Wheat Harvest 2021
An average day during wheat harvest:
Hello, I’m Tammy Goering. I married into the Goering Family in 1989. Prior to that I grew up in northwest central Kansas (north of Hays, between Stockton and Phillipsburg.)
During the week and some Saturday mornings, I am an optometrist (eye doctor) at McPherson Eye Care in McPherson KS.
Here’s my typical day during wheat harvest on the weekend: get up and fix breakfast for the crew (my daughter and her fiancé, my husband and whoever else happens to show up...!
Today, after breakfast I also watered all of the potted plants and got the battery-operated hedge trimmers out and trimmed some of the lilac bushes, sage, and roses. I was lazy and did not rake up any of the trimmings---tomorrow??
Then, since they started cutting early I took a light lunch (during the week, they are on their own!) Today, it was sloppy joes, chips, and fresh-baked cookies. (OK…I cheated as the grocery store in Moundridge carries frozen bags of pre-made cookie portions that you just need to put on the sheet and bake at 375 for 10 minutes—our faves are monster, M&M, and oatmeal raisin.)
Then I helped move fields, picked up Greg’s mom (she is 80) and took supper to the field. Ribs (Taylor does the best job with ribs but she was on the graincart), party potatoes (aka funeral potatoes) cucumbers and onions in sour cream, watermelon and brownies w/ Reeses Peanut butter cups. Carolyn had a great time—back in the day she drove the truck until Greg got old enough to help. Then she did what I do—take food. She worked as director of nursing for many years before retiring for a few weeks and then worked part-time at a retirement center where she now lives. Greg’s dad taught school and farmed. He retired from McPherson Middle School and then really enjoyed farming. He passed away in 2016.
It is quite comical! The “conversations” that happened between Greg and his dad are now being re-played between Greg and our daughter! Funny how the tables are turned! Neither Taylor or Greg think it’s as funny as I do!
I haven’t mentioned our son Trenton and his wife Danielle. They moved to Texas in late May. Dr. Danielle graduated from vet school in May and is in the army currently stationed at Ft. Hood (Killeen, TX.) Trenton just finished 3 weeks of KS Army National Guard training in CA and will now look for a job in the Killeen area. They will just be there for one year and then will be stationed someplace else for 3 years. Trenton graduated from KSU with a degree in Animal Science, but his true love (besides Danielle) is anything to do with guns!
During the week when I’m at the office, I usually prep the night before so a casserole is ready for the oven when I get home. Some favorites are Huntington Chicken, Cowboy Casserole, Chicken Supreme. The crockpot also comes in handy: crockpot pork chops (my sister-in-law Jeanie’s recipe that makes it’s own gravy) Beef roast (and if there’s any left-overs I use for Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches for lunch.) Of course, we always have Mexican night(s)! One night it is tacos, cheese dip, and the fixin’s and another night is was Chicken Enchiladas and Pork Carnitas Enchiladas.
