On my mind...well there is a lot going through my mind. My biggest though is about the weather. I'm not ready for snow and we don't need any more rain!

I know the little bit that I have to do in my yard before this crappy weather starts is nothing in comparison to the farmers getting their crops off.

I read a great article that I thought I would share with you for our farming community.

A Call to Pray For Our Farmers

It's a time when livelihood depends mostly on factors outside of your control. A time when weather can take out your entire crop in one day, and when everything the farmers have put into the land – from seed buying to cutting – can be lost. A time when farm families stay quiet and unseen. When most of the words said are said through prayer and petition. And, it's a time when those outside of farm life are mostly unaware of all the farmers are facing.

This harvest is an unusual one for farmers. The reality of heavy rains early and late in the season have farmers facing the harsh reality of crops not being ready to be taken, although late in the season. And just like that, if things couldn't get much worse, farmers are staring at a huge blow to the stomach that takes any wind they had right out of them. With most crops still in the ground, snow is in the forecast. And coming soon. They are forced to make difficult decisions regarding whether to take the crop before they're ready, and lose any potential profit, or, wait, and hope the weather turns. A constant weighing of the risk.

Snow means a lot of things for an already late and wet harvest. It means our crops will be lost, and the work to get the crop out of the ground will be long and hard.

We ask that you would join the many farmers across the states in praying for our farmers.

Pray for wisdom. Give them insight to know when to go and when to wait. Give them guidance, to stay one step ahead of the next right move.

Pray for trust. Give them a deep sense of Your power and plan, and peace to believe You will work all things out for those who believe in Him.

Pray for protection. Keep them safe from injury and from accidents.

Pray for health. With limited hours of sleep come sickness. Protect and strengthen their bodies against illness.

Pray for faith. Give them an overwhelming sense of Your presence, knowing You are hearing their petitions.

Pray for strength. Emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and spiritually.

Pray for love. Help them joyfully love those around them and those who speak out against them.

Pray for prosperity. That the bills would be paid, loans to be paid off, and that any excess would be used to bless others.

Thank you Lord for our farmers. And thank you for praying for them.

Also on my mind is my dad and his chemo treatments that begin Monday. We have experienced chemo treatments with my sister-in-law Dyan in the past. I hope and pray things go well for my dad!

Which brings my thoughts to my mom and wondering what the specialist will say they recommend for her back.

Then of course I have my baby Blu on my mind. He was sick this past weekend and with having to take dad to Grand Forks on Monday, Sarah and Brian saved me and brought Blu to the vet.

I get the call, from Sarah, and he has not only one ear infected but BOTH! No wonder he wasn't feeling the best. He is now on four prescriptions and ear drops.

Needless to say the first night he didn't get his ear drops. I'm sure it was quite a show to see Kyle and I wrestle him to try to get the drops in and we failed. Kyle now sneaks and does it right before bed when he is almost asleep and it is going well. Blu 1, Kyle 2 and hopefully Kyle keeps winning!

Now I just need EVERYONE to get healthy and the snow to stay away!

Unstuffed Pepper

Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage

2 cups red, yellow or green bell peppers, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs

1 bag (10 oz) frozen cooked white rice

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage, bell peppers, onion and garlic over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Return sausage mixture to skillet. Stir in tomatoes, rice and 1 cup of the cheese.

Pour sausage mixture into ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover with foil.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese; bake uncovered 4 to 6 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Jokes of the Week

•James is walking on a downtown street one day, and he happens to see his old high school friend, Harry, a little ways up ahead. "Harry, Harry, how are you?" he greets his old buddy after getting his attention.

"Not so good," says Harry.

"Why, what happened?" James queries.

"Well," Harry says, "I just went bankrupt and I've still got to feed my family. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Could have been worse," James replies calmly. "Could have been worse."

A month or so later, James again encounters Harry, in a restaurant. "And how are things now?" he asks.

"Terrible!" says Harry. "Our house burned down last night."

"Could have been worse," says James, again with total aplomb, and goes about his business.

A month later, James runs into Harry a third time. "Well, how goes it?" he inquires.

"Oh!" says Harry. "Things just get worse and worse. It's one tragedy after another! Now my wife has left me!"

Harry nods his head and gives his usual optimistic-seeming little smile, accompanied by his usual words: "Could've been worse."

This time, Harry grabs James by the shoulders. "Wait a minute!" he says. "I'm not gonna let you off so easy this time. Three times in the past few months we've run into one another, and every time I've told you the latest disaster in my life. Every time you say the same thing: 'Could have been worse.' This time, for God's sake, Harry, I want you to tell me: how in Heaven's name could it have been any worse?"

James looks at Harry with the same little wisp of a smile. "Could have been worse," he says. "Could have happened to me."

• Two regulars are sitting at a bar when one of them casually points to a couple of drunks across from them. "That's us in ten years," he says.

His friend takes a sip from his beer, sets it down on the bar, turns to his friend, and slurs, "That's a mirror."