapped to a trailer behind my pick-up; a John Deere skid loader. This letter will serve as that story’s prequel.

I left at three-thirty Friday morning bound for the wilderness. I love North Dakota, however the intelligence of me rolling through the darkness in my old, rusty pick-up on roads last traveled by Conestoga wagon could be questioned. North Dakota has the sort of distance between outposts that makes for good neighbors. I would guess no one cares how loud the neighbor’s car or music is as the geography and population density of North Dakota makes for an asset even greater than the Bakken oil formation; privacy.

One of my stops along the way was Cooperstown, North Dakota. Mark Allen is a local radio announcer who grew up near Cooperstown which makes him Cooperstown’s favorite son and greatest celebrity. I took a quick tour of the town to find that there is; a Mark Allen Boulevard, a Mark Allen elementary school, a St Mark’s hospital and that, although all the churches have regular names, they are all of the Mark Allen synod. There is also a large billboard with Mark Allen’s face on it which is nice except the eyes follow you wherever you go which is kind of creepy. The truth is, Dave, none of what I wrote about Mark is the truth-except I am sure Cooperstown is proud of him. Mark and I went to Broadcasting school together here in Thief RIver Falls, Mn. I like to tease him about the irony of how he started from humble beginnings but now has risen to become a high-level politician in Middle River and beloved announcer at KTRF radio.

Our breakfast together was real nice, I especially liked that you paid for it. I like to keep my overhead low and had packed cold hamburgers on buns for the trip but a huge breakfast made most of the burgers irrelevant. It’s always nice to get a little one on one time with you, Dave. I like to visit you at the shop but typically I have to get in line with the three mechanics and four farmers outside the door to your office, which is understandable.

After I left Carrington, I arrived is Bismarck 2 ½ hours and 3 wayside rests later. Give my compliments to the Governor as North Dakota really makes up for the lack of convenience store bathrooms with some of the nicest interstate rest stops I‘ve ever seen. I bought the skid steer, loaded it then received a tour of the little ranchette where the loader had spent the last fifteen years of its life from its former owner.

It took longer to get home loaded than my trip that morning but I stopped by your work on the way home. I know it was your greatest shame to not only have a piece of John Deere equipment on the Case/IH lot but to have that equipment introduced by a family member. I noticed you didn’t leave your office to look at it for fear someone would see “Mr Case/IH” standing next to something green. We did use the Case/IH can coozies you gave me to keep the beer cold the following Saturday night so I hope that makes things right.

Your little bro’