Let me start off by saying that I love our cows…really, I do.
But tonight…
not so much.
Two hours of chasing them, mostly on foot. Hide and seek in our corn. Destroyed garden and sweet corn. More hide and seek. Nutso puppy. Ticked off children. Neighbors driving through the yard. Speaking to husband on cell phone. More hide and seek. Fence problems. Gate problems.
*sigh*
I’m enjoying my beef tacos tonight.
This "was" a seedles, almost ripe, delicious watermelon. Before a hoof decapitated it.
This morning has been an interesting one indeed…Boss Man and I moved cattle from the pasture where the plane crashed, to home. It’s less than a 2 mile trek, but there’s corn in between…lots of corn. And cows tend to like corn. (In fact, contrary to what some would have you to believe, cows do tend to prefer corn over grass, but these gals get both!)
The problem is, that cows, when allowed to move on their own, can destroy corn, and destroyed corn makes unhappy neighbors.
So off we were, moving cows, staying calm and everything going smoothly…until…(well, you KNEW there’d be an until, right?)
Let’s just say that Boss Man isn’t the greatest at communicating exactly where it is that he wanted me to be placed. His response was something along the lines of, “Well, let’s see how they go.” Which means??? Yeah, I don’t really know either…which was the problem.
But we made it home, I found out that our suburban can act a lot like a border collie and I’m still talking to my husband. What more can a girl ask for?
But now for the announcement you are all really looking for:
The winner of the new Crock Pot and prize package is…Rita Luri! Congratulations! Please send me your mailing information, so that I can get your package to you in the mail! 🙂
This weekend will mark 10 years since our country was changed, security was tightened, and everyone became a little more cautious. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years…I can remember it as if it were yesterday.
Boss Man and I had just been married that year, and he was on his way to attend Big Iron in Fargo. (Big Iron is kinda like the world’s largest craft fair and fashion show for women…except with tractors and grease.) At the time I worked in a government office. I was checking the morning CNN report, but for some reason, the site kept crashing. My co-worker called in from the field and said that the radio was talking about a plane crash.
And then the phones rang. We were informed about the security risks and vague details of what was going on. All employees were offered the chance to go home, if they felt unsafe in a government building. It was chaos. And it was shocking.
I remember leaving work that day (we all stayed the whole day…because we live in rural North Dakota, and figured we were probably off the terrorists radar) and going to my mom and dad’s and watching the news with her. We sat there, in disbelief, and cried. How could you make sense of it?
The next few weeks are a blur…it seemed as if everyone was just going through the motions. We traveled on a delayed honeymoon in November of that year, and I remember being nervous at the airport. And I know I wasn’t the only one.
And here we are, 10 years later. It’s hard to believe that so much time has gone by, and yet the emotions and feeling of helplessness are still so fresh in my mind. My heart aches, just thinking about it.
This weekend is a time of reflection, a time of remembrance and a time of healing. We will continue on, because we are Americans and that’s what we do. We pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and continue feeding, protecting and healing the world. And so, on Sunday (as I do most days) I will pray for our leaders, pray for our soldiers and pray for our citizens…will you join me?
My country...
Today’s Thankful Thursday post wasn’t a planned post. Like most of life, we deal with the curveballs thrown us and work from there. Yesterday threw me a BIG curveball.
A local farmer, good friend, father of three young children and husband to an amazing woman was killed yesterday in a farm-related accident. I don’t know the details, but even if I did, it wouldn’t matter…the outcome would remain the same. There is a family hurting today…and the details won’t change that.
But what that accident has provided me, is an opportunity to appreciate my loved ones, just a little more. Hug my kids a little tighter. See my husband in a new light.
So today’s Thankful Thursday is dedicated to him…Mark. Most of you know him as Boss Man on Twitter, and occasionally on this blog. I don’t write about him a lot, because it was MY decision to start this blog, not his. I try to avoid involving him when I can, but anytime I do, I have him read the post and approve it first…except this one.
I would like to start off, by saying how thankful I am that he’s a wonderful husband, a caring father and an amazing farmer.
Mark...farmer, father, friend...mine.
He makes me laugh, he drives me nuts and he ticks me off…all at the same time. It’s amazing, but he’s talented like that. I think he took a class or something.
Whatever it is that he is…he’s mine. And tonight I will hug him a little tighter, hold him a little longer and try not to let him see my tears.
I would go on, but suddenly I have found that I can’t…
As promised…recipe number 3 from Gooseberry Patch, and a reminder about my Crock Pot giveaway!
Country Chicken & Dumplings
Ingredients
So simple, yet so good!
Place chicken, soup, butter and onion in a slow cooker; add enough water to cover. Cover and cook on high setting for 4 hours. Add biscuits to slow cooker; gently push biscuits into cooking liquid. Cover and continue cooking for about 1-1/2 hours, until biscuits are done in the center. Makes about 6 servings.
Simply add it together, minus the biscuits!
This was soooo easy and DELICIOUS! My family cleaned out the crock pot in a second and asked for me to make it again! (Which I will, in a heartbeat! And I will add potatoes, carrots, etc.!)
*Forgot to add costs!:
I barely was able to get a small salad plate of supper before the food was gone!
A few weeks ago, I was reading a newspaper when I read a letter to the editor about the downfall of society occurring at the hands of social media. At first I dismissed it as a lash-out from someone who kept getting rejected from Facebook friends, but then I realized that even I have family members that question the importance of social media. They wonder, “Why?”
Let me explain why it’s important to ME.
1) As a stay-at-home mom, I find myself needing adult interaction. Yet, living on the farm and spending a lot of time at doctor’s appointments and what-not makes it difficult to have actual playdates, coffee breaks and other get-togethers. Through my blog, Facebook and/or Twitter, I can chat with a friend for a minute or two, and feel caught-up in the world.
2) I have met some AMAZING people through social media…and some of them I’ve never seen in person! In fact, one of my dearest friends I met through Twitter, and only met her in person a year ago (she only lives an hour away!). She’s one of my Prairie Mama companions and a true friend, a sounding board, a ball of energy and an amazing mother. She has taught me that quality can mean so much more than quantity…and when we get together with our other Prairie Mama Sarah, we can spend 30 minutes and cover every topic from labor and delivery, to breastfeeding in awkward places, to the role that social media can play in connecting agriculture to the consumer. We may not see each other often enough, but I’m grateful every day that I met her through social media!
Rural mothers...fast friends.
3) I can connect through social media. It’s amazing to see the connections in action. For example…imagine a busy mom in the city, hearing all this garbage about “industrial” ag and how our food isn’t produced in ways that will be sustainable for years to come and how it’s HER fault for not making wiser choices at the market. Since she’s only hearing the story from someone behind a desk a few hundred miles away, what else will she believe? But now, thanks to other means of communication, she can locate a farmer’s market, contact a local grower, or talk to someone who may be hundreds of miles away, but is actually INVOLVED in agriculture, and ask the questions that she has.
She can find out from farms, like ours, that our cattle spend the summer in their pastures, but winter where there’s better protection from the elements; she can talk to farmers that raise pigs, and find out how their barns can be climate-controlled; she can speak with a farmer that raises chickens, and find out how their facilities keep the birds healthy and safe. All of that, without ever having to leave her home. But better yet, she can leave her home knowing a farmer, and can put a face to the product…and she can find a local farm to visit.
She can research the different farming practices, talk to different types of farms, and decide for herself what types of products she wants to provide for her family. She can be an educated consumer…and a connected one.
4) I’m connecting to family members that I had lost touch with…and classmates as well. And in my opinion, anytime you connect with an old friend, it’s a good thing.
5) There is strength in numbers. When I type something, and I know that someone else agrees, or feels strongly enough to disagree, at least I’m able to have those conversations with as many people as I like. And sometimes it’s comforting to know that when you’re going through a tough situation, that others have your back.
I could go on and on about how thankful I am to have these opportunities today…how has social media made a difference in your life?
It is Labor Day, our first week of school is done, a fun weekend was celebrated and here we are…back at Monday.
I promised last week that there was going to be a special surprise added to my “Celebrate a Year of Blogging” celebration, so here it is: added to the prize package is a Smart Pot 5 1/2 qt. Crock Pot and a Gooseberry Patch Slow Cooker cookbook!!! With the crock pot craze of late, and with school starting and activities picking up, I thought that a crock pot would be a perfect addition to my celebration! Be sure to go to this blog post, and post a comment…or go to Facebook and “like” Wag’n Tales!
Celebrate a year with me! Win a Crock Pot!
I know that I L-O-V-E my crock pot…and I know many of you do as well! This crock pot is great! It cooks to your desired time, and then switches to keep warm! As soon as my old crock pot decides to kick the bucket, I’m getting myself one of these babies!
Well, enough about that, on to my Hunk of Meat Monday recipe!
Easy Cheesy Potatoes & Sausage
All ya need!
Ingredients:
I left my sausage in bigger chunks, that way it's easier to pick out for George.
Mix all ingredients together and transfer to a greased 10X8 baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for one hour, or until potatoes are tender. (I would suggest stirring occasionally.) Makes 6 servings.
All done!
Cost for this meal:
That’s right…I’ve been blogging for a whole year. I started this, after some encouragement from a dear friend, thinking that it would be a good way to let off steam, show my farm and talk about my boys. Ha! That didn’t quite work the way I planned, but oh well.
EJ already knows he has big shoes to fill!
Boy, what a year it’s been! Last year, I talked about harvest, I talked about deer, I talked about school. I was frustrated that we didn’t know what was wrong with George, we traveled a LOT for his medical issues and we spent quite a bit of time in the hospital. And now, here we are…
We finally have a name, our days in the hospital will hopefully be fewer, but at least we now know what we’re dealing with and where to go from here. Our farm is still here, even when Mother Nature threw us some curveballs, and we have not be regulated out of existence…yet.
Life, as I know it, is pretty good. Even with as crazy as it gets. Plus, teaming up with my friends at The Real Farmwives of America and Friends has also been an AMAZING experience!
I never dreamed in a year’s time, that my blog would end up with almost 20,000 hits. That’s amazing to me. And I thank each and every one of you, for coming along for the ride.
I don’t know where the next year will take us, but we’re on our way!
And to celebrate the past year…I have a bit of a quiz and a giveaway for you! So here it goes:
Answer this question in the comment section below to enter: What is your favorite post on my blog? (Hint: There is no right answer!) Or why do you come back?
Want more entries? “Like” Wag’n Tales on Facebook. All Wag’n Tales friends on Facebook will be automatically entered!
Wondering what you’re winning? Well, it’ll be a really cool prize pack! Including a Fullerton Cookbook, an Ag Book of the Day or three, a Farmers Feed Families button down shirt and more! Winner will be drawn on September 9…so be sure to enter right away! (And pass it on to your friends!)
Wag'n Tales 