By late afternoon, we heard a John Deere harvester working its way across the field. It is an unmistakable drone as it chews the corn, separates and blows the debris back onto the ground. This picture (above) was taken from our living room window.
At this time, the sunny and breezy day (high of 63) had begun to deteriorate and clouds began to blanket the sky.
And yet with the field half picked, the sun broke through and lit the scene a pretty burnished gold. This view is also facing east and shows the old Shell farm seemingly buried in the corn. There were three behemoths working the harvest: two harvesters and one bin.
The harvester, by the way, had a large revolving wheel on the front, which seemed to pick up the blown-down corn and deliver it to the machine. Much of this field was toppled by the winds of September and I expected much of it impossible to pick.
This shot was taken through a second floor window as a harvester passed the house.
And this shot - they are certainly not in order - is as the same harvester approached from the south, clouds of dust filling the air.
This is also a good view of our poor catalpa trees, trimmed by electrical line crews to keep them out of the power lines. They are a little contorted by the sheering which gave no emphasis on aesthetics, only on utility. But we appreciate the work just the same and hope the winter winds will not disrupt our power.
But last night, for some of the Miami Valley, that's what happened. As a cold front passed late in the evening, power was lost to thousands of homes, particularly east of here. Our warm day yesterday has been replaced by one where the temperature hovers in the upper 30's and a few snow flakes have been reported. The National Weather Service reported a gust to 45 mph, reminiscent of the remnants of Hurricane Ike a month and a half ago.
And so the harvest is now completed. The fields around us are stark and empty. There is nothing left to do now but wait for the snow.
