The window seat

If I ever decide to try my hand at quilting, I know just what I want my quilt to look like. However, the pattern for my envisioned quilt probably cannot be found in a book, on the internet or from a store.  My “someday quilt” will be fashioned to resemble a view I had earlier this week from the window seat of an airplane, high above western Nebraska and eastern Colorado.

First, and, yes, I admit it; I was almost giddy to be assigned a window seat. That is a rarity for me, as the narrow, no elbow-room middle seats seem to be my destiny.  The giddiness was amplified by the view. This was the first time that I have flown to Denver for summer agricultural meetings and experienced a cloudless sky.

The view from my window seat was spectacular and inspirational, especially for a farmer.  I have never had a birds-eye view of wheat harvest before. I was able to see the miniature combines inching across the golden fields, gobbling up the grain. The wheat fields were interspersed in a patchwork of gray and brown rough rangeland; the vibrant, rich green shades of the symmetrical “crop circles” (the circular fields where crops are grown with the aid of circular pivot irrigation systems); farmsteads; ranches; grazing cattle; and winding, tree-lined rivers dotted with towns of all sizes. All combined, it created a beautiful tapestry-like view of God’s handiwork, seasoned with decades of farming know-how, innovation and technology. The unique, agrarian display of shapes, colors and textures reminded me of a vibrant quilt.               

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Last week’s storms caused numerous downed trees and power lines. Please, remember to stay clear and stay safe when you are out and about after a storm. Downed power lines are dangerous and can be deadly. Just because you do not have electrical power in your home, and just because the line is down and laying on the ground, does not mean that it is not alive with electricity.  Avoid the line; stay clear and stay safe!

Another thing to stay clear of this summer is the Wild Parsnip plants. This noxious weed with yellow flowers has turned up in road ditches in the area and across the Midwest.  This is a nasty plant that can cause skin rash, blisters and burns.  Stay clear and stay safe!

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Wishing everyone a happy and safe Kolacky Days!