Thomas sure keeps us all laughing. This weekend was no exception.
I was working in the kitchen Saturday when Thomas came to me with a very serious expression on his face. He started rubbing his leg and grumble about "these shingles". I asked him what he was talking about. He said he had shingles. I quizzed him further as to how he knew about shingles. He told me he had heard a commercial on the local radio station about them. The man talking on the commercial was from Nash Drugs and said there was a vaccination for shingles. I asked where he thought he caught his shingles. He looked me in the eye and said "I was on the roof mom!" You can't make this stuff up!
I quickly reassured him that he didn't have them. He walked away, much relieved. I dissolved into laughter, once he was gone.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
The Cowboy Electrician
Suzanna has a problem heifer. It is time to get serious about getting ready for Dairy Days, and one of her heifers has become rather wild ever since she was turned out into the big pasture. Her two pasture mates are fine about being caught and worked, but not Penny. Suzanna showed her at the spring show and she was okay....not great at leading, but didn't try to drag her across the arena. That was an accomplishment, considering she had only had her for a couple weeks when we headed for the show.
One day when we tricked her into getting caught in a stall in the barn, we put a halter and lead rope on her, hoping that when she was back out in the pasture, we could grab the rope when close enough and then lead her. HA!!! That didn't go so well. The one time we did get close enough to catch her, her favorite direction was reverse. Eventually, she calmed down and I led her around, but she was never calm enough for Suzanna to do it.
So this evening, I suggested to daddy that it would be a good idea to lead Fancy and Sami into the barn and figured Penny would follow. We would leave Penny in the stall and put the other two back outside. Great idea in theory, but how would it play out??
Daddy headed to the pasture with us and when he saw the opportunity, grabbed the lead rope and held on tight.....as Penny began to run across the pasture and him still holding on for dear life. Suzanna, Thomas and I tried our best not to laugh, as he fell, did a full body roll and came back up. All I could picture was him coming up, having made contact with fresh "you know what". Well, he dodged it and the heifer stopped running. He was in the midst of a face-off when Thomas noticed he had lost his tape measure in the ruckus. As Thomas headed out to retrieve it, the heifer took off running again. Daddy was determined not to loose her, and did another full body roll in the process. Once again, he managed to avoid contact with anything messy.
At that point, he decided plan B was a better idea. Suzanna led Sami and I led Fancy out of the pasture and toward the barn. Penny didn't want to get left behind, so she followed and ended up in the barn, caught!!!! Amazing enough, once she was in the barn, she calmed down, let Suzanna brush her and seemed happy with the attention.
The plan is to have Penny spend some time by herself. Suzanna can tie her up a couple times each day and eventually start leading her around in the barn. Hopefully that will make a difference, otherwise Penny will get left home and miss out on a fun week at Dairy Days.
Oh, and the cowboy electrician realized he lost his cell phone out in the pasture during one of his rolls. Of course, he had it on vibrate, because he was driving the tractor earlier and wouldn't have been able to hear it ring. We did a family search and managed to find it within a few minutes. Thank you, Lord!!!
One day when we tricked her into getting caught in a stall in the barn, we put a halter and lead rope on her, hoping that when she was back out in the pasture, we could grab the rope when close enough and then lead her. HA!!! That didn't go so well. The one time we did get close enough to catch her, her favorite direction was reverse. Eventually, she calmed down and I led her around, but she was never calm enough for Suzanna to do it.
So this evening, I suggested to daddy that it would be a good idea to lead Fancy and Sami into the barn and figured Penny would follow. We would leave Penny in the stall and put the other two back outside. Great idea in theory, but how would it play out??
Daddy headed to the pasture with us and when he saw the opportunity, grabbed the lead rope and held on tight.....as Penny began to run across the pasture and him still holding on for dear life. Suzanna, Thomas and I tried our best not to laugh, as he fell, did a full body roll and came back up. All I could picture was him coming up, having made contact with fresh "you know what". Well, he dodged it and the heifer stopped running. He was in the midst of a face-off when Thomas noticed he had lost his tape measure in the ruckus. As Thomas headed out to retrieve it, the heifer took off running again. Daddy was determined not to loose her, and did another full body roll in the process. Once again, he managed to avoid contact with anything messy.
At that point, he decided plan B was a better idea. Suzanna led Sami and I led Fancy out of the pasture and toward the barn. Penny didn't want to get left behind, so she followed and ended up in the barn, caught!!!! Amazing enough, once she was in the barn, she calmed down, let Suzanna brush her and seemed happy with the attention.
The plan is to have Penny spend some time by herself. Suzanna can tie her up a couple times each day and eventually start leading her around in the barn. Hopefully that will make a difference, otherwise Penny will get left home and miss out on a fun week at Dairy Days.
Oh, and the cowboy electrician realized he lost his cell phone out in the pasture during one of his rolls. Of course, he had it on vibrate, because he was driving the tractor earlier and wouldn't have been able to hear it ring. We did a family search and managed to find it within a few minutes. Thank you, Lord!!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Bummer...
The downside to hay making is being at the mercy of the weather. In general, when it comes to crop farming, that is normal. Will it stay dry long enough to get the crop in?? Will it rain now that the seeds are in the ground? Will it quit raining long enough to harvest the crop? I know that all those thoughts go through the mind of a farmer on a regular basis.
This past weekend after checking the the alfalfa, and consulting the weather forecast, it was decided that there should be enough warm weather, wind and sun to dry the crop and get it baled. So the hay was cut on Saturday. I spent most of Sunday afternoon on the tractor, first raking up the hay to get it off the ground and then using the tedder to throw the crop back out. The sun was shining bright and the wind was blowing. Just what you need for drying hay.
Monday morning came and it was overcast....and there wasn't much wind. In addition, sometime over the weekend, the weather forecast had changed and the rain that was suppose to come on Wednesday had been moved ahead a day. Our window to get this hay made was pretty small. On orders from the boss, I waited until mid afternoon to rake the hay back up into windrows. The sun danced in and out of the clouds all afternoon and the wind never picked up much.
Hubby and his dad headed to the hay field about 5:30 in the afternoon, expecting that it wouldn't make, but still wanting to give it a try. Their suspicions were confirmed as the first bale came out of the baler. Way to wet to make. There is a section in the field that is all grass. They headed there hoping maybe that would be ready.....it wasn't.
Overnight, the rains began to fall and a waiting game begins. When will there be enough dry days in a row to finish drying the hay so we can get it up? Back to watching the Weather Channel.
This past weekend after checking the the alfalfa, and consulting the weather forecast, it was decided that there should be enough warm weather, wind and sun to dry the crop and get it baled. So the hay was cut on Saturday. I spent most of Sunday afternoon on the tractor, first raking up the hay to get it off the ground and then using the tedder to throw the crop back out. The sun was shining bright and the wind was blowing. Just what you need for drying hay.
Monday morning came and it was overcast....and there wasn't much wind. In addition, sometime over the weekend, the weather forecast had changed and the rain that was suppose to come on Wednesday had been moved ahead a day. Our window to get this hay made was pretty small. On orders from the boss, I waited until mid afternoon to rake the hay back up into windrows. The sun danced in and out of the clouds all afternoon and the wind never picked up much.
Hubby and his dad headed to the hay field about 5:30 in the afternoon, expecting that it wouldn't make, but still wanting to give it a try. Their suspicions were confirmed as the first bale came out of the baler. Way to wet to make. There is a section in the field that is all grass. They headed there hoping maybe that would be ready.....it wasn't.
Overnight, the rains began to fall and a waiting game begins. When will there be enough dry days in a row to finish drying the hay so we can get it up? Back to watching the Weather Channel.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Baling Hay and Hand Signals
We put up our first field of hay this evening. I had the privilege of driving the tractor and hubby stacked the wagon. As I drove, I realized how many hand signals my husband has and how hard I have to think to keep them straight.
First was three fingers in the air. That represented putting the tractor in third gear. Then he worked his index finger in a quick circle. That means give the tractor more RPMs. A thumbs up means you have it right. Of course, an index finger across the throat means shut off the baler. A hand in the air with fingers together means stop the tractor.....but five fingers spread apart means put it in fifth gear. Sort of reminds you of the directions Charlie Brown gave the cast in the Christmas special.
As you are trying to pay attention to the hay going into the pick-up without missing the windrow, you also have to be watching behind for the next hand signal. Other than a crick in my neck from looking back and forth, I am no worse for the wear and we have 32 bales of hay in the barn.
Oh, and one last hand signal. As you are turning into your driveway, you see the guy on the baler waving his arms and pointing to the north. That means go up to the storage barn and wait, because he wants to put the tractor and baler away.
First was three fingers in the air. That represented putting the tractor in third gear. Then he worked his index finger in a quick circle. That means give the tractor more RPMs. A thumbs up means you have it right. Of course, an index finger across the throat means shut off the baler. A hand in the air with fingers together means stop the tractor.....but five fingers spread apart means put it in fifth gear. Sort of reminds you of the directions Charlie Brown gave the cast in the Christmas special.
As you are trying to pay attention to the hay going into the pick-up without missing the windrow, you also have to be watching behind for the next hand signal. Other than a crick in my neck from looking back and forth, I am no worse for the wear and we have 32 bales of hay in the barn.
Oh, and one last hand signal. As you are turning into your driveway, you see the guy on the baler waving his arms and pointing to the north. That means go up to the storage barn and wait, because he wants to put the tractor and baler away.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Planted!!!
A full two weeks ahead of last year, my garden is in!! Much of the day Saturday was spent by hubby spreading manure on the garden spot. Then he plowed it on Sunday. The kids had a great time collecting worms from the freshly turned furrows. Too bad we don't have a fishing spot. They could have put those worms to good use!
Hubby put even more manure on the garden on Monday and put Thomas on the tractor to disc it up and get it ready for planting. Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I went to Gleis and got our plants and the rest of the needed seeds. The weather forecast said there could be frost, so we didn't put anything in last night.
This morning, the kids would have been out there at 8am, but it was still 40 degrees out. I thought it better to wait for the afternoon. So after lunch, off we went, and in a matter of a couple hours, everything was planted. Considering how big the spot ended up this year, I filled it up better than I expected. With the late start a year ago, I skipped putting in some things that we made sure we got in this year.
It is dry enough this spring that I went ahead and started the sprinkler on the tomato plants. Now we keep up with the weeds and look forward to great things from the garden in a couple months.
Hubby put even more manure on the garden on Monday and put Thomas on the tractor to disc it up and get it ready for planting. Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I went to Gleis and got our plants and the rest of the needed seeds. The weather forecast said there could be frost, so we didn't put anything in last night.
This morning, the kids would have been out there at 8am, but it was still 40 degrees out. I thought it better to wait for the afternoon. So after lunch, off we went, and in a matter of a couple hours, everything was planted. Considering how big the spot ended up this year, I filled it up better than I expected. With the late start a year ago, I skipped putting in some things that we made sure we got in this year.
It is dry enough this spring that I went ahead and started the sprinkler on the tomato plants. Now we keep up with the weeds and look forward to great things from the garden in a couple months.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Keeping all my hats on straight...
With my busy life, I wear a lot of different hats. Today was a jam-packed day, with lots of stuff to keep up with.
This morning started out pretty typical. I took care of a couple loads of laundry, sorted a ton of clothes, and gave the kids their marching orders for the morning. That covers the wife and mother hat. A call came in from my hubby regarding some business stuff, so that meant I was wearing my Milo Electric hat. I slipped my Knolltop Morgans hat on long enough to call the vet and schedule an ultrasound for Christy tomorrow. We need to find out if she is in foal or not.
Then I got my AgriAutomation hat out. It was a bit dusty since I don't put that one on very often. This is my dads company and he is in Oklahoma right now and needed to get new business cards made before the World Pork Expo in June (yes, this just proves there is a convention for everything). I got the materials around for that project and switched to yet another one.
I have only worn this one once. I filled in for the regular Dairy Leaders Committee secretary at the last meeting back in February. We have a meeting tomorrow night and I still hadn't emailed the minutes from February to the 4-H office to get printed up for review. Tomorrow night, neighbor Melissa will be back on the job and I can give her that hat back.
Then I donned my fair director hat and headed to Hillsdale. My brother would say I put on my crown, since he refers to me at the "fair queen", but it really is just one more hat. I had a lunch meeting regarding fund raising. Got a free lunch out of the deal, so that was cool.
The AgriAutomation hat went back on long enough to drop off the business card stuff at the printer. They promised me a proof on my fax machine within 24 hours and then I can place the order and stuff that hat away for a while.
I buzzed back home and got my wife and mom hat back on in order to finish laundry, straighten up the kitchen, help Suzanna with a sewing project she is starting and answer at least half a dozen questions from Thomas. I even slipped the horse trainer Mike hat on long enough to look something up on the internet for him.
That is when I discovered I forgot a hat!!! My hubby called and asked if I had run two errands for him while in Hillsdale. Oops!!! I managed to get all the way to town and back and never gave a second thought to going to Apex to pay the bill or making sure he didn't need me to pick anything up from American Copper & Brass. So this hat thing isn't perfect, but if I can keep them straight, life goes pretty easy. Oh, gotta go hubby just called and I have to take care of something in the office. On with another hat!!!!!!
This morning started out pretty typical. I took care of a couple loads of laundry, sorted a ton of clothes, and gave the kids their marching orders for the morning. That covers the wife and mother hat. A call came in from my hubby regarding some business stuff, so that meant I was wearing my Milo Electric hat. I slipped my Knolltop Morgans hat on long enough to call the vet and schedule an ultrasound for Christy tomorrow. We need to find out if she is in foal or not.
Then I got my AgriAutomation hat out. It was a bit dusty since I don't put that one on very often. This is my dads company and he is in Oklahoma right now and needed to get new business cards made before the World Pork Expo in June (yes, this just proves there is a convention for everything). I got the materials around for that project and switched to yet another one.
I have only worn this one once. I filled in for the regular Dairy Leaders Committee secretary at the last meeting back in February. We have a meeting tomorrow night and I still hadn't emailed the minutes from February to the 4-H office to get printed up for review. Tomorrow night, neighbor Melissa will be back on the job and I can give her that hat back.
Then I donned my fair director hat and headed to Hillsdale. My brother would say I put on my crown, since he refers to me at the "fair queen", but it really is just one more hat. I had a lunch meeting regarding fund raising. Got a free lunch out of the deal, so that was cool.
The AgriAutomation hat went back on long enough to drop off the business card stuff at the printer. They promised me a proof on my fax machine within 24 hours and then I can place the order and stuff that hat away for a while.
I buzzed back home and got my wife and mom hat back on in order to finish laundry, straighten up the kitchen, help Suzanna with a sewing project she is starting and answer at least half a dozen questions from Thomas. I even slipped the horse trainer Mike hat on long enough to look something up on the internet for him.
That is when I discovered I forgot a hat!!! My hubby called and asked if I had run two errands for him while in Hillsdale. Oops!!! I managed to get all the way to town and back and never gave a second thought to going to Apex to pay the bill or making sure he didn't need me to pick anything up from American Copper & Brass. So this hat thing isn't perfect, but if I can keep them straight, life goes pretty easy. Oh, gotta go hubby just called and I have to take care of something in the office. On with another hat!!!!!!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Weekend wrap-up....
We had a busy and productive weekend. That always pleases my hubby. He is the kind of guy that makes a list in his head that is about two pages long and has hopes to get everything on it done. In reality, it is possible to get the first two things completed!
Friday night was the piano recital, and that went off without a hitch. Thomas was a little iffy on Thursday, but managed to pull it together when it counted. Kathryn was excited, as much over the dress she got to wear as the performance. She was able to wear her dress from the princess birthday party back in January and that was perfect in her mind. She played her song beautifully too.
Saturday was the day to bale hay. Bale hay???? Yes, in our case we set up the hay elevator in the mow, with the baler outside the barn and cleaned up about 40 bales worth of broken bales and loose hay. If you hadn't noticed, we are running tight on hay and every bale will save us from having to buy any. Hopefully, we will be cutting hay within a couple weeks and the hay crisis will be over.
Saturday night, I made a rhubarb pie for a church dinner and we all watched an old movie. We still try to do our Netflix movies, but as summer comes on, it gets harder to get inside to watch them.
Sunday was church, a dinner afterward and a second service after dinner. On the way up the driveway, we stopped at the barn to check on Sami. In the midst of the weekend, she had decided to try bloating. We had her in the barn to see if her stomach would settle down. It worked and she looked much better.
In the meantime, Thomas went to the pasture to take a peak at Breezy who was due to foal in the next few days. He reported back that she had "wax on her nibbles". Wax, to non-horse people, is actually drops of colostrum which leaks and then dries on the mares teats. It is a good indicator that the foal will be arriving soon. That observation led to a bit of a frenzy around the farm. As is typical here, animals had to get shifted around so that Breezy could have her stall for the impending arrival. We quickly finished nailing the metal roof down on the calf hutch, put up a small outside run for Bella and Rodney and moved them to their new home. We bedded up the stall for Breezy and settled her in for the night.
Our work was not in vain, since she laid down and safely delivered a beautiful bay filly at about 12:45. Momma was on her feet within a short time, the filly was up within 15 minutes and found her dinner by 1:30. I stayed to make sure Breezy was okay and tucked myself into bed at about 3:00. Once again I am awed by the whole process.
So today Thomas and Kathryn are taking a make-up lesson with their piano teacher. Tonight Kathryn starts back with her dog 4-H. And so starts the first full week of summer vacation.
Friday night was the piano recital, and that went off without a hitch. Thomas was a little iffy on Thursday, but managed to pull it together when it counted. Kathryn was excited, as much over the dress she got to wear as the performance. She was able to wear her dress from the princess birthday party back in January and that was perfect in her mind. She played her song beautifully too.
Saturday was the day to bale hay. Bale hay???? Yes, in our case we set up the hay elevator in the mow, with the baler outside the barn and cleaned up about 40 bales worth of broken bales and loose hay. If you hadn't noticed, we are running tight on hay and every bale will save us from having to buy any. Hopefully, we will be cutting hay within a couple weeks and the hay crisis will be over.
Saturday night, I made a rhubarb pie for a church dinner and we all watched an old movie. We still try to do our Netflix movies, but as summer comes on, it gets harder to get inside to watch them.
Sunday was church, a dinner afterward and a second service after dinner. On the way up the driveway, we stopped at the barn to check on Sami. In the midst of the weekend, she had decided to try bloating. We had her in the barn to see if her stomach would settle down. It worked and she looked much better.
In the meantime, Thomas went to the pasture to take a peak at Breezy who was due to foal in the next few days. He reported back that she had "wax on her nibbles". Wax, to non-horse people, is actually drops of colostrum which leaks and then dries on the mares teats. It is a good indicator that the foal will be arriving soon. That observation led to a bit of a frenzy around the farm. As is typical here, animals had to get shifted around so that Breezy could have her stall for the impending arrival. We quickly finished nailing the metal roof down on the calf hutch, put up a small outside run for Bella and Rodney and moved them to their new home. We bedded up the stall for Breezy and settled her in for the night.
Our work was not in vain, since she laid down and safely delivered a beautiful bay filly at about 12:45. Momma was on her feet within a short time, the filly was up within 15 minutes and found her dinner by 1:30. I stayed to make sure Breezy was okay and tucked myself into bed at about 3:00. Once again I am awed by the whole process.
So today Thomas and Kathryn are taking a make-up lesson with their piano teacher. Tonight Kathryn starts back with her dog 4-H. And so starts the first full week of summer vacation.
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