Wishing for Sunshine

I called my best friend a while ago to discuss why our son might have gotten into trouble in band today and had to pay a visit to the principal’s office after school.  Oh yes, even the best farm kids get a little ornery in school sometimes!  Anyway, he (my best friend/husband) randomly stated, while we were talking, “The sun came out!”  I had to ask him to repeat what he said.  He assured me that in north central Kansas, the sun was shining.  SHOCK and AWE!  I haven’t seen sunshine for days!  I am pretty sure I am more than a little deficient of Vit. D right now and could be well on my way to contracting rickets due to lack of sunshine. 

So, back to the band incident.  It’s all genetics.  Matt got in trouble in music all the time when he was in jr. high.  That inability to behave for one hour in a class your aren’t totally fond of carried right on into the DNA of our youngest.  Gotta love the life lesson teaching opportunities!

I will try each day to put in some little update about the Ladies of the Night.  One of those gals had a sick baby today.  I am sure for that calf, just like me….lack of sunshine is the culprit of it’s unthriftiness.  Two scour boluses, a dose of sunshine, and it’s up and running and feeling good again.  Whew!

I know it will be dark when I pull in the drive tonight, but one of these nights soon I will try to get a recording of Jenny, the mule talking to me as I get out of my vehicle.  She hollars at me every night when I pull into the yard and every morning as I am heading out.  She is so funny!

Read Full Post »

Nebraska’s Farmers are Helping Their Neighbors in Japan

I have lived on a farm all my life and I promise you, in the farming world, good neighbors are everything.  Farmers never cease to give of their time and energy when there is a neighbor in need.  So many times if a farmer has had a tragedy, come harvest time, branding time, or whatever time it is, all of the area neighbors pull together, get organized, and take care of their friend’s workload.  Now, farmers are also very proud and independent and it is extremely difficult for them to accept assistance.  However, the one being helped is incredibly full of gratitude and appreciation for their friends and neighbors.  I think the Japanese people are very proud and independent as well.  I believe they do truly appreciate the generous donations we can give them.

I have the tremendous fortune to be involved with a great humanitarian project.  Japan is Nebraska’s largest corn export customer, and in our opinion, our neighbor in the global farming neighborhood.  Just one week ago I met with the Nebraska Corn Growers Assn., and we pulled together what is becoming a nationally recognized effort to help the Japanese after their natural disasters and now their radiation challenges.

This Friday, the company I work for, the Aurora Cooperative is taking corn at three of our locations to donate to Red Cross for the Japanese earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief fund.  After Friday, we will take donations at all 19 of our grain receiving locations throughout Nebraska and northern Kansas.  Area farmers will donated their grain to Red Cross and it will be sold at spot price to generate much needed funds to help with the Red Cross efforts in Japan.

I will keep you posted as to how the donation process is going – we take grain donations through the end of July.

Here is a link for just one of the many news broadcasts that have already taken place:   http://www.khastv.com/news/local/Corn-growers–118878364.html

Read Full Post »

Spring….OH Spring…Where are you?

Snowy Day at the Trap Range

 

 

I am always entertained and amused at the creativity of kids!  We are in the last days of March and it is cold and snowy and rainy, but leave it up to a bunch of jr. high and high school trap shooters to make the most of it.  There were little miniature snowmen on the tables all up and down the trap range.  Cute!

Fun little snowman with shotgun shell arms.

I was a supportive Mom and stood in the snow rain mix while my own kid shot (yes Emmet, I love you that much) – I was not kind enough to stand out there and be a quiet supporter to all of our other teams.  Yep – I’m a wimp in the cold!  I might be the Lady of Ag & I will pile on the layers to do chores and check cows.  But stand there and watch kids shoot at rocks flying through the air while it’s snowing and cold and wet????  Not me – I will sit in the pickup and stay warm and dry, thank you very much. 

Our other ladies of the night seem to have slowed down the past couple days – only one or two new calves per day.  The kids and I got back from volleyball yesterday just in time for our 4-H meeting and then we went to see the cows.  I told my husband I wanted to drive down there to see him, but I REALLY wanted to see how the calves were growing and check in on the cows that haven’t calved yet.  Yes, of course I wanted to see him too, but I don’t get to walk through the cows every day like he does.  He’s SO lucky!

The Ladies of the Night and some calves waiting to be fed.

Well, I hope this is our last blast of wintery weather.  I’m starting to get in the mood to shop for a few flowers & get some color back in the yard!

Read Full Post »

Not a Family Night

For a Friday, it doesn’t feel like the week is winding down.  Matt ended up being home three nights this week – what a treat!  Now he is headed down to be with all of his other wives (the cows).  I was told there have been several new babies this week while he’s been home.  One of the kids’ favorite cows, Mod, had her calf.  Emmet showed Mod’s daughter for his 4-H project last year and had great success.  He had his heart set on her having a heifer calf again this year.  I’m sorry to say, we have a sad young man at our house.  She had a strappin’ healthy bull calf.

This weekend will be full of working with 4-H heifers, trap shooting, and volleyball and then a 4-H meeting.  Notice I mentioned nothing of cooking, cleaning, or shopping.  Plus, I don’t think I will get to see the cows this weekend either.  Boo.  We are at that wonderful stage in life where the kids rule the schedule.  And I love it!  We only have two kids and they will only be living in our house for a few more years.  At least that’s the plan.  I try to enjoy all of their activities with them, though bleacher butt does set in sometimes!

So, for tonight, I am on my own at home.  Both kids have activities at school and Matt, well, I told you earlier, he’s with his other ladies tonight.  I hope I get to add some recipes to my blog.  And, I hope you are brave and try a few of them!

Read Full Post »

Welcome to my Blog!

Welcome to my blog!

Wow!  I now know how much one should never say never!  I tried to stand firm against social media and letting myself join the modern world, but, here I am!

So, with that, I hope you take the time to read about me and my family.  My regular posts will make much more sense with that background to go along with them. 

Today is a special day at our house because my husband has been able to spend the last two nights in a row at home with the kids and I.  Yay!  While we are calving, he usually stays in an old farm house we have where the cows are.  I think our hired man is getting more confident in doing night checks and more importantly, knows that Matt needed just a little break.  So, we got to sit down to supper last night as a family, at our own kitchen table, for the first time in a month.  It was great!

Tonight we get to hear the wonderful sounds of the Sandy Creek Junior High band and choir.  I don’t know if there is any teacher with more challenges than the one who tries to figure out the voices of jr. high boys.  Those poor young men can be an alto one day and a bass the next.  What fun times!

I will continue to write more in the days to come, and again, welcome to my blog!

Read Full Post »