Not really sure when I started filling out the old bucket list…almost everyday I put new little items in between others as I like one…or put it over in the ‘ margin’ as a possible replacement…for something , if you live long enough…or won’t be around for, or even better, you forget!!!

But the one I always talk about…the truck the same age as me!

See, for my first car my father bought me a 1952 Studebaker, which by the way, was not…I repeat…not a chick magnet!!! Good for laughs from others. Easy for me to work on, given what mechanical work I knew; a toggle switch with a button (no Key), boy was I a forward thinker!!!

But like anyone who had an old car like that at one time, you kick yourself in the ass, ’cause you never listened to what you were told…’Take care of that; it will be worth a mint someday!’ I think we all know what part of the body out thought process goes through at that age!!!

Any way, my son Jeremy has, without trying, found a 1952 Chevy Flathead six pickup, licensed, road worthy, just a short road trip away! Why now? After almost three years of low milk prices, along with a decade of poor gravel sales? Why, with both milk prices POSSIBLY increasing and a sudden renewed interest in our gravel for this coming season, did this not happen six months from now????

Before Jeremy gave me the news on his find, he called and talked to the owner, looked at pictures; he is impressed and the price sounds decent! Elephant in the room…first one takes it!!

How, after running on fumes and finally three years out from Carol’s heart surgery, the cow numbers getting back up to where with milk prices on the rise(?), did this not happen next fall? It is strange how so often like in real estate they say ‘location, location, location’; with this it’s timing, timing, timing!!

How does it go? Life gets in the way sometimes? Well, lets hope it gets in someone else’s way who sees that truck, till I get time to catch up!!!  Hey, someone need a Boumatic Tank washer or 60 Norbco Durobend free stall dividers??? Never hurts to ask…

Today we received a wonderful surprise in the mail…A hand written thank you of sorts for writing our Blog and sharing our lifestyle with people we don’t even know.

This kind gesture meant so much to me…it makes even the longest days worthwhile just to know someone actually appreciates the farmer’s hard work.

I am not saying it is all hard…there have been many, many moments when we realize how fortunate we are to be working at something that we truly enjoy more often than not. The icy cold days of winter always lead to the warm sunny days of summer.

We are so thankful for people like Mr. Wilkinson from Eagle, Wisconsin who are interested enough to take the time to send a card…(I can tell you put a lot of thought into it, certainly fit the situation you referred to.)

We will continue to write as often as we can, sometimes it seems our adventures in this lifestyle are endless; deeply rewarding with each new calf, the sight of corn plants poking through the ground,the wonderful smell of freshly mowed hay and the list goes on…

Hoping you will enjoy what we have to offer in Blog posts and photos in the future… I feel truly blessed to know we are making a difference.

Thank you for the kind words, Mr. Wilkinson. And yes, I agree; the card was most appropriate and made my day! Bless You!

Mr. Phil is gorgeous…

Ok, I admit not knowing what PETA stands for, but my guess would be Poorly Educated Toward Animals! What else could it be; any group that had it’s hand in the demise of 146 years of Ringling Bros. Greatest Show on Earth…Sad, oh so sad!!

Now I am not going to even get into the elephant, tigers or loss of jobs…No, every one go look up the photo in Time magazine, page 11 taken in 1963! Look at those kids! My age at that time would have been 11, like the boy over by the adults!

To think my grandkids, everyone’s for that matter, will most likely never get to see magnificent animals in a setting like that! …Yes, for now, there will still be zoos with fences, bars, cages and the like. This and the parade down main street will now become extinct…just what uneducated dim wits, (in my opinion) who preach animal rights while knowing about as much about animals as a hog knows about a holiday!

Not bragging…hell yes I am ’cause some of us understand; we feel, we see, we sense! Like yesterday Elf, the cow that calved, made herself be front and center during the day, but it was up to me to see, her telling me ‘its calving time,get me to my pen!’

When we got into the barn with that nice dry bed of straw, she was all over me, making the video on Baby Watch 3. It was her thank you..So, for all those whose prints are on this and thousands of other injustices, not only to all these animals…look at that picture; Time page 11, then turn and tell your kids or grand kids and proclaim that you are the reason they will never see such a beautiful sight like that! So, so proud…

Yeah! let me tell you a little secret; you’re not getting an animal that size or any size, to do anything without their Acceptance of you and your Respect for them!!! –

 I apologize for not being able to post the video we made last night to begin Baby Watch 3…Having some sort of glitch in the process I guess.  But there are two that can be viewed on my channel on YouTube.

Last night we put Elf in the barn as she was showing signs of freshening. I guess it is the mother in me, but I am usually the one to check on these situations in the middle of the night; true to form, I got up at midnight and 3:15 to check on her. Both times she was laying down, chewing her cud and acting a bit uncomfortable…isn’t that what labor is about?  Uncomfortable doesn’t begin to describe it, right ladies?

Well, when I went out to start the day, there they were…a gorgeous little heifer ( which I didn’t know for sure until Ed checked) all licked off, and looking very healthy! Her name is N’Eester–for Nor-easter–Ed has a way with spelling. Last night our son Jess said that should be the name if it was born during the storm…and so it is..

So, as of tonight we are richer than we were 24 hours ago…a beautiful heifer has blessed us with her birth…Congratulations, Elf, on a job well done!

Yesterday my farmer and I went to our grandson Cooper’s birthday dinner. It is always a great time when we are able to see all 4 of our kids and at least some of the grandkids, if not all.

Cooper is our youngest grand child; he turned 8 on Saturday…where has the time gone? No more babies, I’m afraid. We can watch them all grow into beautiful and handsome adults, each following their own path and making their own choices. Life is always throwing road blocks and speed bumps in our paths but somehow we are able to turn around and make a better choice or slow down and take one step at a time. And so I wish that for those 10 perfect (in Grammy’s eyes) kiddos…a life of kindness, happiness and only challenges they can conquer!!!

Our daughter and her husband cooked prime rib with all the fixings that was a great meal. The grown ups talked and the kids played…wonderful afternoon. Cooper played on his new piano and his Uncle Chad played, making us all happy that he still had it, and he seemed to enjoy it (took lessons from the age of 4 with the same teacher Cooper has) AWESOME!!!

In pictures it is 7 of the 10 total grandkids…Kaylah had to get back to college after dinner; Jordan and Olivia had other commitments 4-h for JDog and study for exams for Liv)–middle picture is Uncle Jess and Coop working on MineCraft–right picture is Cooper and Skylar showing off new hairstyles!!! Bosom buddies!

Next weekend it is another party; Sweet 16 for Jayda. Hope we can make it…So looking forward to more family time before the spring rush of field work and busy summer!!!

 

We attended a play on Saturday night about farming, put on by local young people at the Freight Depot/Hubbard Hall …Which, by the way, was darned good…if you are in the area and interested in farming in any way, you should go this weekend…just save a seat for Carol and I, ’cause we are going again, as long as God is willing and the creek don’t rise!

It was very emotional for me, as they pointed out in the play that farmers are just 2% of the work force…as my head wraps around it, in a crowd of 100 people, one other person in there is like me…we are the same, but yet we’re different. For me, anyway, I am a lifer, born and raised…

For me the difference of being one of the two is my head isn’t looking down at an iPhone or computer like the 98 looking something up; rather I am doing the job. I get the technology and even use it, like with this Blog…  You can look at a video of ducks landing on newly thawed water–saw it out back this morning while feeding heifers…A new calf comes into the world, even the ones that don’t make it, are still visions in our heads.

It is hard to explain and no, doesn’t mean we are better than the others…just see the word in a different light. It forces Carol to do the driving many times when we need to go in the car, because my world is out there conversing with a goat maybe, or a crow…it is easier for me and with people, not so easy…

Now days, with that push from Jon and Maria, it has become rewarding and fun! Today the feeling is still in me that I’m different; almost question if I belong;…then I see this play and the great positive response from the audience.. the 98 and I realize to be 100 we need each other!!!

(As part of that 2%, we would like to give David Snider and the actors, along with anyone else involved in this production: ***** five-stars, wonderfully informative and thought provoking…great job!–( Carol)

The Flutter Hawk keeps an eye out on the telephone pole…Mud, Mud, Mud…Yuck!

 

This warm weather we’ve been seeing over the last few days has left us with rain, lots of fog and very little snow left only on some of the higher peaks to our east. In most years when I was much younger, a warm 4 to 7 day stretch this time of year was the January thaw! That few days to fix broken water lines…Maybe clean some manure built up  that just might thaw.

Most often also had to go get another jag of wood since most often the thought of the pile being plenty big for the winter, seems very small by then…Unlike recent years, haven’t gotten down to bare ground as often as we do now.

Those years with a blanket of snow still left, in turn made for great toboggan weather! Those warmer days with cold nights put a nice crust on the snow creating a very fast track! Major problem was if there was a hedgerow at the bottom of the hill or road, that meant stopping by baling off and that crusty snow could make for some really nasty road rash!!

One time a couple of us had made a small jump about halfway down this good-sized hill, just before the thaw…The snow was so hard and slick we could hardly stand up! Sitting 4 people deep on my toboggan, we pushed off, headed toward that jump…It was so slippery going down that hill we had no control at all going over the jump, pretty much sideways!…Bodies were flying in all directions and I tries to hold on to my toboggan…Big Mistake…Some how in landing my coat sleeve was pushed well up(above my elbow), along with my shirt sleeve…

Yup! One mean case of road rash on my forearm!…Almost as bad as the one on the side of my face, when I came to a stop against the brush at the bottom of the hill!!! It was right there lying in the brush next to my toboggan that I made the decision to put it up…well, at least until February vacation….