Fish are patient

Posted on September 6, 2010 by wagfarms

Big brother was invited to have a sleepover at Grandma B’s house last night, so that he could go fishing with my family today. Scooter was a little peeved about this, so I promised him that we would go fishing this afternoon. Little did I know what it would all take to get there. Here’s the rundown:

$45 – money spent on snacks, drinks, etc.

$11 – money spent on in-state fishing license

25 – number of minutes spent waiting for someone able to sell me a license, since apparently they wouldn’t just let me fill it out myself and leave them the correct money

2 – number of children I took with

3 – number of poles that I took with

1 1/2 – number of worms used…don’t ask about the 1/2

15 – number of minutes spent fishing before I was told it was too cold, they were too tired, they were too hungry, etc., etc.

26 – number of minutes spent on the road, driving to and from the lake

1,376 – number of times I had to recast after both kids reeling in the fishing line as soon as I gave them their rods

1,377 – number of times I told them not to reel in the line as soon as I gave them their rod

Oh well, a good day fishing…you know the rest of the saying. The quote of the evening goes to Scooter, who looked at me after about 27 seconds of fishing and said, “Boy, these fish must have lots of patience.” Yes, my son, they must…and it’s a good thing your mom does too!

My problems start with Y

Posted on September 3, 2010 by wagfarms

As in the XY chromosome…yep, you guessed it…males.

Yeah, I know, I’m gonna get flak for it. Men don’t cause ALL the world’s problems, but they do cause most of mine! 🙂 Of course, most of that is because I’m surrounded by them…completely.

Let’s take today for example. I had a hair appointment at 9:45 this morning. This appointment was rescheduled from Wednesday, when two of my boys did not make it home on time on the bus (which is also driven by a male, might I add). Hair appointments are kind of a big deal for me. I usually only get into town once or twice a year, since you need to schedule these things in advance, and let’s just say that my life doesn’t allow for advanced scheduling that often!

I woke my lil’ boys up and got them ready to go, so I would make it into town in time to drop them off at the drop-in daycare and get my haircut. After fighting with EJ to get dressed, changing George twice (he’s allergic to clean clothes…makes him poop right through, I swear!) and putting gas in my van, I take off with a few minutes to spare.

Then another version of the XY chromosome got in my way. This morning our bulls decided to take a leisurely stroll down the road. ARGH!

So me, two boys and my minivan did some off-roading, got them going in the right direction, I turned around, came home and called the boss man to let him know what HIS bulls were doing, and headed back to town. I was NOT going to take the hour or so it was going to take to get the bulls back in the pasture. I was NOT giving up my hair appointment! Not this time!

Needless to say, my hair is shorter, the bulls are back in and all is well, even though I was a few minutes late.

Seriously, I started out on time…and I truly TRIED to get there when I should, but that stinking Y had other plans. *sigh* It’s a good thing they’re so darn cute…the boys, not the bulls.

P.S. I’ve even added a category for running late, ‘cuz I know I’ll be writing about this often!!!

There’s always a why

Posted on September 2, 2010 by wagfarms

I was aked to write a few words about why I started blogging. After thinking about it a bit, I decided that I should probably write this in my blog, so that when I think I’m too tired to write, or feel that no one is paying any attention anyways, I can come back and read this letter:

Dear blogworld,

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to step into your world for just a minute…and in return, I’m asking you to step into mine. I want to explain to you why it is that I’m writing and why it is that you should care.

I could give you a thousand reasons why I shouldn’t be here. I have 4 boys for pete’s sake, that should be enough right there! I have a house to clean, laundry to do, rooms to straighten, errands to run, cows to check on, calf replacer to retrieve out of a washing machine, etc., etc. Yeah, I’m really that busy.

But I have four main reasons why I’m taking this time…the first was born in June, 2002, and the fourth was born in April, 2009.

Right now the world is being run by those who are in the media, spinning stories to their liking and making the general population afraid of things that they never thought about before. People are doubting the safety of their food, questioning the practices that my family has been using for generations and using a magnifying glass to determine if I’m doing a good enough job raising their food. That scares me. I don’t doubt for a minute the safety of the food we are raising, but I’m scared that those who want to see me out of business are out there telling everyone what it is I’m doing, instead of me telling them.

Laws and regulations are being passed and forced upon society without thought as to the science behind the practices. Emotions are being played with and people are being forced into questioning one of the world’s safest food sources…my farm.

I have a story to tell, and I don’t want it ending with me. I want my boys to have their own stories to tell. I want them to have the freedom and opportunities to pursue whatever careers their hearts decide on…and if the world is lucky enough, one of them may decide to be a farmer.

So, long story short, why am I here? Well, I’m hoping that if someone has a question as to why I do what I do…perhaps I’ll be lucky enough for them to actually ask me, instead of a reporter in New York. And if that luck holds out, perhaps my boys will too.

And they’re off…video

Posted on September 2, 2010 by wagfarms

Video of the release of birds on YouTube…Yeah, the duck wasn’t keen on leaving. He actually stuck around for a few days, but he’s found his friends now and is happily back at the pond.

And they’re off!

Posted on September 2, 2010 by wagfarms

Earlier this summer, we started on an adventure. We hatched out pheasant and duck eggs that were at risk during haying season. (You can read the history here: http://www.fb.org/blog/index.php/2010/07/06/a_duck_duck_here_and_a_duck_duck_there )

Well, last week it finally became time to let them go. We started with 13 pheasants and 9 ducks, but a lot of lessons were learned. For example, pheasants are extremely predatorial…ducks, on the other hand, are not. This is why when we let them go, we were down to 4 pheasants and just one duck…but he was a TOUGH duck! We also had some that escaped, with the help of a black lab that liked to dig. (At least, I told the boys that they escaped…)

The boys are planning on doing it again next year. I’m actually glad that they were interested in it. Sometimes on the farm you become so used to nature that you actually forget what a beautiful and complex world we live in. It’s great to have these reminders…especially in our own backyard.