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May 1 – All of the hired help has arrived.  This year, we have two foreign guys to work on the crew.  One is from England and one is from Australia, here on training visas.  Everyone is learning to adjust to the living quarters, as most are used to a room of their own at home.

May 2-5 – Everyone is helping to make sure all the trucks are washed and waxed before beginning to load the combines on the trailers and hook up the trailers to the trucks.  Meals are fun as Karen has to find out their likes and dislikes and try to introduce new ideas to them.  She has been making sure to get food from the grocery store for a starting stock for the season, and getting the freezer full of meat to prepare the first meals with.

May 6 – Carl, Vic, the foreman, and the six hired guys have gone to Hays, Kansas, to attend a Safety Meeting sponsored by U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc.  This is very informative and has a lot of good instruction on how to avoid accidents and what to do if one should happen.  We try to attend at least one safety meeting each year.  We also have safety videotapes for the crew to watch.

May 7 – Carl has gone to Colorado to check with customers and to look at the progress of the wheat in that area.  The hired help is taking the day off.  It is time to relax and do some shopping to get last-minute things they have forgotten to bring.  Tonight’s supper is turkey, potatoes and gravy, mixed vegetables, and ice cream for dessert.

May 8 – Today Karen baked a fresh rhubarb cake with some rhubarb that Joyce brought to her.  Most of the guys had never tasted this and were not sure they wanted to either.  But after they did, it was liked by all.  Sandy, Vic’s wife, who is Karen’s assistant for cooking and cleaning, has been here to help prepare meals also.  Carl is back home this evening.

May 9-16 – Still doing training for the hired help.  Karen and Sandy are making sure they have everything moved to the house trailers:  cooking equipment, computer and records, clothing and the necessary items.  Carl and the crew are doing up the last minute things around the shop building and house as we will leave on the 17^th to start the harvest season for 2001.

May 17-24