Calves and a Doe

Today we worked calves on the farm. Rodney, Art, Lona, Shirley and Dale helped. Thank you for working so hard with us.

All of the babies went smoothly to the barn except for three and of those three one decided to take Dale and I on a tour of the farm yard. She is Aaron's from last year and since we didn't remember what they had named her I called her FLOJO since she reminded me of the Olympic athlete with all her running and jumping.

We also tagged Buckshot, Booger, Hack - all yearling steers (as of today anyway). Cali, Luci, Burns, Dodie, Fudge, Sambo, Frostbite, Sly, Petunia, Spot, Mo, DD, Eagle, and Sage. The heifers got tags in the ears and the bulls were nutted and tagged. We saved the nuts for a Rocky Mountain Oyster fry.

I didn't get any pictures of the calves as we were working them - I didn't have my camera with me and we really didn't have time.

As promised I did get a couple pictures of the little doe from the other day. They aren't really great shots because I took them with camera on my phone and it was dark and she was moving but at least you get a good idea of how cute she is.




It was gorgeous today - 41 degrees when I woke up this morning and still 27. We haven't seen 40 since November!

High School Musical

It's official. Next week we start auditions for the High School Musical. We are doing Seven Brides for Seven Brothers....only I'm changing the title to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and One Groom for Me!

I think the new edition will be great and maybe it will be a success!? - ;)

Tonight Kent and I watched the DVD of the original movie and this weekend I will peruse the book for audition pieces. Wednesday is auditions and then we will be off and running. Our performance will be the first weekend in April.

Top Hat will be the third weekend in April so I will pull double duty with the two shows and practices. Someone said I must be superwoman...I said no closer to Wonder Woman...I always wanted the lasso!

34 degrees right now with a forcasted storm for the weekend.

New Life

We were called over to the farm this evening to look at the newest addition...a baby goat.

Kent and Art and I had to build her an indoor pen since it is so cold out right now. The little sweetheart had frozen ears and frozen feet - but we warmed her up as best we could and put a sweater on her so maybe she'll make it. As I held her under the heater she laid her head back on my shoulder and snuggled it. It really was pretty precious.

I guess I don't even know if she is a she, but I will know tomorrow and hopefully have pictures. Tonight I just wanted to get her warm and safe.

Rearranging

Kent and I rearranged the spare bedroom tonight. It is much bigger feeling now and I can get into my closet...I guess that means I have to clean it.:)

I wanted to paint in there but I think I may have to wait until this summer...plus I can't decide on a color. Yes I know Carrie and I spent a ton of time looking at samples and picking out a color but the longer I lived with the choices the less they grew on me. I still want to go some shade of blue...but what? there are so many...something not too icy, not too dark, sort of western, but not grey, no green blue, no purple blue and it has to look good with brown or white or both. It can't be to pale and it should look like denim...kind of. If I could take a gallon of the sky in summer I would use it but I can't find a color that matches it. I don't ask for much do I?

A quiet weekend

Kent and I had a quiet Saturday involving napping and babysitting and more napping. It was quite nice to have nothing better to do than be snuggled in at home.

We went to the Firemen's Fundraiser Saturday night. Kent was a volunteer fireman for seven years and then this pat year due to his job schedule was unable to continue. As of last night it appears that his position is still there waiting for him and that several of his "brothers" would love to have him back. I hope he seriously considers it. When we first me Kent's being a fireman and the way he talked about what he did was one of the things that attracted me to him. I don't want him to go back for that reason but the way he talked about the fire department showed me a man who was passionate about what he did and I hope he can find his way back to it. Plus...who doesn't love a fireman?

Sunday we did chores and ran to town where we found a super deal on dog food and bought enough to last Trip, our farm dog, at least until summer if not longer.

Tonight I took Shirley to hear Gary and Glenda Baltrusch - they are a Christian couple who travel around the country singing. They have a very old-time Christian sound and are very good. I really enjoyed them.

It is -7 and Harvey is in a windchill advisory until tomorrow morning!

Finally Friday

We had an almost quiet night at home tonight.

Our friend Kristina stopped by for a few minutes and Jay and his girlfriend met us in town to exchange money for the beef they bought.

We had a nice night socializing.

We are also babysitting Daisy - Aaron's dog while they go out of town.

It has been a nice quiet Friday for a change.

Poetry

I couldn't think of what to write and turned to those with greater gifts than mine to try to put into words winter in North Dakota.

The Farm Woman's Winter



Thomas Hardy

I
If seasons all were summers,
And leaves would never fall,
And hopping casement-comers
Were foodless not at all,

And fragile folk might be here
That white winds bid depart;
Then one I used to see here
Would warm my wasted heart!
II

One frail, who, bravely tilling
Long hours in gripping gusts,
Was mastered by their chilling,
And now his ploughshare rusts.
So savage winter catches
The breath of limber things,
And what I love he snatches,
And what I love not, brings.

Barn Collapse

Yesterday our worst fears with this snow were realized.

Dale had gone over to the cattle farm to feed and forgot to check on the animals. He decided to go back and check to see that they were okay. When he returned he found that the barn roof had collapsed.

Miraculously the animals were fine and nothing got hurt, but half of the barn is gone. This was one of the sturdier barns on the farm, but the calves were penned up and the weather turned nice and the combo of sunshine and animal body heated melted the snow enough to make it really heavy....REALLY heavy. Kent hadn't made it over to that farm to clean snow as he had still been working on the main farm.

These are pictures that Kent took today of what is left. The calves except for about 10 were sent to the sale barn yesterday. The others will stay back for butcher critters next year.

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Trophy Nite

Sorry I haven't been on for a couple days. This weekend was the 12th Annual ND State Trophy Night at the Eagles club. As a former employee I get called each year to do a cameo appearance as a barmaid. I don't mind. Usually it is pretty good money and since Kent is a committee member I would be there in one capacity or another. I have attached several pictures of the festivities.

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Among the fun is a 250 gun raffle, general raffle, .22 raffles, and door prizes. My parents came up from Wyoming hoping this would improve their chances of winning...it did not.

Kent's uncle Don won a .223/.20 gauge single shot interchangeable barrel Rossi, Kent's mom won a .22 off of ONE raffle ticket, my dad got a tree stand, I got a vest and binoculars, and others of the family got some small raffle prizes. Not a complete skunking but we had hoped for a little more...like a gun for each of us!

Kent and I spent Sunday with my parents. Dad and Mom and I watched the Cardinals game and then Kent brought steaks in (we ate at Grandma's house because she has cable tv) and we watched the Steelers game. It was nice just to have a relaxing evening with my parents. Usually when they are here we run or have a project or something.

We had friends up this weekend too so Kent and I spent our time running the whole weekend.

Sunday we sent a kitten to Bismarck to a new home. This makes me sad and happy at the same time. He needed to move off the farm...we didn't need a tomcat related to almost everything, but Chunk and I had been through a lot...including supergluing his rear end shut! Chunk is going to a great home by the sounds of it and will be pampered and spoiled so I can't complain too much. Love you Chunkers!

I do have to turn serious here for a minute and comment on two events that have made me pause and reflect on the beauty of life. This weekend I lost two of my circle. Friday my coworker Bob Brower lost his battle with Cancer and won a better life in Heaven. His funeral was today and the service was geared to being confident in Christ and appreciating the love of family and friends around you. He has battled Cancer for two years or better and never was down, never was rude, never was mean spirited. His recessional song was Spirit in the Sky...a fitting end to a man who didn't seem to take life too seriously and always brightened everyone's life he touched. Bob - if you are looking down...it's always morning for you and you can kiss this Angel anytime!

Friday night after Trophy Night a long time customer, Kenny Johnson, was in a fatal car crash. He was one of two men we called the Fessenden Boys. I'd had a chance to talk with him that evening and had the opportunity to tell him how special he was to me and how much I missed seeing him every Saturday (I don't work there anymore). I gave him a big hug and told him he was appreciated. If only we could do that for every person in our lives.

Both of these have made me pause and think about what is important in life. It wasn't so important that I serve a hundred customers, but that I had that chance to let that one person know he mattered. It doesn't matter what we go through our attitude can touch someone else's life deeply even if they aren't someone we see everyday.

To both of you I send my love and know that you are in a better place.

32 Below

There is a country/rock group from North Dakota that I love that gives a tongue in cheek nod to their roots with the name 32 Below. I have always loved their music, it has an edgy, brusque, North Dakota hardiness to it that reaches down to the heart of this North Dakota import.

Today they were brought to mind over and over as the weatherman recited the current temperature. Three times today it was recorded as 32 below before wind chill and I thought that this record is where the heart of this music, this girl resides.

It groans like a car trying to cold start, it bites like the wind in the lungs, and it brings tears when I stand and let it all in. The wind may blow, the cold may freeze but it is an exhilarating feeling of being alive.

And there is hope. Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the 20's this is hope, it is a hope that I can survive almost anything if I can survive this winter. It is a reminder of where I've been and where I want to go.

While the end of the winter is in sight the small joy of a 20 degree day is enticing. It is something to look forward to and it fills me with simple pleasure.

Blizzard!!!!

Today we had school but I headed home early. The winds and windchill were so drastic and the drifting had started to accumulate on the road making driving so treacherous that my boss called half-way through the day and told me to head home and work from there. Half way home I had to stop so a tractor could pull a truck out of the ditch. Luckily I didn't have any trouble after that and made it home before it was too bad.

Thank God for on-demand 4-wheel drive and a high profile vehicle. Environmentalists talk about how bad they are for nature but I'd like to see one of them live in the middle of North Dakota with a Prius on these roads....I don't think so!

SNOW DAY AGAIN!

Today is the second snow day of a five day weekend now. Snow days used to mean cocoa, a good book, maybe some laundry or a fun snow day project. Now they mean doing chores in the freezing cold and snow and shoveling snow so you can do those chores.

I did have some fun with it today. I took the camera and took some cool snow pictures and moved snow with the Bobcat all by myself and tried to climb up on the roof of the dairy barn - which was funny to those watching but not for me at the time. I even shoveled out the pig barn to get them their feed all by myself.

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I am including pictures of the farm under snow in one scrapbook and then just snow in the other one. I love snow even though I am about sick of it. Snow is a beautiful wonder of nature. In the pictures you see the art of it, even the glittery diamond effect it can have. I was glad I took the pictures today to see both sides of the snow - the barns covered and in danger of collapsing and the snakelike...no wait that isn't right...the ribbon like meanderings of it.

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More snow for tomorrow...we were told today we are over 70 inches and that wasn't counting last night or tomorrow!

Let me know what you think of my SNOW!

Farm living

What a treat - we woke up this morning and went to do chores and were greeted by a brand new life. Maggie had a pretty little heifer calf. Maggie is Aaron's cow so his boys got to do the honors of naming her and so Maxine is now a part of our farm.

We had to move her and her mom into the barn so that she could warm up because it was fairly cold this morning, although her mother picked a good day to give birth - it made it into the 20's today!

Check out the pictures of Kent checking on the little one. In the one if you really look you can see Momma snorting and looking like she may charge. The pitchfork is so that she has something to have to maneuver around before she stomps Kent - which she didn't. Typically Longhorn cattle are very docile (I even saw pictures last night of someone who trained them for saddles!) and I think I would trust them over a beef cow any day, but common sense and respect teaches that sometimes it is important to be courteous to a new mom who is very protective. Beyond that she had her baby taken and moved to a new location...enough to make any mother a little crazy. She never even really made a move at Kent, just kind of put on a show. That's a good thing - it shows that she is taking care of her little one which is better than the alternative which is having a bottle calf to take care of everyday because the mother ignores it.

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We then spent the remainder of the morning and until 7:00 tonight butchering beef and making sausage. Kent and I used all of our pork for breakfast sausage so when Aaron got the idea to make breakfast links we had to get creative and decided to try all beef links and guess what? They are better than the pork links...at least we think so.

We butchered our half of the cow Dale gave us - thank you Dale and made a ton of stew meat chunks to do Cream Can Stew this summer for the family reunion. I saved all of our corn on the cob and we can get carrots and potatoes from Ilona and Shirley so we will be set come reunion time this summer. We also kept about 20 pounds of Prime Rib and the same in regular bone on ribs that we plan to smoke this summer for a family picnic. We got some yummy looking steaks out of the mix and can't wait to try them, but first tomorrow we must have eggs and sausage for breakfast.

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Thank you everyone who chipped in to help with the work today. While I am glad to be done with the butchering it has been nice to get everyone together in an activity.

Over 24 degrees today! This is the warmest it's been since November I think!

SNOW much fun!

Kent and I climbed the hieghts of the pole barn today and shoveled snow off. This invovled climbing a 7 foot or so snow bank and, for me, crawling on hands and knees to the peak, which is some 18 feet above the ground(but felt like 50), then sitting and shoveling or kneeling and shoveling until the snow broke loose and then riding it to the edge or the barn roof and falling to the ground which was a meer inches from the side of the roof (but felt like a 10 foot drop the first time.

Kent was able to stand and do his part of the shoveling but I can't say I was that brave. While I did try standing - twice - my deep rooted fear of doing the splits - I can't - kept me on my butt or knees.

In the end after falling three times it was quite fun and the final fall - on purpose - took a good four feet of roof snow with me and had me laughing until I cried at the bottom.

Then Kent and Aaron and I slaughtered the last two beef for the season or many season's to come. Kent and Aaron shared that there may not be beef like this for us for a good three years. This year there were just that many because we had so many sets of twins and a lot of bottle babies. We took 3 1/2 sides to the butcher shop to be processed and kept one behind for ourselves. We figured we could handle butchering 1/2 a critter if we knew it was the end of the line!

For the rest of the night I plan to get warm. The day out in the cold has me chilled to the bone and a good cup of cocoa and some steak might do the trick.

Hey - It was better than 15 above today, since now at 6:16 pm it is 15. What a warming streak!

SNOW DAY!!!!!

We had a snow day from school today. We got 6 inches overnight and another 3 during the day and with all the rest we had it was enough to have schools cancelling all over the area.

Kent went to Aaron's shop to work on deer mounts and ended up on Aaron's roof shoveling snow off. He had a crack the roof and a bow in the ceiling from the heavy amounts of snow we had. Kent then came home and started shoveling snow from the barns. At one point the barn roof had snow waist deep on Kent and if you don't know him - he is 6'4" and his waist is a good 5' off the ground.

I read a book, did dishes, and decorated a birthday cake for Kelly's (Kent's brother) birthday.

Shirley tells a story of how when Kelly was little he always had a pacifier in his mouth. One day his uncle decided to break him of it by taking the pacifier away...Kelly just took his spare out of his pocket and continued sucking away. So for the theme to the party we went with pacifiers.

When considering a cake it was mentioned that Kelly hates snakes...now I hate snakes. I have a physically violent, unrealistic fear of them. I dry heave, my entire body tenses, I cry and I have been known to dance a pretty entertaining jig. But because we thought it would be funny to make a cake like this for his birthday I decided to conquer my fears and build a snake. The results are pretty cute but the research almost killed me.



Just looking at pictures of snakes on the Internet was enough to send chills - literally - up my arms and spine, I gagged, I shook, I had to look away after two pictures. I made Kent look up some pictures to see if I was on the right track and couldn't even go in the living room while he did. (I pause to shake off the images of this and verbally let out an uh-huh-huh which leads Kent to ask if I am again looking at snake pictures...as if!!!)

We had the party at T-bones and with a lot of effort from everyone involved, tablecloth from Shirley, banner from Lona, cake from me, and fun and entertaining gift giving ideas plus balloons from Carrie it was a smashing success. Oh I forgot to mention the trick candles that wouldn't blow out and almost ignited the smoke alarms. Guess it takes new view of Non-smoking in restaurants. It was mentioned that from we ruined T-Bones for anyone over 25 since they would no longer be able to have cake with candles thanks to us. I'd like to thank Kelly for turning 40 and providing enough btu's from his cake to light the farmyard for the weekend.

All in all it was an eventful day. It was nice to have the family all gathered for another evening and share in each others company.

I am grateful for the work that was put in to helping make the evening a success and thank all those who helped me in preparing a celebration of age, family, and the opportunity to share in each others lives.

We watched Hope Floats tonight and Birdie said something pretty cool.

It was something like...Life's beginning is scary, it's ending is almost always sad but it's what's in the middle that counts. Give HOPE the chance to float....etc.

It was pretty good and I thought worth repeating.

I LOVE TEXAS HOLD'EM

Today I called several men about the play and now may have at least three leads of possible actors. I also have extra women that I didn't have before. It is so odd having too many when usually I have to beg.

Shirley treated me to dinner at the Ranch today - YUMMMEEE

Then tonight at Auxiliary she won playing BINGO - GO TO WASHINGTON!!!!!

The Eagles Auxiliary activity for the evening was to teach Texas Hold'em Poker (a request at the last meeting).

Now, I already know how to play...I credit Poker with helping Kent and I get together...but I only had two interested parties so I thought as President I should join in....at 8:00 we started...I got home at 10:45 taking second place behind one of our teachers who had been threatened with humiliation if he let a girl beat him.

I was reckless and didn't think and won big despite going all in on ridiculous hands throughout the evening. I am jacked up now and can't get to sleep even though I'm exhausted and have to be up at 5 tomorrow morning.

Maybe I should convince Kent to play more often....

Anyhoo...It was a blast and even better it was in the teens today for weather...Spring may actually make it this year.

Tonight was the final night of Top Hat auditions. We have all of the female roles filled plus one but no men. Typical.

We have some go-to guys that we may call and a list of other possibilities so there is still hope.....

First day back at work and I have to say it was a full on work mode day. I got a lot accomplished and felt like it was a good day of work.

My car's battery gave up the ghost today and lucky for me Kent was standing by ready to put a new one in. Okay so maybe I had to call him and he had to come in and it was well below zero and he didn't have the right parts and got a side mount battery instead of a front mount and had to come back and reinstall it, but he was there and it was fabulous to have a knight in shining armor waiting to rescue me.

We are supposed to be above zero for the next two days....maybe even in the teens... I think it may be bathing suit weather and if not that definitely capris.

Again with the butchering!

Do you notice a trend? Yes, once again we butchered a beef today. The last of the 6 we have done over break.

I have to say I kind of skunked out on this one because we had Top Hat Auditions and while I helped with the bringing it in, trimming it up and cutting the first part of the meat - I missed out on the major cutting, grinding and packaging. I did make it back just in time to stuff burger although I let Kent handle the majority of the work on that one too. I did make a mean meatball as part of my share of the workload though.

Lona cooked Rommegrot and sausage for supper and some yummy fruit soup for dinner. We have really enjoyed some wonderful family meals through this whole process.

Art finally got my car working with Aaron's help in the frigid cold temperatures for which I am grateful beyond measure. I owe you to both a huge treat. I'm just not sure what that will be...

Kent and I got up and at'em and to Aaron's shop by 10 today. We fleshed out Damian and watched the boys. We finished in a record time of 4 hours - just in time to get Kent back to help Aaron slaughter another steer.

My mom called and we had a great time long-distance shopping - Thank God for Wal-Mart Clearance! I haven't had so much fun shopping in a long time!

Aaron's boys and I spent the afternoon at home playing and watching movies.

When Aaron and Carrie returned we made Potato Pancakes and Sausage for everyone and enjoyed a quiet family evening together.

Carrie helped me pick out paint colors for the two bedrooms. She has such an artistic eye. Garin and Levi participated in this as well - they are such go-getters! Aaron and Kent "watched" Batman (see attached photos).

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Taxidermy

How did you spend your last day of Christmas break?

As was the theme for this vacation I spent mine fleshing out the hide to one of the longhorns we butchered. We have two which will become bedspreads or rugs.

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The best part of this break...even the hard physical labor...has been spending each day doing something with Kent. I love that we can work together and enjoy each other each day. He makes me laugh, look for the best moments in life, and look forward to the days to come.

Happy New Year

We had a small gathering of friends over last night for the holiday festivities. Aaron and Carrie, the boys and dogs, Ron and Jana and Shayla and us. Some other friends had planned on it but with the weatherman predicting a storm or being snowed in their homes they did not.

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We had a nice dinner of shredded beef barbecues, wieners in barbecue sauce, cheese ball and chips and dip.

Aaron and Carrie and Kent and I went to the hot tub thinking we may ring in 2009 in there as we have the past two years...but the chemical smell was stinging our eyes and causing redness (see my face in the pictures) so we came back in the house and played Catchphrase.

We sang Auld Lang Syne at midnight and shared the start of 2009 with our some of the most special people in our lives, a bottle of champagne and turtle pie...not a bad start at all.

New Year's Day was low key - we did chores (a little later than usual) and then just rested or recuperated for the remainder of the day.

So as we start out 2009 here is a little Irish blessing for each and everyone of you in the new year...

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.