It is the season that Dear Farmer and Family can be all too distracted.
There's chickens to be housed and cared for, buildings to build, the garden to plan and plant, goats hooves need to be trimmed, calf needs brushed, house needs little tweeks here and there, people to visit with, unending chores, fences to build, tractors to fix and clean, barns to clean, yard to cut....the list goes on and on....
With such a list, it's hard to "Stay On Task!" {Perhaps that will be our theme this year...hmmmm....}
Priority given to things that must be done IMMEDIATELY!, like housing the little chicks. And our missing 200...they came in yesterday...all 300 of them. Someone at the chickery is having a good laugh, we think. The littlest chicks cannot fend for themselves, depending on us for their every need...
What else on the farm ranks in that same class? The smallest children. Okay, both go on the highest priority.
Next on the list probably comes the rest of the animals, and medium size children.
And so on, and so forth...
But the list becomes hazy when the sun is shining and the birds are singing...and all Dear Farmer really wants to do is walk among the cows. Sit in the shade and admire the beauty of creation. Watch the children play Frisbee on a warm summer night. These are both the reasons to keep plugging on through the work of today...and reasons to stay on task tomorrow.
Distractions can be the making of the memory...or the downfall of organization...
And so...we attempt to "Stay On Task!"
However, if you come to visit us, we'll happily be distracted!!!
Showing posts with label tractors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tractors. Show all posts
Friday, April 22, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
Dear Farmer Places an Order Online
Dear Farmer is of the opinion that phones are for calling and talking to people...not texting, snap-chatting, insta-gram-ing, taking pictures, or reading on.
Dear Farmer likes to do business with a handshake...not bids, quotes or contracts.
Dear Farmer likes to buy things from a person...not the self-checkout, vending machine, or online.
These days aren't like the days when Dear Farmer was a boy. Bread costs more than a nickle a loaf, gas costs more than ten cents a gallon, and there are some things you just order online.
"Back in my day..." Dear Farmer will begin a story, and the children groan.
"Pop! Get in the twenty-first century!", they say. But that's not when Dear Farmer was born.
So, ordering online is a big "to-do" when Dear Farmer has to do it. He only orders from companies that he's dealt with in the past...ones that have people on the other end. Then spends hours "one-touch" typing in the desired items. It's so painful, none of us can watch him anymore. He has to do it himself!
Then, after hours and hours of filling a cart....he calls in the Wife to checkout....
He has learned that the quick typing and quick clicking is un-nerving...so he usually tries to leave the room when it comes to checking out. There are some times he has to be present for the orders because they need special instructions...he's usually found rubbing his head for the headache that comes on afterward.
No, these aren't the days that Dear Farmer grew up in.
It only takes two days to get something from an online order, he doesn't pay extra, and we don't have to wait at the mailbox for the delivery.
Pictures of animals are sent instantly from farmer to farmer with questions, concerns, or for sale.
Decisions take seconds, not weeks.
Modern machinery can do the work of three-hundred horses.
His tractor can do 45 mph on the road!
"Those Good Old Days", we remind Dear Farmer, "you still get to live. You walk among your herd, hear the softness of the hay being munched during feeding, touch the tops of the grass as it begins to seed-head. You work in the beauty of creation every day! One afternoon ordering an automatic chicken door that's timed to close at night and open at the break of day(so that none of us have to do it)...that's really not that bad!"
Dear Farmer likes to do business with a handshake...not bids, quotes or contracts.
Dear Farmer likes to buy things from a person...not the self-checkout, vending machine, or online.
These days aren't like the days when Dear Farmer was a boy. Bread costs more than a nickle a loaf, gas costs more than ten cents a gallon, and there are some things you just order online.
"Back in my day..." Dear Farmer will begin a story, and the children groan.
"Pop! Get in the twenty-first century!", they say. But that's not when Dear Farmer was born.
So, ordering online is a big "to-do" when Dear Farmer has to do it. He only orders from companies that he's dealt with in the past...ones that have people on the other end. Then spends hours "one-touch" typing in the desired items. It's so painful, none of us can watch him anymore. He has to do it himself!
Then, after hours and hours of filling a cart....he calls in the Wife to checkout....
He has learned that the quick typing and quick clicking is un-nerving...so he usually tries to leave the room when it comes to checking out. There are some times he has to be present for the orders because they need special instructions...he's usually found rubbing his head for the headache that comes on afterward.
No, these aren't the days that Dear Farmer grew up in.
It only takes two days to get something from an online order, he doesn't pay extra, and we don't have to wait at the mailbox for the delivery.
Pictures of animals are sent instantly from farmer to farmer with questions, concerns, or for sale.
Decisions take seconds, not weeks.
Modern machinery can do the work of three-hundred horses.
His tractor can do 45 mph on the road!
"Those Good Old Days", we remind Dear Farmer, "you still get to live. You walk among your herd, hear the softness of the hay being munched during feeding, touch the tops of the grass as it begins to seed-head. You work in the beauty of creation every day! One afternoon ordering an automatic chicken door that's timed to close at night and open at the break of day(so that none of us have to do it)...that's really not that bad!"
Monday, March 14, 2016
Late-Night Hay Feeding
Dear Farmer was all in a tizzy...rain was coming!
Lots of rain, over a relatively short time, makes the fields very sloppy for the tractor.
Sloppy for the Farmer.
Sloppy for the feeding process.
Dear Farmer HAD to get fifteen very large square bales out into the fields before the rain came and he would not be able to traverse the tractor-path due to rain.
Hooking up to the hay-forks and loading a helper(WhizBang!Farmer's Daughter) onto the tractor, out they went....two bales at a time...this means they would need to make ten trips to get the cows the needed fourteen bales of hay and three new-to-us feeders into the fields.
They started the process at four-thirty in the afternoon. Tractors don't move very fast. The process of just picking up two bales can be time consuming.
By five the rain started coming. Little drops can feel really big when you're in an open cab riding in the open fields.
By five-thirty the temperatures started dropping. The two made a quick dash inside for winter coats and gear. They were feeling the cold chill quick!
By six in the evening the wind kicked up. They were on trip six and just hoping to get in before...
By six-fifteen it was pretty dark.
By six-thirty it was dark and the family was sitting down to dinner...feeling a little bad that we were eating grilled pork chops(Dear Farmer's favorite meal) and he was still on a tractor working. DONE! Now they just had to park the tractor back down at the machine shed and walk back home in the cold, dark, rain.
Dear Farmer and the WhizBang!Farmer's Daughter sat down to dinner. We had the food warm, the woodstove hot, and the fellowship lively.
Dear Farmer won't be doing that one again soon. He can sit back and enjoy the rain...
Lots of rain, over a relatively short time, makes the fields very sloppy for the tractor.
Sloppy for the Farmer.
Sloppy for the feeding process.
Dear Farmer HAD to get fifteen very large square bales out into the fields before the rain came and he would not be able to traverse the tractor-path due to rain.
Hooking up to the hay-forks and loading a helper(WhizBang!Farmer's Daughter) onto the tractor, out they went....two bales at a time...this means they would need to make ten trips to get the cows the needed fourteen bales of hay and three new-to-us feeders into the fields.
They started the process at four-thirty in the afternoon. Tractors don't move very fast. The process of just picking up two bales can be time consuming.
By five the rain started coming. Little drops can feel really big when you're in an open cab riding in the open fields.
By five-thirty the temperatures started dropping. The two made a quick dash inside for winter coats and gear. They were feeling the cold chill quick!
By six in the evening the wind kicked up. They were on trip six and just hoping to get in before...
By six-fifteen it was pretty dark.
By six-thirty it was dark and the family was sitting down to dinner...feeling a little bad that we were eating grilled pork chops(Dear Farmer's favorite meal) and he was still on a tractor working. DONE! Now they just had to park the tractor back down at the machine shed and walk back home in the cold, dark, rain.
Dear Farmer and the WhizBang!Farmer's Daughter sat down to dinner. We had the food warm, the woodstove hot, and the fellowship lively.
Dear Farmer won't be doing that one again soon. He can sit back and enjoy the rain...
Monday, February 8, 2016
So you want to be a farmer? The Reality of Being Organic and Sustainable
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work."
-Thomas Edison
If you thought that recycling made you sustainable and organic meant that you didn't use deodorant, then we're a shocker for you. We take that to a whole new level!!!(Yes, we do use odor protection.)
Sustainable means we put up enough hay in the summer to feed the herd in the winter, and we're planning on growing the grass again next year. So we mow it when it goes to seed-head. It's not a nice lawn look all year. Sometimes during the summer it may look quite shaggy-depending on rainfall.
It means when there's an apple tree in the field, we pick it and sauce it so we have food in the winter. We don't complain the apples are the size of your thumb. Sometimes sustainability can take on the same look as common-sense...a chicken gets used four different ways. First as a vet for the cows as it cleans the pasture, next as an egg layer, third as a stew bird for dinner, and lastly as chicken broth preserved for later. We use the sun and air we breathe to dry our clothes, for light during the day and that "fresh air" smell on our sheets.
Everything that's sustainable is hard work, there's no skating by. Burning wood for heat means cutting the wood, splitting the wood, and stacking the wood-sometimes in the coldest day of the winter.
But it's so worth it!
Organic means we don't use anything God didn't create for fertilizer, animals, and food. We use our own animals to fertilize the pastures, then give them a dose of watered down compost for good measure. We don't breed animals to have the biggest body-parts for show or production, we take them as God made them and use them right. That's why our goats have horns, cats have claws, and chickens have bone and skin! We let the animals eat the grass, the apples, the leaves, the herbs-and we don't peel back an ear of corn for them. This is the way God meant it to be.
Before you think this is all daisies and roses, can I be quite frank? Because of this life we live...there are things you may want to consider...wear mud boots(real ones, not fashionable ones) to get to the door. There's chicken poop everywhere. Why? They have wings, they fly any where they want to. That means to the house, not just in the barnyard.
There's a goat who will greet you at the car door, and will gladly display for you how she can urinate on your foot and poop all the way to the front door of the house.
The cats like to leave "gifts" everywhere. Dead mice, voles, ground squirrels, chipmunks...
Be prepared for dirt. The windows are open in the house and it coats the furniture...really, I dusted it off six times today from the dark wood piano! The dirt covers feet, shoes, clothes, and gets under nails. It sticks to the cobwebs created overnight, and onto the faucets where children were washing it off. It doesn't matter how we attempt to get rid of it, it comes back. A magazine cover will never show the reality of farm life dirt.
The mess. There's a plethora of misc. tools, equipment, toys, and vehicles that don't run. The reality is, we're busy staying alive, there'll be a time to make it all clean(when the dumpster is here), but right now isn't that time. So, if you're OCD(which I find I am) take a deep breathe and close your eyes as you walk past it. The mess won't change the taste of dinner, and it also won't make the photo shoot for the magazine cover(thankfully). So just move on. Lastly, prepare yourself for a new brand of sweat. I promise, we do use odor protection, but it doesn't help the amount of sweat we produce. It doesn't matter what time of year it is, there's hard physical work we're doing. Whether it's under the hot sun or bundled in the dead of winter-people around here are sweating! No need for aerobics class, we pitchfork hay around for hours. Snow-shoeing and cross country skiing are means for checking the fence lines. Walking miles is a form of transportation, not relaxation. And when you see people standing around this kitchen with dripping hair or frozen hair and wet shirts and socks, covered head to toe in dirt and poop-laughing about the day they just had...know that they've accomplished the "Organic" label that went on that product in the store. AND LIFE IS GOOD!
-Thomas Edison
If you thought that recycling made you sustainable and organic meant that you didn't use deodorant, then we're a shocker for you. We take that to a whole new level!!!(Yes, we do use odor protection.)
Sustainable means we put up enough hay in the summer to feed the herd in the winter, and we're planning on growing the grass again next year. So we mow it when it goes to seed-head. It's not a nice lawn look all year. Sometimes during the summer it may look quite shaggy-depending on rainfall.
It means when there's an apple tree in the field, we pick it and sauce it so we have food in the winter. We don't complain the apples are the size of your thumb. Sometimes sustainability can take on the same look as common-sense...a chicken gets used four different ways. First as a vet for the cows as it cleans the pasture, next as an egg layer, third as a stew bird for dinner, and lastly as chicken broth preserved for later. We use the sun and air we breathe to dry our clothes, for light during the day and that "fresh air" smell on our sheets.
Everything that's sustainable is hard work, there's no skating by. Burning wood for heat means cutting the wood, splitting the wood, and stacking the wood-sometimes in the coldest day of the winter.
But it's so worth it!
Organic means we don't use anything God didn't create for fertilizer, animals, and food. We use our own animals to fertilize the pastures, then give them a dose of watered down compost for good measure. We don't breed animals to have the biggest body-parts for show or production, we take them as God made them and use them right. That's why our goats have horns, cats have claws, and chickens have bone and skin! We let the animals eat the grass, the apples, the leaves, the herbs-and we don't peel back an ear of corn for them. This is the way God meant it to be.
Before you think this is all daisies and roses, can I be quite frank? Because of this life we live...there are things you may want to consider...wear mud boots(real ones, not fashionable ones) to get to the door. There's chicken poop everywhere. Why? They have wings, they fly any where they want to. That means to the house, not just in the barnyard.
There's a goat who will greet you at the car door, and will gladly display for you how she can urinate on your foot and poop all the way to the front door of the house.
The cats like to leave "gifts" everywhere. Dead mice, voles, ground squirrels, chipmunks...
Be prepared for dirt. The windows are open in the house and it coats the furniture...really, I dusted it off six times today from the dark wood piano! The dirt covers feet, shoes, clothes, and gets under nails. It sticks to the cobwebs created overnight, and onto the faucets where children were washing it off. It doesn't matter how we attempt to get rid of it, it comes back. A magazine cover will never show the reality of farm life dirt.
The mess. There's a plethora of misc. tools, equipment, toys, and vehicles that don't run. The reality is, we're busy staying alive, there'll be a time to make it all clean(when the dumpster is here), but right now isn't that time. So, if you're OCD(which I find I am) take a deep breathe and close your eyes as you walk past it. The mess won't change the taste of dinner, and it also won't make the photo shoot for the magazine cover(thankfully). So just move on. Lastly, prepare yourself for a new brand of sweat. I promise, we do use odor protection, but it doesn't help the amount of sweat we produce. It doesn't matter what time of year it is, there's hard physical work we're doing. Whether it's under the hot sun or bundled in the dead of winter-people around here are sweating! No need for aerobics class, we pitchfork hay around for hours. Snow-shoeing and cross country skiing are means for checking the fence lines. Walking miles is a form of transportation, not relaxation. And when you see people standing around this kitchen with dripping hair or frozen hair and wet shirts and socks, covered head to toe in dirt and poop-laughing about the day they just had...know that they've accomplished the "Organic" label that went on that product in the store. AND LIFE IS GOOD!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
And so we bid farewell to #241...
There was a beginning to this blog...it was the result of telling a friend of Dear Farmer's encounters with one specific cow...#241. If you look back, that was the first story we shared.
#241 was a mean and nasty cow. She was always ready to run down Dear Farmer, with no rhyme or reason. With a disposition so negative, bad feet and no back teeth Dear Farmer had her on the butcher-line several times. Each time she was to "go" she'd have a calf, and so she would need to stay for the survival of the calf. Dear Farmer didn't mind too much because she was an excellent mother and she gave wonderful calves...well, he wouldn't mind initially...and then he'd be running back to his tractor with an angry cow chasing him again! The two of them did this dance for four years.
This past summer #241 had a name change, we called her "Ugly". She began to loose weight and turned to a mess of bones and skin hanging. She was not looking good, really bad advertising for an organic farm. So Dear Farmer moved her to the barn and tried many remedies for her, none seemed to help. Earlier this week Dear Farmer went down to do chores, and "Ugly" was laying on the ground near the feeders, dead.
There wasn't rejoicing. Dear Farmer is a little disappointed, he would have really liked to have had the upper-hand and eaten her...but not this foe. We all gave a sigh of relief and a nod of the head. Acknowledging the passing of the enemy who gave us so many great stories...farewell to #241.
#241 was a mean and nasty cow. She was always ready to run down Dear Farmer, with no rhyme or reason. With a disposition so negative, bad feet and no back teeth Dear Farmer had her on the butcher-line several times. Each time she was to "go" she'd have a calf, and so she would need to stay for the survival of the calf. Dear Farmer didn't mind too much because she was an excellent mother and she gave wonderful calves...well, he wouldn't mind initially...and then he'd be running back to his tractor with an angry cow chasing him again! The two of them did this dance for four years.
This past summer #241 had a name change, we called her "Ugly". She began to loose weight and turned to a mess of bones and skin hanging. She was not looking good, really bad advertising for an organic farm. So Dear Farmer moved her to the barn and tried many remedies for her, none seemed to help. Earlier this week Dear Farmer went down to do chores, and "Ugly" was laying on the ground near the feeders, dead.
There wasn't rejoicing. Dear Farmer is a little disappointed, he would have really liked to have had the upper-hand and eaten her...but not this foe. We all gave a sigh of relief and a nod of the head. Acknowledging the passing of the enemy who gave us so many great stories...farewell to #241.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Dear Farmer has one of THOSE days...
It's one of THOSE days...you know the ones...nothing goes right and everything you planned becomes nothing that you planned...THOSE days.
It started with needing to catch chickens to go to butcher at 4am. Just what everyone wants to do at 4am...and Dear Farmer can do it, if he wakes up at 3am and drinks a pot of coffee first. He feels that prepares him adequately to bundle up on a frosty morning and pluck still roosting(ie sleeping) chickens off their roosts and into crates to be transported to the butcher. Then, after an hour of chicken catching and being pooped on...he gets to come inside and drink another pot of coffee, then go out to do chores. This is where things turned bad...while drinking the pot of coffee a farmhand jogged inside to let Dear Farmer know that we were nearly out of chicken feed. Dear Farmer popped onto the phone with the feed supplier (because everyone in the farming world is up and moving by 5am--except for Dear Farmer's Wife), who was also drinking coffee. The feed supplier informed Dear Farmer that their delivery truck was broken. How to get feed??? Well, after chores the plan was to move hay from the storage where the large hay fields are to the fields where the cows winter. This can be an all day process...it wasn't going to be now. Now, Dear Farmer also had to drive down two-and-a-half hours to get chicken feed, drive back two-and-a-half hours to bring it home, and unload it all. And so, Dear Farmer suited up, and away he went. Loading hay for transport went smoothly, but took longer than expected. Brought hay back and unloaded all the hay-smoothly, but longer than expected. Loaded up for chicken-feed run, and took off with the Keeper of the Flame to pick up feed. En Route the two major roads (both toll) were under construction. Ergh, crawling through and already running later than expected was not in the plan! Then he got off on the wrong exit, and had to figure out where he was...Dear Farmer, is not techno-savvy, GPS isn't even an option...so he had to drive twenty minutes out of the way, to figure out where he was, to go around a block, and get in the right direction again...finally making it to the feed supplier-and found out he had forgotten the bags to dump feed into back at home. Thankfully the feed supplier scrounged up enough bags and loaded up Dear Farmer for the return trip back home. Dear Farmer tried to pull out the day from the pits and met up with Fabulous Uncle for dinner (late) and drove home (later) and made it in the driveway by 10pm. While in bed that night he was moaning about his rear-end being in real pain...found out he had been sitting on a roll of electrical tape for his 16 hours driving vehicles all day. It was really one of THOSE days, but he made it through in one piece, not wanting to do it again anytime soon.
It started with needing to catch chickens to go to butcher at 4am. Just what everyone wants to do at 4am...and Dear Farmer can do it, if he wakes up at 3am and drinks a pot of coffee first. He feels that prepares him adequately to bundle up on a frosty morning and pluck still roosting(ie sleeping) chickens off their roosts and into crates to be transported to the butcher. Then, after an hour of chicken catching and being pooped on...he gets to come inside and drink another pot of coffee, then go out to do chores. This is where things turned bad...while drinking the pot of coffee a farmhand jogged inside to let Dear Farmer know that we were nearly out of chicken feed. Dear Farmer popped onto the phone with the feed supplier (because everyone in the farming world is up and moving by 5am--except for Dear Farmer's Wife), who was also drinking coffee. The feed supplier informed Dear Farmer that their delivery truck was broken. How to get feed??? Well, after chores the plan was to move hay from the storage where the large hay fields are to the fields where the cows winter. This can be an all day process...it wasn't going to be now. Now, Dear Farmer also had to drive down two-and-a-half hours to get chicken feed, drive back two-and-a-half hours to bring it home, and unload it all. And so, Dear Farmer suited up, and away he went. Loading hay for transport went smoothly, but took longer than expected. Brought hay back and unloaded all the hay-smoothly, but longer than expected. Loaded up for chicken-feed run, and took off with the Keeper of the Flame to pick up feed. En Route the two major roads (both toll) were under construction. Ergh, crawling through and already running later than expected was not in the plan! Then he got off on the wrong exit, and had to figure out where he was...Dear Farmer, is not techno-savvy, GPS isn't even an option...so he had to drive twenty minutes out of the way, to figure out where he was, to go around a block, and get in the right direction again...finally making it to the feed supplier-and found out he had forgotten the bags to dump feed into back at home. Thankfully the feed supplier scrounged up enough bags and loaded up Dear Farmer for the return trip back home. Dear Farmer tried to pull out the day from the pits and met up with Fabulous Uncle for dinner (late) and drove home (later) and made it in the driveway by 10pm. While in bed that night he was moaning about his rear-end being in real pain...found out he had been sitting on a roll of electrical tape for his 16 hours driving vehicles all day. It was really one of THOSE days, but he made it through in one piece, not wanting to do it again anytime soon.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Waiting and Hoping for Hay
When the Wife was a child she could not have thought that as an adult seeding a hay field would be something she would be concerned about. But she is finding that seeding this particular hay field is an "angst" in her wonderful world of agriculture. This hay field has lain fallow for a year, so it first had to be disc-d, rock picked, disc-d again, rock picked, seeded, and then dragged. This is what the Wife has learned this year:
Disc-ing has nothing to do with dancing, mathematics, or an Olympic event. Disc-ing is where a tractor hooks up to an implement that looks to have dozens of round metal discs on end. This implement in lowered to the ground and run over the ground. It is not plowing, it is taking the ground and breaking it up, pulverizing the dirt, and preparing the dirt for seed.
Disc-ing the ground brings rocks to the surface. No seed grows on rocks. Rocks damage farm equipment and possibly Dear Farmer. Rocks need to be removed. They are best removed by a rock picker of some-sort. There are rock pickers that you connect to a tractor, another in a long line of farm implements, and rock pickers can be people. Manual labor tends to be more thorough and more testy. The question here has to be answered, "Do I want to deal with people whining while picking rocks, or spend the money on a rock picker?"
The ground must be disc-d so many times because after the rocks are removed(each time) new ground is uncovered that must be broken and pulverized for planting.
Seeding is the act of planting seed. There is forty pounds of seed needed per acre...the seed must be present before you can begin seeding. Mice like to eat the seeds, so do other rodents, birds, and deer. To order seed years in advance is not wise. It's like storing ice-cream in your freezer the day your baby is born for their third birthday...not only is it tempting for someone to eat it, but it will be no good in three years.
Seed must be ordered and delivered in a timely manner to get the seed planted. Planting can only happen when the conditions are perfect. Dry, but not too dry. Warm, but not too warm. Sun-shining, but not too sunshiny. Not too early, and not too late in the year. And the planting will take time. One full day, nothing else will get done.
After planting the field will need to be "dragged". This is not something that is done with drugs, and it does not mean the work is boring. A "drag" is a massive angry looking farm implement that is flat with spikes poking out of the bottom and possibly chains. It looks more like a medieval torture device, being pulled behind a tractor. It's heavy and nasty to delicately push the seed into the ground and dust the top over with dirt. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? Once the dragging is done...the name of the game is "Wait and Hope". Wait for nature to do what it will with the seed. And Hope it comes up and the field can grow into an amazing and lush hay mix.
This is what has happened to cause this particular field to be an "angst" in the Wife's life:
Dear Farmer went to disc...the disc broke down. Three different times this happened! It consumed three days of fussing with a broken implement for it to accomplish next-to-nothing! FINALLY Dear Farmer fixed everything to disc, job finally done. Dear Farmer has had to cut other fields, care for other chores, and bale hay...while that was happening someone was to have picked the field. Someone didn't, and didn't and finally did, and did it badly. So Dear Farmer went to disc again, and broke the disc on rocks, and had rocks pelted at him...and sent people back to do a better job. When they were finally done, it was late in the year. The weather was not perfect...Dear Farmer waited...and waited....and then he disc-d as quickly as he could. Then he sent people out to pick rocks...and they did an okay job. And it rained. And the rain destroyed the job Dear Farmer had done of discing...and he had to disc again. The disc was tired, and it did not want to work. But Dear Farmer pushed it, eventually-in October-the job got done. October is too late for planting, but Dear Farmer really had no choice. He cannot keep the seed, which was ordered early in the year, through the winter. So he planted the seed. Then he called the help to drag the field...but the help decided to go home early that day(ARGH!). So Dear Farmer went to bed...wondering...will the seed get wet before the help comes tomorrow to drag??? The help came to drag the field...and it's late in the year...it's cold and dry, blowing and overcast, and Dear Farmer really doesn't want to have to plant this field again. The Wife really doesn't want to have to live through another year of planting this same field. So...we are Waiting and Hoping that next year we will have a hay field with hay growing in it.
Disc-ing has nothing to do with dancing, mathematics, or an Olympic event. Disc-ing is where a tractor hooks up to an implement that looks to have dozens of round metal discs on end. This implement in lowered to the ground and run over the ground. It is not plowing, it is taking the ground and breaking it up, pulverizing the dirt, and preparing the dirt for seed.
Disc-ing the ground brings rocks to the surface. No seed grows on rocks. Rocks damage farm equipment and possibly Dear Farmer. Rocks need to be removed. They are best removed by a rock picker of some-sort. There are rock pickers that you connect to a tractor, another in a long line of farm implements, and rock pickers can be people. Manual labor tends to be more thorough and more testy. The question here has to be answered, "Do I want to deal with people whining while picking rocks, or spend the money on a rock picker?"
The ground must be disc-d so many times because after the rocks are removed(each time) new ground is uncovered that must be broken and pulverized for planting.
Seeding is the act of planting seed. There is forty pounds of seed needed per acre...the seed must be present before you can begin seeding. Mice like to eat the seeds, so do other rodents, birds, and deer. To order seed years in advance is not wise. It's like storing ice-cream in your freezer the day your baby is born for their third birthday...not only is it tempting for someone to eat it, but it will be no good in three years.
Seed must be ordered and delivered in a timely manner to get the seed planted. Planting can only happen when the conditions are perfect. Dry, but not too dry. Warm, but not too warm. Sun-shining, but not too sunshiny. Not too early, and not too late in the year. And the planting will take time. One full day, nothing else will get done.
After planting the field will need to be "dragged". This is not something that is done with drugs, and it does not mean the work is boring. A "drag" is a massive angry looking farm implement that is flat with spikes poking out of the bottom and possibly chains. It looks more like a medieval torture device, being pulled behind a tractor. It's heavy and nasty to delicately push the seed into the ground and dust the top over with dirt. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? Once the dragging is done...the name of the game is "Wait and Hope". Wait for nature to do what it will with the seed. And Hope it comes up and the field can grow into an amazing and lush hay mix.
This is what has happened to cause this particular field to be an "angst" in the Wife's life:
Dear Farmer went to disc...the disc broke down. Three different times this happened! It consumed three days of fussing with a broken implement for it to accomplish next-to-nothing! FINALLY Dear Farmer fixed everything to disc, job finally done. Dear Farmer has had to cut other fields, care for other chores, and bale hay...while that was happening someone was to have picked the field. Someone didn't, and didn't and finally did, and did it badly. So Dear Farmer went to disc again, and broke the disc on rocks, and had rocks pelted at him...and sent people back to do a better job. When they were finally done, it was late in the year. The weather was not perfect...Dear Farmer waited...and waited....and then he disc-d as quickly as he could. Then he sent people out to pick rocks...and they did an okay job. And it rained. And the rain destroyed the job Dear Farmer had done of discing...and he had to disc again. The disc was tired, and it did not want to work. But Dear Farmer pushed it, eventually-in October-the job got done. October is too late for planting, but Dear Farmer really had no choice. He cannot keep the seed, which was ordered early in the year, through the winter. So he planted the seed. Then he called the help to drag the field...but the help decided to go home early that day(ARGH!). So Dear Farmer went to bed...wondering...will the seed get wet before the help comes tomorrow to drag??? The help came to drag the field...and it's late in the year...it's cold and dry, blowing and overcast, and Dear Farmer really doesn't want to have to plant this field again. The Wife really doesn't want to have to live through another year of planting this same field. So...we are Waiting and Hoping that next year we will have a hay field with hay growing in it.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Feeding the Bulls
How do you make friends with a 1,600 lb. bull??? Remember the old saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." It's true about bulls too. Here's the story:
Dear Farmer and the Wife took the middle-five out to the pear tree and apple trees to see if there was anything to be picked. We knew that if there was anything, it would be really high in the tree, so Dear Farmer strapped onto the front loader our "cage" for lifting people into the air via tractor. And after we were all loaded into the "cage" he informed us that the trees that we were about to go picking on...that's where the bulls and steers have been hanging out. Well, there were a few of us that were really glad we were in the "cage" and a couple that were a little leery about being there at all, and one that didn't care as long as he could ride in the "cage" and sing, "Higher!Higher!"
So Dear Farmer drove us all out to the fruit trees. And about as soon as we rounded the corner where we could smell the trees, there were six very large Beltie males. The males looked at us, in a "cage" on a tractor, and did not give the impression they were willing to have us join them in the pasture. They bellowed and snorted. Children who were leery about the bovine before, became nearly terrified. But Dear Farmer was anything but dissuaded from his mission. He continued on, raised the "cage" into the trees, and called out "Toss me some apples!" The Wife did, and Dear Farmer called the bulls by name, like a mother calls to a well-behaved child. Up lumbered a combined total of 3,000 pounds of bulls, and Dear Farmer held out an apple to each. Lapping his hands like puppies the bulls ate the apples as fast as we could toss them to Dear Farmer. It became quite comical. The joke was that the bulls were no longer swatting flies with their tails, the tails were wagging. Picking fruit became the secondary activity, feeding the bulls and steers the primary activity. We had to leave. The children were singing "good-bye"s to the bulls and steers, and we went home...Dear Farmer feeling very good about being friends with the biggest bulls on the block.
Dear Farmer and the Wife took the middle-five out to the pear tree and apple trees to see if there was anything to be picked. We knew that if there was anything, it would be really high in the tree, so Dear Farmer strapped onto the front loader our "cage" for lifting people into the air via tractor. And after we were all loaded into the "cage" he informed us that the trees that we were about to go picking on...that's where the bulls and steers have been hanging out. Well, there were a few of us that were really glad we were in the "cage" and a couple that were a little leery about being there at all, and one that didn't care as long as he could ride in the "cage" and sing, "Higher!Higher!"
So Dear Farmer drove us all out to the fruit trees. And about as soon as we rounded the corner where we could smell the trees, there were six very large Beltie males. The males looked at us, in a "cage" on a tractor, and did not give the impression they were willing to have us join them in the pasture. They bellowed and snorted. Children who were leery about the bovine before, became nearly terrified. But Dear Farmer was anything but dissuaded from his mission. He continued on, raised the "cage" into the trees, and called out "Toss me some apples!" The Wife did, and Dear Farmer called the bulls by name, like a mother calls to a well-behaved child. Up lumbered a combined total of 3,000 pounds of bulls, and Dear Farmer held out an apple to each. Lapping his hands like puppies the bulls ate the apples as fast as we could toss them to Dear Farmer. It became quite comical. The joke was that the bulls were no longer swatting flies with their tails, the tails were wagging. Picking fruit became the secondary activity, feeding the bulls and steers the primary activity. We had to leave. The children were singing "good-bye"s to the bulls and steers, and we went home...Dear Farmer feeling very good about being friends with the biggest bulls on the block.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Dear Farmer's Broken Window
Dear Farmer is on the last hay-cutting of the season(YIPPEE!). Something that we are all excited for! His last fields to cut are the really rocky ones. They weren't so bad, until torrential downpours eroded the top of the hills and caused deep grooves going down into valleys. Now it's a real nightmare to cut. The rocks ping around you the entire time as the mower hits them and throws them up in the air with no rhyme or reason. Well, off Dear Farmer went, very grateful that his tractor is an enclosed cab and he has something(even if it was glass) between he and the rocks.
He broke numerous cutting blades, but he'd fix them, and continue cutting. The rocks were pinging and pelting, but he continued cutting. He counted the number of rocks that hit his cab windows. Each time one hit he offered to God a prayer of thankfulness for the rock not hitting himself. 'One...two...three....'
At rock 'seven' he wondered,"How much more can this window take?" It was rock 'eight' that answered that question. Dear Farmer said it sounded like a gun-shot, and suddenly glass was everywhere! Though the glass was all over, the rock still didn't hit Dear Farmer. (The Wife is so grateful for the enclosed cab on the tractor! Dear Farmer is grateful, too!) That finished the hay cutting for the season. Dear Farmer decided that if a rock could smash the tempered glass, he wasn't going to continue cutting and risk the next rock smashing his head just as hard. (The Wife is so grateful that Dear Farmer didn't take the chance.)
So he drove home. The tractor can still be used to bale the hay, it'll be a little louder than usual, but all will be fine. The dealership has been contacted and a new window ordered.
Dear Farmer drank a little more coffee than usual that night. He said he nearly "greased his shorts" when he heard that sound and all the glass crashing around him. But we Praise God it's just a broken window.
He broke numerous cutting blades, but he'd fix them, and continue cutting. The rocks were pinging and pelting, but he continued cutting. He counted the number of rocks that hit his cab windows. Each time one hit he offered to God a prayer of thankfulness for the rock not hitting himself. 'One...two...three....'
At rock 'seven' he wondered,"How much more can this window take?" It was rock 'eight' that answered that question. Dear Farmer said it sounded like a gun-shot, and suddenly glass was everywhere! Though the glass was all over, the rock still didn't hit Dear Farmer. (The Wife is so grateful for the enclosed cab on the tractor! Dear Farmer is grateful, too!) That finished the hay cutting for the season. Dear Farmer decided that if a rock could smash the tempered glass, he wasn't going to continue cutting and risk the next rock smashing his head just as hard. (The Wife is so grateful that Dear Farmer didn't take the chance.)
So he drove home. The tractor can still be used to bale the hay, it'll be a little louder than usual, but all will be fine. The dealership has been contacted and a new window ordered.
Dear Farmer drank a little more coffee than usual that night. He said he nearly "greased his shorts" when he heard that sound and all the glass crashing around him. But we Praise God it's just a broken window.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
A vacation to watch a parade
Dear Farmer took a vacation for Depot Days in Amboy, IL. In years past Dear Farmer has gone to the fund-raising event and enjoyed the tractors and the cars...this year it rained. The rain makes it a little harder to REALLY enjoy walking around and looking at parked tractors or cars. But we did make it to the parade! A parade to beat all other parades!!! Mostly because we had family in the parade, but then there's also the candy. We waved to our Great-Oldies driving the models named after the alphabet, and each child snatched (easily) a pound of candy each (which stayed at Fabulous Aunt and Uncle's house). It was actually just a vacation away from the reality of life. The one where Dear Farmer could watch someone else drive the tractor, see someone else's hard work, and sit back and eat all the cereal he wanted to...
Every so often we need those...a vacation to watch a parade...it refreshes us as we face reality once again.
Every so often we need those...a vacation to watch a parade...it refreshes us as we face reality once again.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Dear Farmer vs. Ground Bees
Dear Farmer has two allergies...broccoli (which he didn't know existed before he married the Wife) and bees. Prior to Dear Farmer being a full-time farmer the whole bee-allergy wasn't too big a deal. Stay away from landscaping in the spring and fall and you're pretty good. Now, however, Dear Farmer is always in the landscaping. So, in the past five years Dear Farmer has gotten stung once each year...this year was no different. Dear Farmer isn't just allergic...it can be deadly. So, each year we arm the arsenal cabinet with a couple more new and exciting wonders "just in case". The other day the Wife was thinking of the arsenal cabinet, and wondering if it was up to snuff when the Farmer's Daughter came in with a puffy lip. She had been stung! Quick as a wink, her dear older sister zoomed and retrieved a beautiful bottle of essential oil and before we could do anything else, the oil was on the Farmer's Daughter's face and the swelling and sting was gone. The Wife made mental note of the oil, looked in the cabinet and also made note of several other things missing which we would get on our next shopping trip. Apparently Dear Farmer did not get the memo...today he was stung while moving the manure pile. He ran inside shouting "STUNG, STUNG!" and tearing off his clothing. The family went into action: the Baby was passed to the House Frau(Farmer's Daughter No.2), the Pied Piper of the Farm-boy Trio ran to get the bath salts, Honorable Son No.1(on his way home) retrieved the antihistamines, and the Wife grabbed the oil. Dear Farmer swelled and hived, but he was anointed and bathed quicker than you could imagine! Pizza was ordered for dinner and Dear Farmer was breathing just fine. Whew! Crisis averted! We're not challenging the bees to a duel, but if it happens again, we feel pretty prepared.
Friday, August 14, 2015
The King of the "Selfies": Honorable Son No.2 and the Farmer's Daughter
[this is a picture of me at the fair]
[this is a picture of me in a car]
[this is a picture of me with a friend, in a car, at the fair]
In Dear Farmers day...there was no such thing as a "selfie". Dear Farmer and the Wife had cameras when they were young(we're not THAT old), but rarely, if EVER was there such a thing as a "selfie".
The next generation...they do "selfies"(see above).
Have you noticed there are no farmers doing "selfies"?
What would a farmer's "selfie" look like?
[this is a picture of me with my tractor]
[this is a picture of me with a cow]
[this is a picture of the cow killing me because I wasn't paying attention while taking a "selfie"]
No good can come of that.
Honorable Son No.2 and the Oldest Farmer's Daughter compete for the prize as "King of the "Selfies" in our home. Apparently there are unwritten rules for "selfies". Your lips have to stick out in a pucker, your eyebrows have to be up to make your eyes bigger, or you have to look like you're screaming. The two of them tie on these. They take "selfies" stealing eachother's hats, hugging animals, kissing babies, and sitting on tree limbs...do they ever work? (In all fairness, they do work)
Ahhh...maybe that's the REAL King of the "selfies"....the one who's bettering themselves by working, instead of taking a picture of themself. Hmm, what is it Dear Farmer tells them? "If you're doing all the things we're supposed to be doing, you don't have time to do anything you shouldn't be doing."
[there is no picture of Dear Farmer, he's in a field cutting hay, providing for a hundred head of cattle and a family, not complaining, not whining, just working]
[this is a picture of me in a car]
[this is a picture of me with a friend, in a car, at the fair]
In Dear Farmers day...there was no such thing as a "selfie". Dear Farmer and the Wife had cameras when they were young(we're not THAT old), but rarely, if EVER was there such a thing as a "selfie".
The next generation...they do "selfies"(see above).
Have you noticed there are no farmers doing "selfies"?
What would a farmer's "selfie" look like?
[this is a picture of me with my tractor]
[this is a picture of me with a cow]
[this is a picture of the cow killing me because I wasn't paying attention while taking a "selfie"]
No good can come of that.
Honorable Son No.2 and the Oldest Farmer's Daughter compete for the prize as "King of the "Selfies" in our home. Apparently there are unwritten rules for "selfies". Your lips have to stick out in a pucker, your eyebrows have to be up to make your eyes bigger, or you have to look like you're screaming. The two of them tie on these. They take "selfies" stealing eachother's hats, hugging animals, kissing babies, and sitting on tree limbs...do they ever work? (In all fairness, they do work)
Ahhh...maybe that's the REAL King of the "selfies"....the one who's bettering themselves by working, instead of taking a picture of themself. Hmm, what is it Dear Farmer tells them? "If you're doing all the things we're supposed to be doing, you don't have time to do anything you shouldn't be doing."
[there is no picture of Dear Farmer, he's in a field cutting hay, providing for a hundred head of cattle and a family, not complaining, not whining, just working]
Thursday, August 6, 2015
A moment for a "spot of tea" on the tractor
Dear Farmer has been brewing tea. WHY? Glad you asked! Let me tell you...
He brews a "compost" tea to spray on the hay fields. By spraying compost on the hay fields he is able to give the fields a healthy and fast dose of all that's good to bring the micro-organisms in the dirt to optimal health. It's like if you or I were feeling "yucky" and we were to start taking a multi-vit...in a few weeks we'd start feeling better. But if we were to eat right AND take the multi-vit in a few days we'd feel better. The "compost" tea is like if we were eating right and taking a multi-vit...but for the field. Just like compost for your garden can get kinda stinky, the tea can a little too. However, it gets really stinky because Dear Farmer adds to it liquefied fish. Uber stinky and highly healthy-making the tea go from "good-for-field" to "WOW-for-field". So, today Dear Farmer is driving the tractor spraying a "spot of tea" on the fields. Making the grass grow healthy, so our cows are healthy, meaning our meat is healthier for you!
He brews a "compost" tea to spray on the hay fields. By spraying compost on the hay fields he is able to give the fields a healthy and fast dose of all that's good to bring the micro-organisms in the dirt to optimal health. It's like if you or I were feeling "yucky" and we were to start taking a multi-vit...in a few weeks we'd start feeling better. But if we were to eat right AND take the multi-vit in a few days we'd feel better. The "compost" tea is like if we were eating right and taking a multi-vit...but for the field. Just like compost for your garden can get kinda stinky, the tea can a little too. However, it gets really stinky because Dear Farmer adds to it liquefied fish. Uber stinky and highly healthy-making the tea go from "good-for-field" to "WOW-for-field". So, today Dear Farmer is driving the tractor spraying a "spot of tea" on the fields. Making the grass grow healthy, so our cows are healthy, meaning our meat is healthier for you!
Monday, August 3, 2015
Sunday afternoon and Cows
Dear Farmer and the Wife spent four hours yesterday watering cows. The cows have water-tanks filled by hoses off the hydrants, but the hoses failed and the tanks were dry. A herd of mad, thirsty cattle is not the place you want to be on a Sunday afternoon, but there we were-getting cows water as fast as we could and in as many different ways as we could. Farmers don't get weekends off.
While overseeing the pushing and shoving by the cattle, the Wife was able to get a little more experience being around the herd, and watched Dear Farmer and how he cares for these (ungrateful) cattle. The Wife did ask if she could be up on the tractor, instead of on the ground with the cattle...Dear Farmer said no. Apparently Dear Farmer actually was USING the tractor, and the Wife would have just been up there because it looked like the safer place to be. It really wasn't the safer place to be, it was just higher up. The Wife watched the way the cattle bumped and jostled the tractor, Dear Farmer did not have an easy job!
It was a long and dusty four hours, Dear Farmer and the Wife both had sweat and water mixed with dust and mud covering arms and necks, all over faces and in noses. Ick!
"Did you catch the game?" Nope. No game could have been nearly as exciting as watering a hundred thirsty and mad cows. Nope, we LIVE the game! We're farmers.
While overseeing the pushing and shoving by the cattle, the Wife was able to get a little more experience being around the herd, and watched Dear Farmer and how he cares for these (ungrateful) cattle. The Wife did ask if she could be up on the tractor, instead of on the ground with the cattle...Dear Farmer said no. Apparently Dear Farmer actually was USING the tractor, and the Wife would have just been up there because it looked like the safer place to be. It really wasn't the safer place to be, it was just higher up. The Wife watched the way the cattle bumped and jostled the tractor, Dear Farmer did not have an easy job!
It was a long and dusty four hours, Dear Farmer and the Wife both had sweat and water mixed with dust and mud covering arms and necks, all over faces and in noses. Ick!
"Did you catch the game?" Nope. No game could have been nearly as exciting as watering a hundred thirsty and mad cows. Nope, we LIVE the game! We're farmers.
Monday, July 20, 2015
Flat Tires...ugh!
A flat tire on a car during road travel is a real inconvenience. A flat tire on a tractor is a real hassle. A flat tire on your hay mower-is devastating. Dear Farmer got a flat tire on his hay mower yesterday...
It was the phone call in the middle of the afternoon that alerted the Wife to a difficulty in his workday. It started with a man on the other end of the phone that sounded really tired...it ended with a "can you pick me up?" Both Dear Farmer and Wife had a little drag in their step for the rest of the day. This was not a good day to be put a day behind...the sun was shining, it was a good day for mowing. Dear Farmer had to do other things-basically there is no lack in things to do!
Not people to drag long, it was a pick-me up when Dear Farmer was able to invite a fellow-farmer over for dinner("So, I got a flat tire today, want to come for grilled pork chops?") see: country hospitality:example B . The next day the tire was fixed, and back on the mower...and it rained. Now rain...that's a whole 'nother monster!
It was the phone call in the middle of the afternoon that alerted the Wife to a difficulty in his workday. It started with a man on the other end of the phone that sounded really tired...it ended with a "can you pick me up?" Both Dear Farmer and Wife had a little drag in their step for the rest of the day. This was not a good day to be put a day behind...the sun was shining, it was a good day for mowing. Dear Farmer had to do other things-basically there is no lack in things to do!
Not people to drag long, it was a pick-me up when Dear Farmer was able to invite a fellow-farmer over for dinner("So, I got a flat tire today, want to come for grilled pork chops?") see: country hospitality:example B . The next day the tire was fixed, and back on the mower...and it rained. Now rain...that's a whole 'nother monster!
Thursday, June 25, 2015
You mow grass? We bale it.
Sometimes we refer to ourselves as "Grass-Farmers". Take away all the modern-day drug culture and look at that description as it really is, word-for-word. We grow grasses. A multitude of them. Before we were farming full-time we didn't know how many grasses there were. There's timothy, rye, fescue...
and none of them that we grow are ornamental, they all have a specific purpose. Healthy blood, healthy heart, healthy coat, healthy eyes...the list goes on.
Dear Farmer lets the grass grow to seed head, and then he cuts it, tedders it, rakes it, and bales it. Because we are organic farmers, NOTHING chemical goes on the grass! Nature walks on it, that's it. This process of making hay takes time with sun and no rain.
Where we are Dear Farmer gets two good cuttings of hay. The first cutting is okay, it grows fast and is hard to get in. Spring usually rains a great deal, and to get in the hay amidst the rain drops is difficult. It needs to have a solid four days of sun. The second cutting is the best, it grows well because of the spring rain, and has the most nutrician. It's not usually difficult to bring it in, it's getting to it all, because it's all ready at the sametime. Sometimes there's a meager third cutting...it's only taken if Dear Farmer thinks we're going to be really short on hay from the winter.
The best part of hay-season is watching Dear Farmer skip out to his tractor, with a big grin on his face! He's going to be playing with his "toys" all day.
So, the family waves good-bye to him(dressed in our swimsuits), knowing we won't see him until the dew nearly sits on the grass. He's off to do his "Grass-Farming".
and none of them that we grow are ornamental, they all have a specific purpose. Healthy blood, healthy heart, healthy coat, healthy eyes...the list goes on.
Dear Farmer lets the grass grow to seed head, and then he cuts it, tedders it, rakes it, and bales it. Because we are organic farmers, NOTHING chemical goes on the grass! Nature walks on it, that's it. This process of making hay takes time with sun and no rain.
Where we are Dear Farmer gets two good cuttings of hay. The first cutting is okay, it grows fast and is hard to get in. Spring usually rains a great deal, and to get in the hay amidst the rain drops is difficult. It needs to have a solid four days of sun. The second cutting is the best, it grows well because of the spring rain, and has the most nutrician. It's not usually difficult to bring it in, it's getting to it all, because it's all ready at the sametime. Sometimes there's a meager third cutting...it's only taken if Dear Farmer thinks we're going to be really short on hay from the winter.
The best part of hay-season is watching Dear Farmer skip out to his tractor, with a big grin on his face! He's going to be playing with his "toys" all day.
So, the family waves good-bye to him(dressed in our swimsuits), knowing we won't see him until the dew nearly sits on the grass. He's off to do his "Grass-Farming".
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Top Ten Date-Nights with Dear Farmer
The rain today prevented Dear Farmer from doing hay, so he took the Wife out on a date. This was very appreciated by both the Wife, and all the children (the Wife had been getting a little lot stressed lately while being the single parent). Thought it would be fun to show you what Dear Farmer and the Wife consider a "hot" date.
Top Ten Date-Nights with Dear Farmer
Top Ten Date-Nights with Dear Farmer
- Out to the local-ish "have it all" home repair store.
- Out to the next closest local-ish "have everything the first didn't have" home repair store.
- Out to the local-ish tractor and farm supply store.
- Out to the grocery store.
- For a drive around the fields to check progress of growth.
- To the local "have it all" for your home store.
- To a family member's house.
- To a car dealership(to look at trucks for the farm).
- Down to the barn to hook-up equipment/clean up equipment.
- Driving equipment out to fields for the next cutting/bailing.
For all of you Wives...you aren't alone.
For all of you Farmers...as long as the date begins with, has in the middle, and ends with "I love you." You can't go wrong.
Monday, June 8, 2015
What did Dear Farmer do for his birthday?
In our large family gifts are usually time together, not so much opening boxes or having things. Last year the children at home started the tradition of all pitching in together for Dear Farmer's birthday...
this year children at home took Dear Farmer out for his birthday gift to the "John Deere Historical Site" in Grand Detour, IL. If you're a "John Deere"-fan, it's a must!
Check on their website first, to confirm when they are open, admission was only $5.00 for ages 12 and up-we went on a Saturday, they were open from 9-5. We packed a picnic lunch, they have a beautiful pavilion to lunch in, and they have nice clean bathrooms as well.
The site is approximately one block long, and maybe a quarter block wide. It's absolutely beautiful and well kept. You are given a guided tour in small groups with other visitors. We were a small group all by ourselves, but there was a couple that tagged along with us. I only felt bad for the other couple when it came to "Do you have any questions?" from the tour guide. The Pied Piper always has tons of questions. I'm sure the couple would have gladly moved on.
On site there are several buildings of interest:
this year children at home took Dear Farmer out for his birthday gift to the "John Deere Historical Site" in Grand Detour, IL. If you're a "John Deere"-fan, it's a must!
Check on their website first, to confirm when they are open, admission was only $5.00 for ages 12 and up-we went on a Saturday, they were open from 9-5. We packed a picnic lunch, they have a beautiful pavilion to lunch in, and they have nice clean bathrooms as well.
The site is approximately one block long, and maybe a quarter block wide. It's absolutely beautiful and well kept. You are given a guided tour in small groups with other visitors. We were a small group all by ourselves, but there was a couple that tagged along with us. I only felt bad for the other couple when it came to "Do you have any questions?" from the tour guide. The Pied Piper always has tons of questions. I'm sure the couple would have gladly moved on.
On site there are several buildings of interest:
- One building is an excavation site of the original blacksmith shop built by John Deere where the company first started. In that building is a movie about John Deere, and many artifacts from the dig.
- One building is a replica of the blacksmith shop where an actual blacksmith was giving a demonstration as well as a verbal "tour" around the shop. The blacksmith was entertaining and informative! What a craftsman!
- One building was John Deere's home. The family owned the property for a number of years, so family pictures and furniture were decorating the home. There are also a number of period pieces to complete the lived-in look.
- One building is the neighbor's house, where there is a gift shoppe. We didn't go in there...I had eight small children with me, and was not planning on purchasing anything for them.
The entire time there was about an hour and a half, not too long for the littlest, and just right for the parents.
Having seen this John Deere site, it makes Dear Farmer want to go to Moline, IL and see the corporate HQ. I don't know anything about that, we'll have to look into it for next year's birthday.
If you head over that direction, there is more to do in the area. Lee County in Illinois has a well organized visitor's bureau.
The highlight of Dear Farmer's birthday...he said it was being with his family! What a great guy!!!
*Do I need to tell you no one paid me to say anything about anything? We just had a great time, and would love you others to have a great time there as well!
Monday, June 1, 2015
What to do while Dear Farmer cuts hay?
Dear Farmer has begun cutting hay. The Wife is a "hay-ing widow" for the next four months...
The children don't mind Dear Farmer being gone in the fields day after day, though...because the Wife is a beach-girl!
"Wake up and jump into your suits children, we're hitting the beach!"
Yes, the Wife is very happy to sit on sand all day. The children run, the children swim, the children don't care how cold the water is, the house is staying clean and the Wife is spending no money! Really?! How great is that!
There are still responsibilities that need to be tended to on the farm. Goats and chickens to feed. But we can all pitch in and get the work done in plenty of time to be picnic-ing on the sand.
The Wife LOVES summertime!
Dear Farmer enjoys hearing the stories of the beach, seeing the "treasures" the children have brought home, and knowing that his family has had a great day...while he was playing on his tractor cutting hay.
The children don't mind Dear Farmer being gone in the fields day after day, though...because the Wife is a beach-girl!
"Wake up and jump into your suits children, we're hitting the beach!"
Yes, the Wife is very happy to sit on sand all day. The children run, the children swim, the children don't care how cold the water is, the house is staying clean and the Wife is spending no money! Really?! How great is that!
There are still responsibilities that need to be tended to on the farm. Goats and chickens to feed. But we can all pitch in and get the work done in plenty of time to be picnic-ing on the sand.
The Wife LOVES summertime!
Dear Farmer enjoys hearing the stories of the beach, seeing the "treasures" the children have brought home, and knowing that his family has had a great day...while he was playing on his tractor cutting hay.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Dear Farmer and Family stop traffic
Yes, you read the title correctly. No, we didn't go walking out in public, we literally stopped traffic on the road...here's the story...
Dear Farmer ordered equipment, shipping here from Texas. Should have been here a week ago, and the fields need the (fill in the blank) on them, Dear Farmer was getting antsy. So, Dear Farmer is out on a date with the Wife (awww) to Menard's and while in the check out line he gets the phone call...equipment is coming on a semi truck at 6pm. Date, done. Dear Farmer and the Wife scoot back home to be ready for the semi-truck to come. He says to the Wife, "Well, our date isn't really over. We're just re-directing it to the road outside the house. You can make sure cars stop while I'm on the tractor unloading the equipment." How romantic, Dear Farmer, Wife, and semi-truck driver...in the middle of the road unloading farming implements.
Upon arrival home, however, the children see Dear Farmer and Wife. "You're home! You're home!" Is shouted inside the house and out in the yard. Date, done...officially. Up onto the instructor seat goes the Little Farmhand. Looking down, the Wife has a couple very sweet little Farmer's Daughters holding her hands. Out goes the entourage to the road, the dog and couple cats and a chicken following.
There were no cars while we were awaiting the arrival of the semi-truck, but once he pulled up, suddenly traffic started! Thankfully, the near-by Veggie Farmer came over and helped stop traffic on one side of the semi (The semi was blocking his driveway, so he really had no choice, but he did help so kindly. Thank you, Veggie-Man!), while the Wife and Farmer's Daughters stopped traffic on the other side of the semi. Our usual protocol is: stop car. make sure it is safe on other side of truck. allow car to go ahead. while car passes, smile and wave. The cars were coming in a steady stream, so we were needing to stop three or four at a time, and alternating directions of traffic, this was quite a task. The Farmer's Daughters, however, looked too sweet while smiling and waving! It may have been the Tu-Tu's they were wearing.
About a half hour later, traffic was able to flow freely again, the semi-driver and truck were on their way further north, and Dear Farmer had his implements and was looking forward to using them the very next day.
Dear Farmer ordered equipment, shipping here from Texas. Should have been here a week ago, and the fields need the (fill in the blank) on them, Dear Farmer was getting antsy. So, Dear Farmer is out on a date with the Wife (awww) to Menard's and while in the check out line he gets the phone call...equipment is coming on a semi truck at 6pm. Date, done. Dear Farmer and the Wife scoot back home to be ready for the semi-truck to come. He says to the Wife, "Well, our date isn't really over. We're just re-directing it to the road outside the house. You can make sure cars stop while I'm on the tractor unloading the equipment." How romantic, Dear Farmer, Wife, and semi-truck driver...in the middle of the road unloading farming implements.
Upon arrival home, however, the children see Dear Farmer and Wife. "You're home! You're home!" Is shouted inside the house and out in the yard. Date, done...officially. Up onto the instructor seat goes the Little Farmhand. Looking down, the Wife has a couple very sweet little Farmer's Daughters holding her hands. Out goes the entourage to the road, the dog and couple cats and a chicken following.
There were no cars while we were awaiting the arrival of the semi-truck, but once he pulled up, suddenly traffic started! Thankfully, the near-by Veggie Farmer came over and helped stop traffic on one side of the semi (The semi was blocking his driveway, so he really had no choice, but he did help so kindly. Thank you, Veggie-Man!), while the Wife and Farmer's Daughters stopped traffic on the other side of the semi. Our usual protocol is: stop car. make sure it is safe on other side of truck. allow car to go ahead. while car passes, smile and wave. The cars were coming in a steady stream, so we were needing to stop three or four at a time, and alternating directions of traffic, this was quite a task. The Farmer's Daughters, however, looked too sweet while smiling and waving! It may have been the Tu-Tu's they were wearing.
About a half hour later, traffic was able to flow freely again, the semi-driver and truck were on their way further north, and Dear Farmer had his implements and was looking forward to using them the very next day.
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