Clean-up – Day One

Posted on July 12, 2011 by wagfarms

Well, we have a good start on clean-up from Sunday’s storm. But it’ll take awhile.

We spent most of yesterday cleaning up the major stuff…downed trees, clearing out George’s soaked room, picking up fence chunks, etc. Today we’ll start coming through the yard, piling up debris, deciding what’s salvageable and what’s beyond repair. Measuring windows, figuring out which doors will need to be replaced, making plans.

It’s actually a great way to take stock of what you need, what you don’t and where you want to go from here. It’s a tough way to do it, but it gets the job done in a hurry, that’s for sure!

Two of my nieces are here to help watch the boys at my Mom and Dad’s while I’m out here getting things settled down. The girls have been such a help! I would rather the boys not see things the way they are, and have things look a little cleaned up by the time they come out here. (Plus, it’s so much easier to do things without the “help” of a 2- and 4-year-old.) I have pictures to show them when they want to see what it looked like, but sometimes this is a little much for me, I can’t imagine involving them right now.

Thank you to everyone who has given us encouraging words, stopped and talked, helped out and pitched in. We live in a wonderful community, and with so many having so much destroyed, it’s just amazing to see it all come together.

Mark hooked up the generator first thing Monday morning.

The Dakota Valley Electric crew was AMAZING and worked hard and fast to restore our power. THANK YOU!!!

My Dad can't use a regular chainsaw, thanks to his pacemaker, but he did what he could with his electric chainsaw. It worked wonders!

The roots on the cottonwood were amazing. Not the easiest job to get out!

This was the pile from day one...let's see what today brings!

The Aftermath

Posted on July 11, 2011 by wagfarms

Today will be a pretty wordless post. I have updates from the fair, but it all seems a bit off for me. Our farm was hit by a tornado last night. (***I’m going to have to re-word as “possible” tornado. I guess they are assessing this today and believe they may have been “just” straight-line winds in excess of 100 mph. How about this…the weather blew stuff all over the yard and caused a bunch of damage. It doesn’t really matter what you want to call it.)

We were blessed that no one was injured. My husband rode the storm out in the shop. (Crazy man.) The boys and I were in town at my Mom and Dad’s, just finished up from the fair and were waiting for supper to finish on the grill when the sirens went off and we spent an hour in the basement.

I knew it was bad when Mark called and said, “Well, we have damage.” You see, he’s notorious for shrugging things off and downplaying what’s going on. For him to admit there were problems meant that things weren’t good. But material things can be replaced, and it makes you count your blessings even more.

I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to look like this.

This evergreen was right outside our door. So lucky the house didn't have more damage!

EJ was most upset about the swing set. He cried.

Mark's water truck met with a big-'ol cottonwood. Neither won.

These little building have all been spun off their foundations.

This bin should be sitting on the cement slab...the other bin is strewn across our corn field.

Some of EJ's tractors didn't fare well, either. Again, easily replaced.

This is the west end of the shop Mark was in when the storm hit. The whole side is caved in.

The garden looks pretty tough. All that hard work. George's food for winter. Oh well, easy to replace.

First fair as 4-H family!

Posted on July 8, 2011 by wagfarms

How’s that for a tongue twister?!?

Yep, our first-time ever being official 4-H’ers is in the books. And I’m so proud of my boys!

Scooter is a Cloverbud, so whatever project he took to the fair, he received a participation ribbon. I love that he gets the chance to go through the process with no pressure on performing to a high-standard, etc. It was GREAT!

Ask him about kitchen safety…and he’ll talk your ear off; ask him about taking nature walks…and he’ll tell you all about seeing a toad; ask him about using his senses outdoors…and he’ll tell you how much our puppy stinks right now. Isn’t that great? (Well, except for the stinky puppy bit.)

Big Bro took nine static exhibits to the fair…and he brought home six blue ribbons and three reds! He was so proud of himself…and I was even more proud, because I know that he did all of the work by himself. I can’t wait to see how they grow in the next year.

One of his exhibits was a photo enlargement. Here it is:

Big Bro's photo exhibit...but not enlarged.

He also did a photo exhibit that told a story about his brother playing outside:

I LOVE this picture that Big Bro took of EJ.

And then, just some cool landscape photos:

An old bus, that was turned into a camper, that was crashed, that was purchased by my husband, that was salvaged for its engine, that's now sitting on our farm, that's now used as a giant fort by my boys.

And he also taught our puppy (Miss Maggie May) how to sit, which was one of his projects:

Miss Maggie May is super smart...but Big Bro did a GREAT job teaching her to sit!

The Dickey County Fair continues through Sunday…so stay tuned for more updates!

Wordless Wednesday – Mini-veggies

Posted on July 6, 2011 by wagfarms

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’ve been working hard on getting our garden to make it through the year. You see, it’s not just because I like vegetables, or I think we’re the only ones who can grow a tomato right, or I don’t like getting vegetables from my store or anything like that.

It’s much more simple…I want to provide for my son.

George’s condition? George’s diagnosis? George’s illness? Hmmm…what do I call it…let’s just go with OTC. George’s OTC will not allow us to provide him with the wonderfully delicious beef that the rest of our family gets from the farm. And he never will be able to enjoy it…at least not much. George is limited to 10-12 grams of protein per DAY…and well, that just isn’t much in the scheme of things. And meat is basically out of his realm of menu options. Completely.

George loves his fruit! It's a good thing, since that's about the only thing he can eat a lot of!

So we go with fruits and vegetables. And since North Dakota isn’t real high on the fruit scale of production, we’re going to do our best on the veggie side. Like these:

These sugar snap peas are just about ready!

The cucumbers are showing up! Yahoo!!!

These peppers aren't much yet...but they're getting there!

Tomato...tomahto...can you say salsa???

Mary, Mary…

Posted on July 2, 2011 by wagfarms

Well, after wondering if my garden would pull through the flooding, it’s obvious that it handled it rather well! Yay!

In fact, I spotted my first pea pod already filling…can’t wait for more!

I thought I would take a few pics of my favorite blooms to share with you…enjoy!

The hard, fast rain has compacted the ground a bit, but nothing a little hard work won't help out!

These spaghetti squash will serve as George's noodles in the upcoming months. Can't wait!!!

We have a pea pod! Yay!!! Can't wait for the others to set on!

Cukes, cukes and more cukes. Hubby loves them, and so do the kids!

The peppers have been the hardest hit, but they're coming around.

Some of my tomatoes look great, and some look pretty sparse, but this little guy is trying to blossom...giving me hope! My salsa is demanded around this house!

Hopefully in the next few weeks this patch will be pumping out the produce and my boys will be enjoying my hard work. I won’t lie to you, it’s been a really tough year to do this. But in the end, it’ll all be worth it…

Right?

Why I Don’t Love My Dad

Posted on June 16, 2011 by wagfarms

I wrote this back in 2007…and it’s still true today. I love you Dad, and may your Father’s Day be a great one!

Why do I love my Dad? Hmmm…that’s a tough one. Maybe it would be easier to explain why I don’t love my Dad.

I don’t love my Dad because he gives me everything I’ve ever wanted. Although, truthfully, he probably would if he could. What he did give me was the ability to appreciate all that I have. He also gave me the wisdom to know the difference between what I want and what I need…a lesson not taught nearly enough these days.

I don’t love my Dad because he took me on vacation every summer. Actually, we hardly ever traveled anywhere as a family, especially not to “touristy” locations. Instead, he instilled in me the value of what is here at home. We went fishing as often as possible, sometimes getting up before the sun rose and staying fishing all night. (You can’t quit if the fish are biting!) I learned how to bait my own hook by the time I could walk and learned how to tie a line while learning to tie my shoes. He taught me that being a girl didn’t mean you had to sit back and let the boys do all the fun stuff.

I don’t love my Dad because he bought me a new vehicle as soon as I got my license. In fact, the day I got my license my Dad drove me to the exam and then, after I passed and had my new license in my hand, he drove me home. I guess he wasn’t quite ready to let go of the wheel yet. He didn’t buy me a new vehicle, but he did buy an old Pontiac Phoenix that was definitely a learner car. Boy, are those some memories!

I don’t love my Dad because he went to every activity I was in. My Dad worked long, hard hours and when I was growing up, I knew not to expect him at many of my programs, games, etc., whatever it may be. At first I was hurt, thinking that I was missing out on having my Dad there, taking snapshots or filming those moments, but then one day I overheard my Dad talking to a friend about us kids. The amount of happiness and pride in his voice was overwhelming. That’s when I realized that Dad didn’t skip our activities because he didn’t care…it was more because he was so anxious to see us succeed that he couldn’t handle seeing us fail first-hand. He would listen to us tell our stories about our games, programs, tests, etc., then repeat them to whomever would listen, as if he had been standing right next to us.

I don’t love my Dad because he was a stern man. My Dad is actually a certifiable softy. I’ll be in trouble if he reads this, but my Dad is a crier. His heart, and a weak one at that, is the size of Texas. He tears up at Christmas, no matter what we give him. His eyes glistened at our weddings. He makes sure he brings a handkerchief to funerals. He won’t even get close to the Hallmark Channel. I personally think the only reason he watches those fishing shows is because he knows they won’t be “tear-jerkers.” (Well, except for when the Big One gets away!)

I don’t love my Dad because he puts his family before all else. Actually, most anyone who knows my Dad is treated as family, so that one may not quite be true. I guess as family, we don’t get special treatment. It’s just the way Dad handles everything. If you need something he has, he’ll give it to you. I have actually, literally, seen him give the shirt off his back. That’s just the type of man he is. Sometimes it’s annoying, but most times it just makes me even more proud of him.

I don’t love my Dad for any of these reasons. And yet, I love him for all of them.

48 Years…and Counting

Posted on June 15, 2011 by wagfarms

Happy Anniversary to my parents. They have been married an amazing 48 years today!

Now, I’m not going to get all weepy about how my parents are the perfect couple and have the perfect relationship and I hope that someday that my husband and I can follow in their footsteps…well, except I kinda do.

You see, my parents are different than most. But they kinda need to be, because our lives are different than most.

My Dad has had heart problems for more than 20 years now. Calling 911 and seeing an ambulance at my parents’ house was nothing out of the ordinary. Dad’s been told by countless doctors that unless he changes his ways, his days are numbered. The doctors just happen to be wrong on that number, because it keeps going higher than they expected…so Dad has continued on his wayward path. It’s what we’ve come to expect.

Nothing could shake him…until last year. Let’s take a step back:

Shortly before Christmas 2009, my Mom had a cold that she couldn’t shake. So she went to the local clinic and was told that she should go have a sore in her mouth checked out by a specialist. The specialist got her in and took a biopsy of the sore. She had to go back for a more in-depth biopsy. And just a few days before Christmas we found out that my Mom had cancer.

But they had a plan.

Shortly after 2010 started, my Mom and Dad drove down to Omaha, Neb., to a specialist who decided that Mom’s cancer would best be treated by removing a portion of the roof of her mouth, along with any other tissue that he deemed necessary. And so it was scheduled.

Prior to her surgery, Mom had to have a whole bunch of tests done. They needed a baseline to go off of for subsequent testing. Mom was the opposite of Dad…where his medical records could fill a warehouse, Mom has very few. She had only been to the doctor a handful of times since my little sister had been born, and most of those visits were typical cold/viral illnesses. Not regular checkups. (And for reference point, my little sister just turned 30 this year.)

Long story short, my Dad ended up having an anxiety attack after my Mom’s surgery…which landed him in the hospital overnight. Did you know that anxiety attacks and heart attacks look and act very similar? I do. Now.

Mom’s cancer was removed, along with part of a tonsil and a couple dozen lymph nodes from her neck. She had none of the bad side effects, didn’t need to have therapy to re-learn to eat or talk, didn’t need to have chemo or radiation. The only thing she needed was to have a plate added to her dentures to cover the hole left on the roof of her mouth.

We were blessed.

And now, we’re facing a new battle.

Mom has macular degeneration. And she’s started treatment to have shots in her eye. We all thought it was simple cataracts. That’s what her regular eye doctor said this winter. And he told her to wait until he got back in May to have something done. But we convinced her to set up another appointment with a different doctor while waiting. Which led to a retina specialist. Which led to this new route for treatment.

Dad was cranky after the appointment. And did a little lashing out. But my sister found out what was truly the problem. He simply said:

“This isn’t supposed to happen to her.”

Yes, my Dad is a regular at the clinic, hospital, etc. My Mom is not. And in 48 years, my Dad has never worried that my Mom had anything wrong. She is his partner in everything they do: fishing, hunting, whatever it may be. And the thought of that changing has Dad scared. (Don’t tell him I said that!)

But I know my Mom, and she’ll persevere and she’ll tackle this newest complication the same as always. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I just want everyone to get along.” (My siblings will get a kick out of that last line. It’s Mom’s mantra – or maybe it’s mom-tra.)

And my Dad will be there with her…crabby, cranky and crying when she’s not looking. (My Dad’s a softy.)

After 48 years, neither cancer, nor bad heart, nor bad eyes can stand in the way.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Apologies to All

Posted on June 14, 2011 by wagfarms

I am apologizing to all of you. I’ve spent the last week, wanting to post, but not knowing how to go about it. I’ve had a lot of things going on in my life. And I was feeling overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated and everything else in between.

I didn’t want to write about it, but knew that whatever I DID write, my feelings would taint it, and it would not be the light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek type of posts that I like to write. So I wrote nothing. And I shouldn’t have taken that route.

I’m trying to make changes in my life. I’m trying to better myself. I’m trying to do things that will improve the future for my children and, hopefully, in some small way, will improve the future of agriculture as a whole.

I’m trying, but…well, let’s just say that it’s become a lot more difficult than I anticipated.

But, it’s time for me to shake it off, and get back to my grand plan and get to work. Just minus some of the support I was expecting. In my life, though, I’ve come to expect the unexpected. Nothing goes as planned, and that’s what makes life interesting.

Well, thank you for still being here, and thank you for still reading. I promise, no more of this fuddy-duddy stuff. It’s time for some serious writing, some serious laughing and some serious living.

Hope you’re ready for it! 🙂

It’s All in the Name

Posted on June 6, 2011 by wagfarms

I spent the weekend helping out my Mom and Dad do a few projects around their house…like replacing a hot water heater. It was tons of fun…really.

Actually, I don’t mind helping them one bit. They’ve always done so much for us and since I was always the one physically closest to them, I’ve been part of many projects. Like replacing a porch floor, repainting the entry way, residing part of the house…little things like that.

I was thinking back on my days in school. You know, those days that you are forced to take classes like shop and home-ec. (I think they call it industrial arts and consumer science now. Ha!)

I remember one shop project in particular. We were supposed to make name plates for our homes. You know, those fancy routered slabs of wood that have the last name engraved on them and look so great outside your house? Well, that’s what it was “supposed” to look like.

I finished the project, but I had a bone to pick with the shop teacher. First of all, I was a girl, and if I got married, my last name was changing. So what was the point of the project? I wasn’t keeping it forever.

Second, we had to pay for the wood by the inch. Which to me, wasn’t fair. I mean, some people had really choice last names, like “Rall” and “Hafey.” I mean, even “Beringer” was bearable and wasn’t going to break the bank. My last name? Are you ready?

B R A N D E N B U R G E R

Yep. My expensive piece of wood was supposed to hold all those letters.

I was going to need a week, just to get the router through all that. And then paint. And then send it through the planer. It was a grueling project. And not all that cheap.

And here we are, some 20 years later. And guess what?

Anyone have an extra-large doorway? It needs a bit of TLC and a new coat of varnish, but it's all there!

My Mom and Dad still have it on the front steps in front of the house.

I think they just want to make sure they get their money’s worth.

Wordless Wednesday – Crazy Week

Posted on June 1, 2011 by wagfarms

It’s been one of those weeks…and to top it off, we got a puppy! We have 300 acres planted and many more to go. I finally got the garden planted, but the wind has taken care of some of it. Life has been interesting, that’s for sure. Now softball and VBS tonight, more VBS tomorrow night and perhaps a quiet weekend at home. Whew! I can’t wait!