Category Archives: Farm life

A New Year

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We are eight days into 2011, but it’s been a long eight days!

Boss Man and I are presently in Atlanta at the 2011 American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. This was our first full day here, and it was a GREAT one! We read a farm-related book to a pre-school class outside of Atlanta, started our business meeting and went through our run-down for the rest of the weekend. (If you want to check out what’s going on, go to the blog here!)

Tomorrow brings more meetings, more planning and more activities…and I can’t wait. Unfortunately, the weather back home hasn’t been so great, which always makes us worry.

Whenever you leave the farm, it’s never far behind. Even more so in the winter. No matter how much planning you do, a few inches of snow and high winds changes everything. But there is nothing we can do about it here, so we try not to think about it.

Maybe it will work tomorrow.

Winter playing

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This is what our kids did before illness struck on Christmas Eve. Boy did they have fun!

We’ll be working on getting the cows closer to home later today, so I’ll share a video of that when I get a chance. I can’t believe that we sell calves on Monday and that calving season is just a little over a month away! Wow! Has the year flown by!

The season of sharing

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Unfortunately, we were a very sharing household this Christmas season, but not just with good tidings and presents. We shared a really, really nasty stomach bug.

Well, the week went like this:

Monday – snow storm that ended up with school being called off early and the elementary Christmas concert being cancelled.

Tuesday – life resumes to normal, although, without our knowledge, my 70-year-old dad decided to help work a couple-hundred head of cows.

Wednesday – woken up by a phone call from my Mom saying that Dad was taken by ambulance to Aberdeen. He appears to have had a heart attack. The boys’ Christmas program was rescheduled for Wednesday morning, so I go to the program, then to Aberdeen afterward.

They put Dad in ICU, run tests, perform an angiogram and find that miraculously, his by-passes from 11 years ago are still open. His legs are completely blocked, meaning that if he doesn’t quit smoking, he will more than likely lose one, if not both, legs.

After midnight, Wednesday/Thursday early morning – Scooter is having a sleepover at Grandma’s with some of the cousins, he throws up during the night, but they write it off as having too many sweets at school that day.

Thursday – Everyone is playing well, Dad decides that he’s coming home, whether the doctor wants him to or not. It is confirmed that he did have a mild heart attack, and his blood pressure is giving him some trouble, which is a new problem for him. He tells doc, “I have 14 grandkids waiting for me at my house. I’ll be better there than here.”

Friday – I head to town early, run to Aberdeen with my sister for some last minute gifts. Come back and get ready to church, to find that Big Bro has become ill. He stays home from church. We have a great Christmas Eve service, come back to my Mom and Dad’s, where another grandchild becomes ill. We’re starting to notice a pattern.

In total, three grandkids become ill on Christmas Eve, but we didn’t cancel the festivities, because they had already exposed everyone, so what was the point? We did find that only having one bathroom was a bit of an issue, but it worked out.

On Saturday, everyone was feeling a bit better. No one new became ill. Some of the family traveled home and we had a great meal together.

On Sunday, I became ill. Yuck.

The only thing that I have had since noon yesterday is a half a glass of juice this morning. The good news is that I won’t have to worry about putting on that dreaded holiday weight. The bad news is that I won’t be able to look at turkey again for a long, long time. Yuck.

Oh well, it seems to be an appropriate end to a crazy year. Here’s to starting 2011 on a better, and lighter, foot!

Lessons from home

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I was watching EJ today at lunch, and it dawned on me that he has a lot in common with the people that I’m trying to reach and educate about animal agriculture. Bet you’re wondering what in the world am I talking about, eh?

Well, it went something like this:

Me: “EJ, would you like a grilled cheese for lunch?”

EJ: “No mom, me no like grilled cheese.”

M: “Well, what are you going to have for lunch?”

EJ: “Ummm…can I just have some of that (pointing at bread), with that (pointing at cheese) and that (pointing at butter).”

M: “Do you want it cold or cooked?”

EJ: “Cook it up, please.”

M: “Are you sure you don’t just want a grilled cheese?”

EJ: “No, Mom, me don’t like it.”

Yeah, right.

So, instead of having a grilled cheese for lunch, EJ had a sandwich with butter on the outside, cheese in the middle, and cooked in the frying pan. Who am I to argue?

EJs sandwich

No matter what you think, this is NOT a grilled cheese, just ask EJ.

That’s when the light bulb came on for me. Perhaps EJ just doesn’t understand exactly what makes up a grilled cheese, maybe he doesn’t get that I put just as much care and thought into making a grilled cheese as I do his other oddly-similar-to-a-grilled-cheese creation. But then again, he’s only 3, so chances are he’s just be stubborn and acting like a child.

But the same can be said for those that oppose animal agriculture. Maybe they don’t understand what is really happening on the farm, which is why I’m out here, in cyber-world, inviting questions, comments, showing videos, etc., trying to teach those that don’t know, what actually happens on the farm.

Maybe they don’t understand just how much of their day-to-day supplies and activities rely on those of us in agriculture…and not just animal agriculture, but all of farming. (If you’d like to take a look, you can check out some information on beef here: http://fitperez.com/2010-10-26-interesting-picture or here: http://www.beef.org or on agriculture here: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/index.html)

Maybe once there are more farmers/ranchers/agriculturalists out in the public’s eye, maybe then there will be fewer insults and ridicule, and more trust and compassion.

Or maybe some are just acting like children.

Before you know it

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Well, it’s official, Christmas is almost here. Yikes. I guess I better get some cheer on!

Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. My tinsel is dull, my carols are out of tune and my tree seems to be missing its bling. I need a serious intervention.

I think part of my problem is that I’ve been so keyed up about the doctor’s visits and all that, that I’ve forgotten to sit back, relax a bit and enjoy each day…so that’s my goal this week.

I’m not going to worry about what the new year is going to bring. I’m not going to worry about things I can’t control…at least for a few days.

I will enjoy my children, enjoy my family, enjoy the holiday and remember the reason for the season, by thanking God for all of the gifts that I have been blessed with.

Maybe if I simplify and relax a bit, I will find my Christmas spirit and will celebrate whole-heartedly along with my children and watch the magic unfold before their eyes.

That’s the biggest blessing of all.

Sure is Monday

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Yep, Monday reared her ugly head. Went to have Eli’s pre-appointment blood work drawn, and decided to kill two birds with one stone and take Evan in to have him checked over. (We’ve spent a lot of time on antibiotics lately, 5 days of amoxicillin, 5 days of zithromax.)

The tests came back and Evan has strep. Woohoo! We won the jackpot! Ten days of augmentin! Yippee! If that doesn’t give him a flaming case of antibiotic butt, nothing will. Yogurt, here we come. (Normally meds don’t make you jump for joy, but when you can’t do anything else, you might as well celebrate…right???)

Eli has a double ear infection. No big deal, since he’s not symptomatic, but we’ll have to watch it. (Much like our animals, I don’t give my kids antibiotics for no reason.) But the fluids could be part of the reason that he doesn’t talk. Sooooo…just because it’s Monday, we got to discuss surgery. Not just one, but two! YAY!

If Evan’s meds don’t work this time (or he isn’t successful in the self-tonsil removal), we’re probably looking at having his tonsils removed sooner rather than later. Since the doctors and insurance companies seem to have a thing going, I’m guessing it will be right after the first of the year. But since we never have any problem with meeting our deductible anyway, I figure, the sooner, the better. (And, by the way, I LOVE telling the office that we have no copay for visits…”Sure, go ahead, schedule 14 follow-up appointments, schedule away my dear!”) Just kidding…kinda.

And in 3 months if he happens to check and Eli is having an infection, or fluid build up, in his ears, we will schedule tubes, health permitting. *sigh* poor kid, can’t catch a break. But out of the last 10 times his ears have been checked, 8 times he has had infections, or fluid. He has only passed one out of three tympanograms, so I guess that’s enough proof for me. Plus the doctor hopes that it may be the key to getting his words to come out. And I’d love to hear “Mama” again! (I’ve heard it once, at a Farm Bureau YF&R meeting, of all things!)

Oh, on a positive note, I got to talk to two lovely ladies about the Humane Society of the United States while picking up my wreath from the local crisis center for their fundraiser. I know of one organization that’ll be short some funds this next month! Woohoo! And, donations are now being DIRECTLY given to a local shelter.

See, Mondays aren’t ALL bad…just mostly! 😉

An open invitation

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I think the activities of the last few weeks are kind of catching up to me. That’s the only way I can explain how I feel right now. I was going through some of my e-mails and other “office” type stuff when a tweet came across Tweetdeck that had a profound effect on me.

Normally, I don’t let these kind of things bother me too much, because if I did, I’d be crazy. But this was a link to the article that Time did on the high cost of cheap food. Basically it was a piece written by someone who sits behind a desk, has food at their fingertips and never again thinks about where his next meal will come from.

Here’s my challenge, or perhaps an open invitation, to these types of people:

Come, spend 24 hours fighting the wind, snow and ice of a driving blizzard, while trying to carry calves or herd cows into a barn, just so that they are safe and protected in the storm. Then sit at the computer when you get in, while wondering if you should lay down for a few minutes, or just head back out, and while at the computer, read an article that claims that you don’t do enough to provide safe food. Then you can complain about where your food comes from.

Now THAT's a snow bank!

Spend countless hours, weeks, months preparing to put your crop in. Spend every dime you’ve made in the last year, in hopes that you will make that, or maybe even a little more, in the coming year. Plant your seeds, watch it start to grow, take care of it the best you know how. And then watch as Mother Nature decides that she wants your crop…and have it wiped out in the blink of an eye. Then read about someone who thinks you should be happy enough with the fact that you’ll get paid a portion of what your crop was worth. That even though you have nothing to show for all of your hard work, it doesn’t matter, because you chose that line of work. That if you really wanted to, you could always get a job in town, never worrying about where food comes from, because the grocery store never runs out. Watch that unfold before your eyes…then you can complain about where your food comes from.

Put in a 20 hour day, working from before sun-up to past sun-down, taking care of whatever comes up during the day. Spend countless hours outside, loading bales by hand, helping a cow deliver a calf, fixing fence, changing tires. Then listen as someone on the radio claims that the crops you raise are going to cause our children to die at a younger age. That our country is fatter because of the unhealthy food that is grown. All while the same people are sitting behind a desk for eight hours, children are in school longer and in activities less, homework consumes all available time after school, as opposed to activities outside, menial labor is seen as substandard employment and fast-food is the king of family meals. Listen to that all day…then you can complain about where your food comes from.

All safe and warm inside, no matter what's going on outside.

Watch your son’s first ball game from a video tape, celebrate your wife’s birthday two months late, walk into church while the second hymn is being sung…all because a cow was calving and needed help, you had one more round to make before the storm let loose, or the crop needed to be planted, sprayed or harvested. Have your life played out around seasons, weather and all things that you have no control over. Work in those conditions…then you can complain about where your food comes from.

My family strives hard every day to make sure that our work ensures that the food we produce is the safest, healthiest and cheapest it can be for the consumer, as well as for ourselves. If we abuse our land, our animals or our crops in any way, then not only is our bottom line affected, but our whole lives are as well.

Fortunately, we live in a country where people don’t have to do any of the things I’ve wrote above, and still be able to complain…loudly and publicly. People attack an industry they don’t understand, because it’s easier to lay blame than to accept it. But the ag-community is responding. Perhaps someday soon there will be more articles in the national news thanking our farmers, ranchers and those that work hard so we can provide for all. Perhaps.

A girl can dream, right?

New addition to the family

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Before you start thinking that my husband and I have lost our marbles, our new addition is not of the human variety. In fact, it’s not of the living variety.

Thanks to the wonder of modern marvels and the amazing world of online auctions, we are the proud owners of a new combine. And by new, I mean antique, but we’ve never owned it before, so it’s new to us!

One of the ways that we keep costs down on our farm, or so my husband tells me, is that our equipment is pre-loved…or pre-swore at, however you want to look at it. This new beauty is probably a late-70’s, early-80’s Massey Ferguson model…and I’m pretty sure it’s an 860, but don’t quote me on that.

It’ll look something like this:

They're oldies, but goodies.

Now, we have newer heads for soybeans, but the same old corn heads for corn harvest. So, we get to mix old and new alike. The nice thing about sticking with these older models is that Boss Man is able to make all the repairs himself. In fact, I’m pretty sure he could take one apart and put it back together in the dark. Actually, he may have had to do that last fall, come to think of it! LOL! Just kidding, kinda…

I tease him about having to have a 6-pack of combines, just so that two are running, but it’s not so funny any more. The problem with having a vintage fleet, is that parts are getting harder and harder to come by…unless you buy a whole combine as a donor. Which is basically what we do. The plus side: the combines don’t cost much…as in we could buy them by the dozen, and not get close to touching what a new one would cost.

So, as long as there are old ones in the area that can be bought at auction, we’ll be sticking with what we know…and what Boss Man can fix.

They haven’t left a crop in the field yet!

Par for the course

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Winter reared its ugly head just in time for Thanksgiving. But that didn’t stop us from making the 2 1/2 hour trek to Fargo and spend the day with my sisters and their families, as well as shopping for a whopping 19 hours straight on Friday! I tell ya, having four boys does get me in training for some of the finer moments in life!

We came home Saturday and enjoyed a lazy day at home. Then I took my foster-Grandpa to bingo (his favorite thing to do) and enjoyed a quiet night without the kids at home. Woohoo! (They stayed at my Mom and Dad’s.)

On Sunday, we planned on being in church, which starts at 10. Boss Man left the house at 8-ish, thinking he would have “plenty” of time to feed the cows and get the chores done prior to having to leave by a little after 9 (remember, our boys are at my folks’).

Well, I should have known that things wouldn’t go as planned. The morning went in typical fashion. Boss Man pulled back into the yard with the tractor at 9:40. It’s a 15 minute drive to town and we don’t have our boys yet. Plus, I still have their church clothes with me at home. So, needless to say, the cows won that one and we weren’t able to go to church. But, I did get the boys to Sunday School! Yay for a small victory!

Then last night EJ managed to turn a pen and a plastic tube from a toy into a lethal weapon and punctured a hole above his tonsil. Yep, that’s how I roll.

Cheers to 2011!

Different kind of thanks…

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My second “thankful” post will give you a list of ten things that I am glad that my boys have taught me. Some more so than others, LOL!

1) Good things come in small packages. So, so true. I cherish every moment that I was able to spend rocking my sons, holding them close, knowing that they relied on me for everything. It was overwhelming at times to think about, but I never regretted a single second of it.

I so miss these days! *snuggles*

2) When something’s out of reach, keep climbing. Now, for the most part, this wasn’t a lesson that I enjoyed them learning. Mostly because it involved things like trying to hide candy on top of the refrigerator unsuccessfully…and finding out I was unsuccessful by catching a 2-year-old on top of the fridge, eating candy.

3) What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Well, if not, it at least teaches you some pretty valuable lessons. For instance, eating a wart off your foot doesn’t need a trip to the ER, even if you had wart remover on it. Although, the Ask-A-Nurse line and Poison Control Center will try their best not to gag and/or laugh at you for explaining, and re-explaining, and then explaining once more to whomever they can get near-by to listen in and give a “second opinion” on the situation. Scooter truly does have a stomach of steel, I swear.

4) Doctors don’t know everything. Yeah, I knew this before, but there’s something about the top medical clinic in the world telling you, “Hey, there’s something wrong with your son, but we haven’t a clue as to what it really is,” that makes you sit up and take notice. But I’ve quickly learned that the one True Physician knows all and can perform miracles when least expected. I truly thank God each and every day.

5) Life with boys is never-ending excitement. Well, let’s just say that the scenery is never the same, and the stuff they pull is ALWAYS amazing me. Really? Why would I ever think that a 2-year-old would hide in a dryer? Why would a 3-year-old fill the washing machine with milk replacer? In fact, life is so hectic at times, I’m adding 6) Life is never a dull moment.

Things like buckets of toads, being dropped on my floor.

7) Love for a child is immeasurable. There is nothing…I repeat, n o t h i n g, that I would not do to save my sons from pain or being hurt. I never understood what people were talking about until the day that I found out that we were expecting Big Bro.

8) Laugh. Every day if you can. Where would we be without enjoying the little things? I shudder to think.

Plus, you can take embarrassing pics of your kids before they're old enough to tell you no!

9) Sometimes the words “Thank You,” mean more than words can describe. When Big Bro told me “thank you” this week, for being a great mom, I will relive those moments for years to come. And so to you, my readers, I say “Thank you.” Thank you for following my crazy life, coming onto our farm, learning about our family and our industry, and being willing to share it with others. I do all of this to ensure that my sons have the same types of opportunities that my husband and I were blessed to have, but without you, I am nothing but a voice in a void. Thank you.

10) Tomorrow will not be today. I do not know what it will bring, but I know that it won’t be the same as today. And that’s OK. It has to be, because if I’m not OK with that, it doesn’t matter, it’ll happen anyway!

Ah, this life with boys is a crazy one, but I wouldn’t change a minute of it…well…