Checking on the buffalo

My 92-year old mother just loves to go for rides. We call it farming, or windshield farming. She enjoys checking the crops and watching the corn, beans, and wheat being planted and harvested, but her all-time favorite is checking on the buffalo south of Flandreau.

The round-up

Bob and his son Kash are setting up a temporary corral to hold and sort the cattle before trucking them home for the winter. It is the time of the year when the calves have to be weaned and the cows get a chance to feed in the corn stalks until snow falls. Bob tells me he does not see any problems with the round-up. He brought his best behaved cows to this pasture, and they all know their job.

Homeward bound

This set of cattle has made this fall round-up before, but there always seems to be a replacement cow or a first cow heifer that wants to test the cowboy. Kash seems to take this right in stride and makes it just part of the job.

Rounding up cattle

The cattle are rounded up, but they still haven't entered the corral so Kash has to sit back and pay attention until the cattle decide to enter the corral.

The gardener

Scharke somehow knows how to get the maximum production from his work. He seems to work in his garden effortless and with complete joy. As a result, his plants just seem to produce more and more.

Those of us that know Scharke personally know that he wears many hats. During WW II he worked as a welder in the ship yards. After the war he returned to Elkton and worked in the blacksmith shop. From there, he took a job at the local implement dealer as a welder and stayed until he retired.

The tomato harvest

Last winter Scharke read seed magazines and planned for his spring planting. This summer, he reaped more then he ever hoped for from his garden. Scharke told me that he keeps his grass clippings in a pile near his garden and puts the grass clippings in the rows and around his plants to keep the weeds down. The clippings help hold the moisture in the ground. I am not sure if they help add favor to the vegetables, but I will say the vegetables sure taste good.