I haven’t explained a building project for a bit and animals need shelter so this week’s column is obvious. We’re going to build a cat house.

First off, most of you will nod in agreement but to those who don’t, let me assure you of a fact; animals need shelter. There are some animals which tolerate cold better than others, however at some point they all will need shelter, food and water. The easier these necessities are to access then the more effective they will be in making your pet comfortable and healthy. I’ve told you this in the nicest way possible. The Bible states in Genesis that God put us in charge of the fish, birds and wild animals. Please do not be like the arrogant politician who believes that being in charge of something means others must answer to you. It means you must answer to others and carries great responsibility. You are in charge of your pet’s care.

Let’s build something, one of my favorite things to do. This project is a cat house but would serve a dog as well by increasing its size. I built our cat house for the strays who visit so it is located on our deck so we can easily feed them. The house is on caster wheels so that it may be rolled away to a shaded area in the summer. During the winter, I want as much sunshine as possible as the south facing wall of this house is Plexiglas. The sun shines through onto a small porch that is made of black padding to absorb as much heat as possible. The porch can then release heat into the house during the early evening. I built a small loft to take advantage of rising heat and to give our cats a place to perch. The main living room of the house is in the back and has an entry just large enough for cats to enter but small enough so that heat can exit only very slowly. The back room has a heated pad (which uses only 30 watts of electricity) and is insulated with foam board as is the ceiling throughout.

The outside of our cat house is made from recovered barn wood. I mercilessly caulked every seem to reduce drafts and covered the roof with old barn tin I’d recovered from the Viking Elevator before it was demolished. I found a roof cap under an old shed and used that too which kept my expenses to a minimum. Most of the materials for this project were sitting in or under a shed except for the Plexiglas and caulking. As in most cases, most of the benefits in comfort to our cats came from good ideas and good construction rather than money spent. One good idea is that there is only one entry door which is located opposite of the prevailing wind which seems to typically be from the northwest. This architectural element cost nothing but created much greater comfort.

There you have it, a good project that does good for others. I hope your pets spend their winter riding the couch like ours do, however good outdoor protection is a must for animals who spend time outdoors. It is your responsibility, it’s even in the Bible.

Dear Dave,

I just got back from letting the cats outside. Twitch has a new trick, he leads the other cats right to the threshold of the door and allows them to cross first after which he turns back inside so he can have the house to himself. They really are the closest thing we have to children around here with the exception of some of my more immature moments.

We have joined together for the world’s most intense harvest once again. The best truck drivers, the best harvester operators and some guys who no longer have a valid driver’s license to act as roto-beater operators (kidding guys-go back to sleep) have found their way to R and R Farms near Warren. We began with conditions that were just a bit dry and made fantastic progress; however in the Red River Valley, all you need do is dump out your water thermos to make conditions too slippery to harvest. We are soon through and I am waiting for a phone call to go back to work as I write this letter. My right shoulder does not ache as I no longer shift my truck because it has an Allison automatic transmission. I love my new truck and my only complaint is that the actual shifter is just a button. Larry Pederson and I both drive similar trucks and as such are suffering advanced arthritis in our index (I.e. button pushing) fingers which is known as George Jetson disease; thank goodness for worker’s compensation.

Dave, we are a family that likes a good project so I guess that makes us…projectionists? Anyway, I will soon finish my last task which will fulfill my obligations to the EQIP program through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The final project is an armored lane which will allow the cattle passage from yard to pasture in even the worst conditions to graze more often, which is the point of the program. Ray Kuznia was also out here last week and we pulled the pump house I built last winter out of the garage and place it on the concrete slab. Ray is Polish and I an Bohemian and, all ancestral stereotypes aside, I figured we didn’t stand a chance with this project. It went off without a hitch however, and Ray’s experience building houses made all the difference. I could have just watched from the house like when I was a little kid. I plan to go into greater detail about both of these projects in later columns which should create a boredom storm of biblical proportions amongst my readers, so stay tuned.

Dad said he talked to you last week and that farmers out in Carrington still have harvest left to complete. Just like us, lots of beans left and snow on the way. It looks like we’ll get a little heat this week-end so maybe that will open the harvest window a bit more. I’m sure you’re at work most of the time putting out the mechanical fires that occur when farm machinery has to prove itself in poor conditions. I hope the wife and kinder are doing well and that, with winter’s arrival, you will soon have more time for home and less for work.

You’re little bro’

I have explained the basics of the sugar beet harvest many times of the last few years. I’m sure you get it: dig out the beet, place it in truck, transport to piler and repeat. I thought this year, I would just hit the highlights and organize them into five acts.

@

Act I; A Harvest of Irony

We are so fortunate this year to be using trucks with automatic transmissions. I was cooing about this fact on the radio when fellow employee Gary Jenkins grumbled about there being no need for this little convenience. Today, I heard Mike Rosendahl tell Gary that he would enter Global Positional Satellite coordinates into the tractor Gary uses to chisel plow. What this means is that Gary will not have to pick a course for his tractor, that his tractor would now steer itself and Gary need only concern himself with a favorite magazine while this modern convenience performs much of the work. Now, we mainly harvest sugar beets during this time of the year, but apparently, there is always time to harvest a little irony.

Act II; Is that a Girl?

Sugar beet harvest is pretty much a men’s club, without the more sordid features of such a club. This year, R and R Farms counts among it’s employ one female employee. Now let’s get this straight, Casey Francis drives truck. She’s not running around in shorts delivering parts or getting lunch (Ed Rosendahl does that,) rather she is driving a huge quad-axle truck and doing great. It’s no surprise, I’ve seen several women do very well in the field and they seem to break less equipment. Perhaps it’s because they more closely listen to the equipment they use and work within its limits. Anyway, Casey’s a nice lady and I’ve heard she makes good brownies, however the only one who can attest to this fact is Sam, Joe Pierces’ dog. Sam regularly patrols the shop which is where baked goods are stored and he is a little more aggressive at the trough than his human counterparts.

Act III; Sewing Circle

This year has been muddy. Red River Valley mud presents itself in a semi-cement form that adheres well to harvest equipment. Removing the mud is hard work but I like to pretend to help because we talk and it’s a little like sewing circle. We all work around a central point and converse while we chip the mud from the harvester. We curse at the mud during our sewing circle, and spit, sometimes. You know, it really isn’t like sewing circle; however we do talk.

Act IV; Look, an Illusion!

Waiting in line with the other trucks to dump your beets is boring. Like dehydrated men see water in the desert, men bored may see action in a desert of inactivity. Last week, someone saw a bear sitting out in a field about one-half mile away from the piler station near Warren. Actually, it was a large garbage bag posing as a bear but no one knew that at the time. Truckers stood outside their vehicles and snapped pictures with the cellular phone cameras and sent them out to friends. I keep expecting to receive one such picture in my email complete with exciting tale while I surf the internet. The afternoon of the bear, as it will surely be known, was finally brought to a climax when piler-boss, Tom Yutrzenka, formed a safari to either give death or courageously receive it. It was during this excursion that it was discovered that the bear was only an imposter and that bored truck drivers will believe almost anything.

Act V; Final

I broke my truck today. I felt like an idiot and that I’d let down the friends for whom I work. Ed Rosendahl should have been upset but instead saw how upset I was and-hugged me. Yeah, he hugged me. I later tried to apologize to Joe Pierce who told me “no bodily harm, no foul.” I work for good people. Finally, I want you to know that we are being careful on the roads and in the fields as no amount of sugar is worth a life. Please give the trucks a little extra room and stay away from the piler station unless you have business to do. It’s crowded and busy there and onlookers only serve to make it more so. I have to work at three this morning, so this will be the final act.

I have been watching a documentary this week on the Public Broadcasting System titled, “The National Parks; America’s Best Idea.” I hope you’ve been watching it with me as it is a tremendous program. Seeing the beautiful pictures and listening to the narration of this program really helped me to understand the origin of the parks and gain an appreciation for nature. It also reminded me of my own trip into the wild of a national park and how it effected me.

I’ve never traveled much until recently. I have documented the trips, of which I’ve been a part, right here in this column. The first long trip I ever took included Yellowstone National Park and it was fantastic. I’d never paid attention to our Nation’s network of parks until then and this was similar to being introduced to football at the Super Bowl. I was awestruck by this majestic wilderness.

We are fortunate to enjoy a park system like the on that exists in our nation. In most countries, the most beautiful land has been owned for decades by a royal family or the rich. In the United States, our most breathtaking sites are owned by the people, just what the world might expect from a democracy.

I think that beauty in nature reflects what we wish were, or perhaps it is a mirror of who we are truly. I am quite afraid of heights, however when we traveled the mountains leading into Yellowstone, I really manned up. I looked down the valleys from which we had recently climbed and felt full inside, and even a little less afraid. Our friend, Teresa, just about had to hold my hand to get me to do it, but I found courage inside me out there in the wild.

Historically, men and women both have gone into the wild to prove themselves. I don’t think people do that much today, they would rather prove themselves virtually in a video game or prove themselves deceitful in a world that more and more rewards cunning than character. I think if more people made themselves vulnerable by walking, climbing and working outdoors, they could find the good in themselves once covered by the skills of our modern world.

“The National Parks; America’s Best Idea” made it first run this week. However, I see it is being replayed on our satellite dish into next week so check your local listings. PBS typically runs documentaries like these a couple of times then offers them for sale on digital disk. The documentary covers naturalists like John Muir and has a good section on Theodore Roosevelt and the life he lead that inspired him to use the Antiquities Act to put meat on the bones of the national park system. The sights and sounds of the show will move you, maybe into a better place inside yourself or even better-into the wild.

I’ve always considered the season of fall to be the most honorable season. Fall is honest, sincere, open and friendly. This year’s weather has been strange, however I expected fall to come along and make everything right-it has not. The third season began this week and I bet you never even noticed.

Nature abhors a vacuum, it always seeks to fill the void. I think a disappointing spring and summer left a void that made us all wish for weather that would make us feel fulfilled and rewarded. The season of changing colors has always been pretty straightforward; fall brings cooling temperatures, sunny days, a period of miserable, cold, wet weather and then Indian summer. Fall always brings bad news that winter is on its way and that fall is just here to discuss the fact as nicely as it can and to cushion the blow. The fall of 2009 has instead arrived with sunshine and heat which foretells nothing of the cold and snow which will soon arrive. It is like a friend who has decided to simply smile and let you find out the bad news on your own.

I know the truth, fall is here. I was enjoying such a beautiful morning this week when I heard a familiar sound, the honking of geese. Geese flying south each season reminds us that seasons change. Most times, I see geese flying in an asymmetrical “v” that makes their direction seem a little vague. This flight of geese was of a perfect shape and sure of purpose, direction and the reason they were leaving; fall is here. Farmers know it too and you can see it in the intensity of their harvest. An inch of summer rain can evaporate quickly, however that same inch in September or October may still be here when the frost arrives. Combines and chisels plows are moving at speeds unprecedented as their operators know that time is short and the skies will soon turn heavy and blue. An unusually lighthearted fall may have some with their guard down, but the geese and farmers know better.

I don’t mean to make this fall seem malevolent. I am enjoying the bright sunshine and extra time to finish not just the projects of fall but also some I had saved for this winter. I have kept our cattle on pasture later than normal and have done a few extra tasks that normally would be kicked to the side of the road for lack of time. I am enjoying the nice weather, too.

I could quote you something like “gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” in order to make poignant the fact that time is short and that the season of fall, like life, will soon quickly pass. The truth is, somewhere deep in our minds, we already know time is short and most of us will simply choose to enjoy the extra sun and heat and not question what comes next. Maybe denial is there to protect us and this is just a real gift of time and place. I just wanted to remind you, in a sincere and honest way, always cushioning the blow of impending winter, that fall is here.

(picture is the replica of the Lighthouse tower built by Lisa's Uncle Ralph. -GN)

I was gone last week; gone from my regular spot in the Northern Watch and gone from home. We took our annual vacation last week and kept it pretty local as our destination was Two harbors, Minnesota. I’d hoped to write my column from the road, however it didn’t work out so this week I want to tell you about our vacation.

My reference to “we” includes; our friend Theresa Hibbert, Jeanette Walseth, Lisa and someone to listen-me (just kidding girls.) Our trip involved lots of stops at antique stores. We typically avoid gift shops or fancy antique stores which are set up with different themes. We like antique stores that teeter right on the brink of closure by the local department of health; those are the stores that house real bargains. I found a hay trolley for $25.00 at one such store which, to those few who collect hay trolleys, was quite a bargain.

We stayed at Lisa’s Aunt Rosemary’s place in Two Harbors. Rosemary delayed her own vacation to feed, room and entertain us. I had met few of her family prior to this trip and they were unique and good people. I really mad a connection with Lisa’s cousin Roger. You see, unknown to me, Roger owns a Unimog. The Unimog is a four wheel-drive truck built by Merced-Benz which reminds me of an over-grown Tonka truck. It is strong enough to perform the duties of a tractor, yet can drive at highway speeds. I have tried to justify the purchase of such a unit for myself but there is not enough beer in the world to make it make sense. I started talking to Roger one night and the discussion turned to the Unimog. Roger and I both had a real appreciation for things mechanical and heavy-duty diesel muscle. After our discussion, Roger went home for the night leaving his wife, Jenny, to visit. A few minutes later, Jenny received a call from Roger that I should be in front of the house in five minutes for my first Unimog ride. It was awesome. I thought the people of Two Harbors would be shocked by the sight of this post-nuclear, Mad Max beast, however they seemed used to it. Apparently, Roger doesn’t let just anyone co-pilot as his wife confided to their daughters, “wow, I guess daddy made a new friend tonight!”

Lisa’s Uncle, Ralph, also lives near Two Harbors. Ralph decided to give me the tour of this lovely lakeside community that you don’t see in the brochure. Ralph showed me the local airport, where to get decent coffee, a tour of his farm, his beautiful chickens and some of the older buildings in town. We also sat along Lake Superior and watched a massive barge load-up next to a hulking, steel pier. Taconite pellets are derived from rock that includes iron as an element and are used to make steel. These pellets have also been used as gravel in certain situations and Ralph was determined that I would take some home. He said that by giving each person I met a Taconite pellet that I would become popular. He made sure that along with beets from his garden and a model of the Lighthouse along Lake Superior which he builds for visiting tourists, that we took home a bag of these pellets. I soon plan to test out his theory on the Taconite/popularity connection soon. I liked riding around with Ralph and his tour took place far from the beaten path and was very similar to the one I’ve received from my brother, David, when visiting his home.

That’s just a little of our trip, sorry I missed you last week but the time off felt good. I am back home; both at our farm and here in my column.

Dear Dave,

@

Summer must truly be over, I just finished my last Popsicle. Lisa and I started buying these cheap little treats in June and it really reminded me of summers at home. I’ve cooled myself all summer with thrilling flavors such as Pina Colada, Berry or Lime; unfortunately I could only toast the end of summer with the old reliable “red” that still populated the bottom of the freezer. It was a little anticlimactic.

We started pre-pile sugar beet harvest this week. I was really excited to get started as the truck I was promised has an automatic transmission. I know this sounds pretty wimpy, but my shoulder gets sore from shifting as we move through a lot of gears during our short trips from field to the sugar beet dump. An automatic transmission in my truck promised to do for me what the clothes washer did for our grandmothers. Unfortunately, R and R Farms is fighting a pitched battle in two separate theatres of harvest and so my truck was needed to harvest small grains. I will do my part, for now, shifting up and down in a smaller truck, suffering quietly but bravely.

It seems there exists no season on the farms of the Midwest anymore. The seasons of summer once were; planting, baling, spraying, grain harvest, bean harvest, beet harvest, tillage, corn harvest, more tillage, fall fertilizer and then a winter to attend free dinners at cooperative meetings; but no more. This is the second year that we’ve harvested small grains and pre-piled sugar beets concurrently and it seems to stretch area farmers and the local labor pool. Our unusual summer has kept the beans from maturing so that harvest is quite far off, Dave. If you were to graph the point at which beans will be ready to harvest then graph the average date of the first frost, you would find out why farmers seem to enjoy the taste of fingernail so much. I hope everything works out for them. The summer has been perfect for growing beef steers, however, and the cool season grasses that feed them have discarded their sunscreen. I stacked plenty of grass and alfalfa this summer and I should be able to make this winter pretty comfortable for our cattle. We will also have lots of winter lodging for stray cats to snuggle inside our hay sheds.

Our summer projects are winding down. I still have our new pump house sitting inside the garage awaiting final transport to its concrete base. It will feature a door made from an old deep-freeze which is a cheap, well-insulated way to make a door. We used an old freezer door for an outside basement entry a few years ago and it made keeping the basement warm much easier. I have cobbled together a vacuum system to move the corn we use to heat our house. Much of the system is professionally made, however there’s enough of my influence so that its success will be in doubt until the first time I give it a try.

I wish I had more time to write, but I have to go ice my gear-shift shoulder; tomorrow’s another day.

You’re little bro’